Parade of Homes Review

Kitchens! Kitchens!! Kitchens!!! Part 4

MODULAR KITCHENS CONTINUED

by Teresa Firelight

(Apologies for the delay getting this one out. RL became really busy for me so it took longer to publish than I expected.)

This is the 4^th and final article in our series on Kitchens. We started Modular kitchens in the previous article and covered two: Dust Bunny and Consignment Kitchens. Now we will look at two more: 1) the Fancy Décor & Kraftwork Kitchen and 2) the LAQ kitchen (aka HEIMA Kitchen).

Fancy Décor & Kraftwork Modular Kitchen

Fancy Decor and Kraftwork have a modular kitchen they developed together. It comes in either of five colors (each purchased separately). You also have the option of buying either PG or Adult versions of each color.

The kitchen does not come with any sort of texture change HUD for tinting cabinets or counters. But it does include a HUD that allows you to chose the metal handles color (gold, silver or black). The good news is that you can modify the kitchen, so you can tint cabinets or counter tops or the tile backsplash manually. Also, you can resize individual pieces if you need to do so to make them “fit” perfectly in your kitchen space.

When I took the picture, I did not use their tile backsplash. That is because it only came with a single tile texture, and I did not like that texture. Of course, you could make your own tile out of textured prims, but in this case, I just used the default walls.

I used the Snow color (a.k.a., white) kitchen. I manually tinted the counters gray, which gives them a light black appearance. I also tinted the refrigerator to match the counters. I linked it, and the total LI was 46. I also put their “kitchen clutter” on the countertop, which is another six LI.

This set has three different styles of drawers, and several different cabinet options. It also includes two styles of refrigerator, 1) a closed one and 2) a higher LI one that opens and is stocked with groceries. There are cabinets containing a microwave and a wall-mounted oven. (These do not open or close, but they look realistic.) There is also a stand-alone stove/oven unit. It doesn't open/close either, but you can turn the individual burners on/off by touching them.

The kitchen island is modular so you can make it as large or small as you like. There are a lot of options – sink, shelves, cabinets, bars plus a left and right “end cap” to give it a polished appearance. Personally, I had a narrow space, so I only used the Sink and the two “end caps.”

This kitchen employs an interesting approach to animations. Instead of building them into the modular pieces, they offer an “animation box.” It contains a slew of nice animations and prop rezzers, and you can put it where you want it (or put out multiple ones if you so desire). After placing it, you turn it transparent, and it “looks” like the animations are built into the kitchen – but you have total control and put them where you want them.

The set also includes a barstool that has a plenty of sit animations.

What I like: This is a very clean and modern kitchen and looks nice It has a lot of options so you can customize it. Also, I really love the cute hanging shelf/light that goes over the island.

What I don't like: I don't like the way they did the kitchen tiles. I also wish that they had included a few color options for the counter tops and appliances.

As the name implies, you can get this at either Fancy Decor's Mainstore or  Kraftwork's Maintore. (I recommend going to Fancy Decor because they have the kitchen set up for you to look at, and Kraftwork only has the vendor with no display model.)

LAQ Decor (aka Heima) Kitchen Set

LAQ Decor recently changed their name to Heima Decor. (So if you use SL search to find the store, be sure to use the new name.) I call the kitchen “LAQ” in my article, because that is what most people know it by. But if you buy it new, it is now named “HEIMA ^ Kitchen Set.” (If you bought it before the name change and are concerned about redeliveries – don't be. The redelivery page lists all of your LAQ purchases as well as any newer Heima purchases.)

Now that the rename explanation is out of the way, let’s talk about the LAQ (or HEIMA) kitchen. This is by far my most favorite kitchen. And it is also the most expensive kitchen that I own (at $L 2499). It is modular with several options of cabinets including a corner piece, sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Many of the pieces have great single and couple animations (but no adult animations) and rez props. There are several decorations you can rez-- all good LOD, low LI and nice looking. These decorations include things like a coffee set, vegetables on a cutting board, kitchen jars, food baking in the oven, etc.

The set comes in a rezzer, and (as rezzed) it is 59 LI. However, it is modular and the pieces fit easily together, so you can arrange it however you want, skipping some pieces and re-using others. This set gives you excellent control over what your kitchen looks like.

One thing that I really like about this set is that each piece is modifiable, and it is fairly easy to adjust the width of some of the cabinets so that they fit perfectly in whatever kitchen space you have. The cabinets with glass doors come pre-loaded with dishware, so you don't have to deal with empty shelves. Most pieces include both an upper and lower cabinet or appliance, with tile between the two pieces. This makes them really easy to arrange in your kitchen space.

The kitchen sink is the only exception. It does not have a top part attached, so you can place it below a window if you desire. However, the set also includes a fully loaded spice rack that goes perfectly over the sink.

The island has a sink built into it. It is shaped with an indentation under the counter, so you can put barstools under it and have room for a person’s legs. That is a nice realistic touch.

Did I mention that the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven all open, and the fridge is stocked with food? 

If you want to talk about texture options, this set has more than any other I have ever seen. Each appliance can be individually colored with 11 different metal options. The cabinets have 12 wood and painted wood options. (My favorite is the “old” wood.) The counters have 22 options including marble, granite, stone, wood and painted wood. There are 21 tile options and your choice of gold or silver faucets. As of that were not enough, each selector also has a “Color” button that lets you tint any of the selected textures.

What I like: This is the most complete and versatile set that I have ever seen. It is wonderful for family roleplay and it is very attractive as a home furnishing.

What I dislike: If you want adult animations, this is not the kitchen for you. (Personally, I don't use adult animations, so that is not an issue for me). I used to “dislike” the fact that it did not use the AVsitter experience. That means each time it wanted to give you an attachment, it prompted you for permission to attach. But GOOD NEWS – the most recent version (which just came out about a week or so ago) has been updated to use the AVsitter experience. Now it gives props to you seamlessly.  With that change, I have to “dig deep” to find something I dont like about it… and what I found is this… The animations were created for a rather tall avatar and I have to adjust them all for my “normal height” avatar. Fortunately, it is set up so you can adjust each pose for your avatar height.

[By the way, if you own an older version of the LAQ kitchen and want the updated HEIMA version that uses the AVsitter experience, just go to the store and use the redelivery terminal.]

You can get this kitchen at the HEIMA Decor mainstore. There is a room set up downstairs where you can play with the many kitchen textures, animations and options.

Kitchens! Kitchens!! Kitchens!!! Part 3

By Teresa Firelight

We will look at high quality modular kitchens. Please note that in general these are NOT low LI. But they are quite attractive, and usually nicely animated. I personally think that is fine to use higher LI items in the parts of the house that is more important to you.

This article is part 3 of a four-part series on kitchens. It was originally intended to be 3 parts, but I had so much to say about each modular kitchen that I decided to break the last article into two parts. So, today’s article will look at a couple of the Dust Bunny and Consignment Kitchens. And article #4 will look at Fancy Décor & Kraftwork and LAQ kitchens.

Dust Bunny & Con Shirley Kitchen

This is a newer kitchen that Dust Bunny and Consignment jointly offer, and it appears to be very popular. I have to confess that I don't like this kitchen and seldom use it – but most of my friends love it. I have the white set. It also comes in wood and charcoal-colored cabinets. But if you plan to do any tinting, then I strongly recommend the white because is very easy to tint.

It comes with a texture HUD with limited texture options. The counter tops and wall tiles are available in eight shades, and the bar (not pictured) has seven color options, and the appliances have twelve color options.

It is a modular kitchen, and it offers you more choices than any other I have seen – for example, there are 8 different styles of bottom (below the counter) cabinets to choose from. Some have drawers and some have cabinet doors and there are a lot of different styles of cabinet doors. It offers all of the important appliances that you could expect to find in the kitchen: dishwasher, microwave, oven, sink, refrigerator – and because it is modular, you choose which to put out and where to place them. There are also several styles of upper cabinets and even a pantry cabinet that spans from the floor to the top of the upper cabinets. You are in complete control and can arrange your kitchen however you want.

This is a great thing for experienced builders, but newer builders may find all these options somewhat overwhelming. There is not a rezzer or even a blueprint or suggested layout for newer builders to follow.

A few of the pieces are animated, such as the sink and stove. There is also an animation counter that you can place over any counter (and turn transparent) to make it animated. Personally, I don't like their animations at all and feel that they are a severe weakness of this product. (I will discuss this more in the “dislike” section.

The refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher and oven doors all open/close on touch. If you touch the back of the refrigerator, it is a food giver with eight choices of food and drink. It does not come with any pieces to put on the counters or in the shelves. The pieces that are pictured in my photo are from other places. As pictured it is 53 LI unlinked and 44 LI linked. If you link it, you lose the ability to use the animations (which I don't consider a great loss). You also lose the ability to use the texture HUD.

What I like: I like the wide variety of options you have to set up your kitchen. I also really like their refrigerator – the freeze and refrigerator doors open to reveal fully stocked shelves. You also have the option to show or hide refrigerator magnets. My favorite thing about this set is how easy it is to adjust and adapt. You can resize cabinets to make them fit precisely in your kitchen space. You can also easily tint the white cabinets to any shade you want (via SL editor). And if you select one of the white tiles, you can also tint them … as pictured above where I have tinted them brown. If you are a more advanced builder and have some textures, you can also replace the tile countertop with a marble texture, and it looks great.

(This is not pictured here because my Trad kitchen is a hybrid of the Shirley and Rosemary kitchens, but I tinted the cabinets beige, and the tiles are re-textured to marble. If you are curious, you can stop by and take a look here.

What I dislike: I strongly dislike how they have done the animations on this kitchen. There are very few options – only one singles animation, and a few couples and adult ones. The animations that require props (such as the coffee cup) don't rez and are not even in the furniture. The stove animations are the most complete, but they assume a layout that is not documented and doesn't work with my kitchen setup. If I were the creators of this kitchen, I would be embarrassed by the poor animation job and would be rushing to do an update on it. (I suppose it is possible that this was updated to fix animations since I got my kitchen… but if it has been, I haven’t heard about it.) Fortunately for me, I seldom use furniture animations, and if I really want one, I am capable of adding my own animations to modifiable furniture.

You can get this item at Dust Bunny Mainstore.

Dust Bunny & Con Rosemary Kitchen

This modular kitchen came before the Shirley kitchen. It has a lot of similarities, but a totally different look. I sort of “cheated” on the pictures for this kitchen… instead of setting the kitchen up myself, I photographed the store display. As pictured, it is 100 LI for the Rosemary Kitchen. However, for the type of kitchen you are likely to build, the LI is more likely to be 53 to 59 before linking, and a bit less when linked.

The picture also shows a bunch of Rosemary Decor that used to be sold separately – I had trouble finding where it was sold, and it turned out that it was right under my nose... the same sign with the vendors for each cabinet color also has a place to click to purchase the decor pack.

The kitchen itself is stunning with all its intricate glass cabinets and detailed work. It comes in your choice of four different cabinet colors: white, black, navy or gray. Each of the sets has a lot of texture options: six countertop textures, four metal textures, and seven tile textures.

The oven, stove, dishwasher and refrigerator doors all open, and the refrigerator is fully stocked. Sadly, the Rosemary Animations are the same as the Shirley ones and are inappropriate for a high-quality kitchen.

This kitchen is modifiable, so you can tint the cabinets and counter tops to your liking. I think it is a very elegant looking kitchen.

What I like: the price is fantastic. They used to charge at least twice as much. But since Shirley came out, Rosemary is now only 500 $L per color. I also like the overall look of this kitchen, the glass panels on the cabinets appear to me. I like that the counter tops are marble or rather than tile. And I really like the rounded end pieces for the bottom cabinets.

What I dislike: I strongly dislike the animations in this kitchen, and how they don't rez the accompanying parts, such as coffee cups for the drinking coffee post. (For more details see my comments on the Shirley Kitchen.)

You can get this kitchen at either of these two stores: Consignment & Brocante Mesh Furniture store. 

OR at Dust Bunny.

The next (and final) article will look at two more modular kitchens.

Kitchens! Kitchens!! Kitchens!!! Part 2

by Teresa Firelight

PART 2 - LINEAR KITCHENS

This article will look at two kitchen styles. We will start with three linear kitchens, then we will look at a low budget modular kitchen.

 

WRONG Linear Kitchen

This is a very low LI Kitchen and easy to work with (for those who don’t have strong SL editing skills). It is all one piece, and is only 7 LI. It includes a sink with water you can turn on/off, the counter, the cabinets and the stove. Nothing is animated or interactive except for the running water and the light bulb – both of those can be touched on or off. It does not include a refrigerator – the one in the picture is not part of this kitchen.

However, it does come with some options, to make it easier to fit into your house. It has two color options for the counters and backsplash – black and marble. Each color comes as a mirror, which the creator names L (for left) and R (for right).

It comes as four separate cabinet colors (each purchased separately) or a fatpack. The price is moderate… $L 399 per color or you can get the whole fatpack for $L 999.

There is another model which is similar but arranged differently. That one has the stove in the center and the sink near the end. It also does not come with a refrigerator. There are 6 color options for that other model.

The colorset I bought is gray. I have pictured the marble right kitchen and the black left kitchen.

What I like: I like that this is very low LI, adaptable (with the right and left versions) and easy to work with.

What I dislike: I wish that it came with a refrigerator and a couple of animations, such as washing your hands in the sink.

You can get this kitchen at the WRONG store.

 

YN Modern Kitchen (YouNeed Store)

This is a moderately low LI kitchen (21 LI) with a lovely look and a lot of “fun” features. It is also quite tiny and will work great when you only have a small space for the kitchen. It has a lot of “moving parts” – the dishwasher, oven and cabinets all open/close on touch. (The refrigerator doesn’t open, but it is an attractive looking fridge.)

This kitchen offers a lot of Bento animations for singles, couples and Adult.

It also has texture change options for the wood – 9 of them. This includes a light wood, a dark wood, and 8 shades of painted wood. There are also 5 texture options for the tile. The appliances come only in a single color (black).

I should note that what they sell now is different than the model I have. I have a simpler model that doesnt have the flames on the burner, doesn’t support texture change and is only 19 LI instead of 21. (I guess adding the 4 flames raised the LI by two). I probably got mine at some sale a while ago, and since then they have updated the model a bit. The texture change is nice. But as a side-effect of that, they have made the new model “copy only.”

What I like: First, I love the look of this kitchen… it is so pretty and looks high quality. I also how fun and interactive it is, with cabinets that open, the dishwasher opens, and the oven opens, and a ton of animations. Of course, it takes more LI to put objects inside the cabinets and oven – but if you have LI to spare, this is a fun kitchen to use. I also fact that it includes a refrigerator, even if the doors dont open.

What I dislike: First, I dislike that it has no sink. Kitchens should have a sink and this one doesn’t. Also, I dislike that the stovetop flames are always on and wish there was a way to turn them off.

You can get this Kitchen at the YouNeed Store. (They have another similar one that has a sink but no refrigerator at the store as well.)

 

Kopfkino Mediterranean Kitchen

This is a linear kitchen with extra pieces, which make it sort of a transition between linear and modular. It is moderately low LI, and it is more “eye candy” than functional. It is old-fashioned and (I think) very cute.

The main piece is a linear kitchen with a small table attached, the sink in the middle and cabinets and drawers on both sides. The tile and the sink curtain have a texture change menu. They are modifiable, so if you can tint them if you like. The kitchen is available for purchase in 4 different cabinet colors: Black, White, Pink and Blue. (I recommend getting the white because you can tint the cabinets). The countertop on all colors except pink is a nice wood grain, and the pink one has a white countertop. This main piece is 10 LI.

There is also a glass cabinet (loaded with dishes, bowls, cups, etc.) that you can put on the wall above the kitchen. It is only 4 LI, and it is completely unscripted. But it is modifiable, so you can tint the wood (or dishware) if you so desire.

There are also two different length wall shelves (1 LI each), and two stools (one with female animations and one with male animations). Each stool is only 1 LI and come with 6 animations each. These stools are the only animated part of this set. You can rez as many as you want, but the table works best with either one or two stools rezzed at it. (I did not picture the walls shelves because I did not like how they look.)

The kitchen also includes an island with a wine rack, with some wine bottles in it. Again, this is just eye candy and has not animations or texture change options. It is 4 LI if you choose to rez it.

There is a refrigerator (3 LI) and an oven/stove (4 LI) designed for the Mediterranean kitchen, but they are sold separately. As it happens, the Dusty Bunny Shirley Kitchen’s refrigerator is very similar. Since I already have the Shirley fridge, I elected to use it instead of buying the one made for this set.

What I like: I like the look of this kitchen; I think it is very cute. I like that there is a modular element to it, so I can decide which piece and how much LI I want to put out. The arrangement that I choose costs 24 LI (excluding the refrigerator), which is still reasonable for a lowish LI kitchen.

What I dislike: there is no functionality in this set. For the cost, I think they should have either included some animations or included the refrigerator and stove in the product instead of making you buy them separately.

This can be purchased at Kopfkino Mainstore.

 

Maya’s Cornello Kitchen

If you are on a budget, this is the modular kitchen for you! It doesn't quite have the texture polish/shadows of the more expensive baked models, but it looks almost as nice. And it probably has more features – and is only $L 149.

It comes in PG or Adult. The model I have has hearts on the Cabinets, but for those who don’t like hearts, there is a model without the hearts (also available in PG or Adult).

It is an extremely complete set. It has a fully stocked refrigerator that opens and closes. It has a unit with the sink & stove (and you can open and close the oven). It has several lower and upper cabinets, a China cabinet and a center island. The center island allows you rez all sorts of fun stuff including a tea service, a lavish breakfast for four, an elegant champagne setting and several other options.

There are eight color change options for the counters and cabinets, providing a wide variety of looks. And it is modifiable, so you can tint to your liking as well.

The kitchen comes in a rezzer, so it is easy to set up. But you can move the modular pieces around however you like to make it fit your kitchen. The basic kitchen setup from the rezzer is 56 LI. (Modular kitchens typically are not Low LI). It also comes with a slew of optional items you can rez individually and link. Most of them 1 or 2 LI, a few are 3 LI. If you use all of the individual pieces and link them, you are looking at another 73 LI – but you can pick and choose which ones you want to put out. (It is pictured with with all of them but looks quite nice if you use a lot less of optional pieces.)

I haven’t mentioned the animations yet – they are amazing. There are several pieces that are animated, including the sink/oven, the China cabinet, and the stools for the kitchen island. You can do everything from preparing food, to cooking it, to washing dishes, to various standing and sitting around chatting and drinking coffee, etc. There is also a slew of couple's animations and if you buy an adult version, they have a lot of sex options as well.

What I like: I love the price – something that works well for being on a budget and offers as many features as the expensive ones. I like how the refrigerator are freezer are stocked with food. I love the massive number of nice animations that comes with this set. I also like that if you enable the AvSitter experience, you don't get prompted for props. They just magically appear in your hand, making for a seamless experience.

What I dislike: I don't like how the textures are applied to the mesh instead of using blender baked textures – it still looks nice, but it isn't quite up to par with the level of quality I am used to. I miss the shadows.

You can get any of the 4 Cornello kitchen sets (PG or Adult, with or without the hearts) at the Maya's Architecture store, and they are also available on the marketplace.

Our next article will start looking at my personal favorite type of kitchen, which is the modular kitchen.

Kitchens! Kitchens!! Kitchens!!!

by Teresa Firelight

A lot of people feel the bedroom is the most important room of the house because that is where they conduct romantic activities. But I have a RL husband who won't “set foot” in SL, and who would object strongly if I were to do any sort of online romance with other people. So for me, the kitchen is the most important room of the house.

And that is what I want to talk about in my next series… it will probably be three articles. I want to look at some of the various kitchens that I like to use in my homes, share a picture of them and talk a bit about some of their pros and cons.

This week I am going to focus on corner kitchens that are low LI or that fit in a small space.

Brocante Corner Kitchen

This is a small and low LI kitchen that is shaped like a square and intended to be along a wall or in a corner. It is pictured in a corner, but it would be possible to slide it away from the corner so that the oven and refrigerator side is against the wall, but the sink sticks out from the wall like a U-shaped bar.

There are accompanying pieces you can also rez, including a lamp, a wall unit, a rug and a bar stool. The barstool has some sit animations, the rest of it does not. There is texture change hud with limited color choices for counter, fridge and stove, and minimal color changes for the tile backdrop and stove hood. The rug also has five black/white/gray color choices.

You can purchase it with White Shelves or Black shelves or get both colors in a fatpack. It is editable if you want to color tint.

What I like: this is lowish LI and relatively small. The kitchen itself is 14 LI. The way it is pictured, it is 18 LI – I have linked everything together except barstool. Please note that the texture Hud stops working when you link, so be sure to texture everything before you link.

What I dislike: This unit is not modular. You cant reshape/rearrange it to fit other shaped kitchens. It is not easy to pull specific pieces out and use individually, such as the stove which is 4 separate linked pieces. However, the refrigerator is a single linked piece, so you can tint I with the Hud, then unlink it to use individually. Also, there are no animations included in the kitchen itself, except for the barstool, which has a few sits in it.

I got this kitchen at Famished. When this round of Famished finishes, I suspect the kitchen will move to the Broante store.

DDD Cozy Country Kitchen

This is a small corner kitchen, which fits in almost any corner and looks amazingly complete. It is very low LI – only 3 LI for the kitchen and 1 LI for the old-fashioned stove. The stove is a separate piece, and it can fit nicely on either side of the corner kitchen.

This kitchen has 7 textures for the cabinets, ranging from dark wood to light wood to gray to cream/white wood. There are 5 marble countertop textures, and 5 colors of the backsplash tile. The oven/stove has three different color-able areas, ranging from 4 to 6 color choices each. The stove comes with the teapot attached.

It comes with all the decorations you see already built into it, except for the owl vase potted plant – that is my own addition. All that for only 4 LI!

What I like: I like almost everything about this set. It is easy to use, extremely low LI, and looks very nice. I like that there a rack of dishes drying on the counter, and that the pantry is filled with lots of jars containing flour, coffee beans, and various spices and pastas. I like the plants hanging from the side – I really like the overall look of this tiny kitchen. Another thing I like about this kitchen is that it is very inexpensive, only $L 245.

What I dislike: I don't like that there is no refrigerator with this. It has everything else a kitchen needs, counters/cabinets, sink, stove – but it is missing the refrigerator. It is also missing any animations. I personally don't mind this, but I suspect that other people may miss them.

I got this kitchen on the marketplace at: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/DDD-Cozy-Country-Kitchen-Tex-Change-Low-Land-Impact/6950344

Dekute Dekore 1 Prim Full Functional Kitchen

This is a medium sized corner kitchen, and it is as low prim as you could possibly get – 1 LI. It is extremely versatile, with 12 different cabinet colors and 16 different counter colors. It is a full kitchen and has all the major components… stove/oven, sink, refrigerator. It also has both singles and couples animations for things like cooking, baking, cleaning kitchen, standing around, and a few PG related couples romance poses.

The textures are quite nice. The cabinets have different wood grains, trims on paint, metal textures, etc. The countertop textures include 2 metal textures, 9 marble colors plus a plain black counter. The appliances are a light silver metal and do not change color, but the refrigerator serves both food and drinks.

It does not come with any sort of tile backdrop... just a space where the wall goes. You can place it up against the wall, or you can easily add a prim at texture it as a tile backdrop, as seen in the 1st picture. Or, if you want, you can use one side as an opening to another room (picture 2).

What I like: This kitchen is the lowest LI I have ever seen (just 1 LI for a full kitchen) and most of the textures it has look amazing. It is a complete unit with no invisible sides, so you can easily place it just about anywhere that you want. I personally like to decorate it with a some low LI kitchen and food decorations. What you see in picture in the second picture looks like a fully stocked kitchen and is only 6 LI of decorations plus the 1 LI kitchen, for 7 LI total.

What I dislike: the product rezzes several items along with the animations, such as teapots, frying pans, coffee cups, etc. Many of them have an outrageously high LI (such as 10 LI for the frying pan used with one of the cooking animations.) That totally goes against the idea of a low LI kitchen. I recommend that if you use this kitchen in a setting where you really need to be low LI, you disable the animations that rez things. The easiest way to do that is to turn them all off by editing it and setting “Touch” to “None.”

You can get this kitchen (as well as some other 1 LI kitchens from Dekute Dekore’s mainstore.

WRONG Kitchen Fatpack

This corner kitchen barely fits my definition of “low” LI, but it as some really nice features. It is a modern-style kitchen, and it has a lot of moving parts. The refrigerator and Freezer doors open, as do both oven doors. One lower cabinet opens and so does all 6 of the upper cabinets. The sink has running water that can be turned on and off. ATM it is only offered in one color, beige. However, it is copy/mod, so you can edit it and tint it to a darker color of your choosing.

The Fatpack includes both a PG and an Adult version, and both come with a slew of animations.

This is “low-ish LI” kitchen at 15 LI for the unit itself and another 7 LI for the accessories … and that still leaves the refrigerator/freezer mostly empty and the cupboards bare. You don't have to populate them if you don't open them. But I think it looks funny to open them and see an empty refrigerator or empty cabinets.

What I like: I like that it includes several 1 LI items you can put out, including: a set of cutting boards, a coffee glass with cookie, salt and pepper shakers, a bag of coffee grinds, a set of kitchen knives, a sixpack of beer and a bowl of oranges. It is nice to have decorations you can place out to make a kitchen look more lived in. I also like how you can interactively open/close many parts of the kitchen.

What I dislike: I am not crazy about the color, and about the fact that it doesn't have any other color options. I would have preferred a white cabinet, so that I could tint it to be whatever color I want. As it is, you can tint to the darker colors, but it is hard to tint that beige to a lighter color. I also don't like how fast that auto-close kicks in on the cabinets, refrigerator and freezer – I wish they stayed open a bit longer before closing themselves.

At the moment, and I am not sure how much longer this will last, this kitchen fatpack is a 60L special at WRONG. That is a fantastic price, and I strongly recommend jumping over there and getting it while it is still on sale.

Color Schemes and Textures

Today I want to talk a little about color schemes and texture combinations for decorating your Linden Home. It is possible to mix schemes, but if you want an overall stunning effect, it is best to stick to the same color scheme and theme throughout the house.

Please note that I said “same color scheme” and not “same exact colors.” Let me give you some examples of color schemes: there are light color schemes, earth tones color schemes, pastel color schemes, dark color schemes, warm color schemes, etc.

A color scheme is a collection of colors that “go together” to produce a given mood or effect. For example, earth tone colors would include beige, tans, light browns, creams and off-whites, possibly some olives and dusty greens, etc. They tend to be sedate and create a relaxing mood. Warm color schemes would include things like yellows, mustards, oranges, rich tans, rich browns, reds, etc. – which tend to be invigorating or higher energy rooms.

According to the commonwealth journal, there are also color combinations that are ‘trending” for 2023. These can be reflected in your Linden Home. For example, “Warm neutrals bring a sense of comfort while also offering an inviting, blank canvas to let individuality flow freely. On-trend options include shades of dark brown, caramel, tan or off-white.” And “rich, dark colors are deep saturated hues. They make a house stand out and look more modern while still offering a nod to warmer hues. Chocolate brown, brick red or dark jade are popular choices for those who prefer rich hues.”

When you use a color scheme, you should also take furniture textures into consideration. For example, if you have a deep grain wood texture furniture, it will seem somewhat out of place in a pastel pink room. Brick and stone tend to go with the more traditional color sets. If you have dark walls, you may want light colored or even white furniture. Extremely dramatic furniture, such as modern zebra stripes may go best in a room with dark or white walls.

If you want a really bright room, with white walls, white carpet and white fabric -- then accent it with a very dark or even black wood so that there is some contrast. On the other hand, if you have dark walls, you may want very light or even white furniture to contrast with the walls and stand out more.

Also be mindful of furniture type. You don't want a hodgepodge of styles in the same house. For example, a light modern kitchen and a Gothic heavy dining table don't really go together coherently.

In general, most of us tend towards one type of color scheme or another, but of course some people are generalists.

Personally, I tend towards the darker color schemes. One of my very talented landscaping friends tends towards the lighter colors. Recently I decorated a Trad in the light color scheme – and it wasn't easy. Even though I own a LOT of furniture, I did not have the right stuff for the light color scheme. I ended up having to buy some curtains, a bedroom vanity, and the entry-hall set (chair, table, wall decoration) because I did not have what looked good to me for a light color scheme.

I hope you will find this discussion helpful. Look at the color scheme and color/texture combinations when you decorate. If you have a room that is not working, ask yourself if it matched the theme and color scheme of the other rooms in the same house. Think about what color combinations go well together, then see if you can improve a “problem” room along those lines.

Happy decorating!

Christmas Fantasy

We are continuing our look at Christmas decorated homes. This time we will take a little look at Christmas Fantasy.

That is right, Nova20Morgan has turned her Mistbrooke Fantasy Home on Anagonve into a Christmas Fantasy. She named the parcel “Fairy Fantasy,” and gives us the look/feel of what a fae might experience for Christmas. In fact, she even has a giant transparent Christmas bulb with some fairies playing inside.

Morgan’s decoration approach is perfect for the Fantasy lifestyle. She gives many hints of Christmas, but manages to keep the fantasy look and feel. She follows a general white theme -- even the rooms that are not explicitly decorated for Christmas, such as the dining room, still have that same subtle “Christmassy” look and feel.

The outside has a winter theme, but instead of garlands and colored Christmas lights, you find a lot of sparkling icicles and delicate frosted fern-like plants. If you go around the back, you will see a little outdoor dining area that is surrounded by them, along with frozen trees covered in sparking white lights. There is no snow on the ground, but the feel is still one of “winter elegance.”

When you go into the house, you will see a lovely Christmas wreath in the entry hall, along with a some candles and a guestbook.

The first thing you will notice as you move into the living room is the Christmas tree. It is not the traditional brightly colored tree. It is an elegant lightly frocked tree, covered with large white and gold ornaments. In fact, white and gold is the theme of the room. The sofa complements the tree, with white fabric and shinny gold pillows. The fireplace is also white and has a warm fire blazing in it.

There is a gold harp in front of the windows. Behind the harp, and plainly visible through the windows, you can see shinny icicles and white frosted plants. The scene paints a lovely picture.

The overall effect is delightful and refreshing. I love how they worked Christmas into the fantasy theme. This house is a definite “must see.”

Joyful Christmas House

It is December, and we are continuing our look at homes decorated for Christmas.

This week we are visiting a delightful and welcoming Victorian home – this place greets you by name when you first arrive. The parcel name is “Joyful” – how can you go wrong with a name like that? It is owned by spediye Chrom.

The house style is “The Shelley,” and it is located here.

The outside decoration is pretty simple – snow. The entire parcel is snow coated, and the front has a thick array of falling snow. Other than that, there are very few exterior decorations. All that you will find is a small collection on one side of the front porch – which includes a snowman, a candy cane, a gingerbread house and a couple of ornaments.

The entry area is a large room and may be the most “Christmassy” part of the house. There is a beautiful guestbook and wreath area, just waiting for you to sign it and leave a cherry message. Just behind that is a “Dashing Through The Snow” station where you will find snow shoes, a sled and a Hot Chocolate dispenser.

Help yourself to the hot chocolate and have a seat by the fireplace. The mantle is very modern, but dont let that dissuade you – it is still very Christmassy. It has some lovely gold and white pine tree banners, some tiny bronze tress and a few cute Christmas knickknacks.

When you have warmed up and are ready to into the living room, you will need to pass under the mistletoe. It is hanging from the center of the archway that leads into the next room. If you come by yourself, you can sneak by unobtrusively. However, if you come with a partner, be sure to steal a kiss under the animated mistletoe. (Both of you simply right click on the mistletoe and select “sit here”.)

The living room is dominated by a lovely Christmas tree. I love the light snow-flocking on this tree... the tips are white but not the whole branch. It has a lot of sparkly decorations on it and it has a cute wooden train circling the base. The ornament box under the tree is actually a music box that plays Silent Night – if you click it, you get a menu to play the song. And there is a stack of gifts next to the tree, all neatly wrapped and ready to place under the tree.

From there, you can wander into the kitchen. It is an old-fashioned kitchen with a wood-burning stove and a detached sink. The room feels very quaint. There is also some Christmas china stacked on the table. In fact the ones on top of the teapot are stacked rather precariously … be careful you don't tip them over.

In summery, this house has very pleasant and interesting Christmas decorations. I think it is worth visiting!

A Tasteful Dusting Of Christmas

It is December and the Holiday Season, so I want to feature a few houses that have nice Christmas decorations. I looked at the ones in the Parade of Homes Holiday listing. I was originally going to look at them all before deciding which one to photograph. But when I got to Stella’s Place, I just knew that I had to stop and photograph it right away.

 

This house is owned/decorated by Stella Carver,and it is located here. The house model is a Traditional Continental.

My first impression was that this place has a “Light dusting of Christmas.” It is nicely decorated but not overdone. Even the snow in the front yard is a dusting of snow rather than knee-high snow drifts. There was a very light falling snow that covers the whole parcel. I liked their unique look. They were able to make it “Christmassy” and pleasant without using the traditional exterior Christmas decorations.

The yard is a nice winter scene, with snow and ice-clad trees that glisten in the sunlight. It has a hint of Christmas decorations, but they are subtle and very attractive. There are pine garlands in the front, decorated with gold bows. There is also something in the front that is either a bearded gnome or a white-clad Santa… it is up to each person to decide. A deer graces the back yard. There is a cute starshaped candle and pine cone decoration on a table back there. Off in the far corner (and not pictured) was a chair near a blazing fire and a box of cookies on a small tree stump that served like an end-table. The effect is very inviting.

The inside continues the theme of subtle Christmas. The entry is a deep red, with a white China cabinet. They removed the China and put in a bunch of little white houses with pine trim. 

When you step into the living room, the first thing you notice is the fireplace… again with subtle but tasteful decorations. There is a Holly berry wreath over it, and two gift-stuffed stockings hanging from the mantle. If you look up, you will see a cheery pine and bulb garland just over the curtains.

There is a snow flocked Christmas tree in the corner, with a few presents under it. But my favorite part of the room is the gift wrap paper and ribbon on the floor near the tree. It looks like someone was wrapping presents and got up to greet me when I came into the house.

The kitchen really blew me away, to the point where I had to edit it and see what Stella used -- it is the Slimshaker modular kitchen by North Oak. It is so sleek and modern but is mounted on a rustic old brick wall – the combination was stunning. There is a string of pine garland and candles across the top of the cabinets, and a few carefully placed Christmas decorations hidden around the room. Overall, a lovely effect.

If you want to get some ideas for subtle but highly effective Christmas decorations, I recommend you come check out Stella’s Place.

 

Amazing Houseboats

By Teresa Firelight

What makes a houseboat amazing? Probably each of us has a different answer to that question. But when I set out to find and photograph some “amazing houseboats,” these are the four criteria I used:

1. It is pleasant looking and is in “theme.” This means no external eyesores such as unnaturally tall room add-ons, obtrusive looking helipads with flashing lights, covering the water with a metal or grass prim and treating it like land, adding neon lights that effect neighbors, trees and plants growing unnaturally out of the water, etc. It doesn’t try to be a land-based house with a yard, and it doesn't try to be part of a large industrial complex.
2. Something structural has been skillfully added to either the interior or exterior of the boat, enhancing the overall look. It is furnished with carefully placed well-built (or high quality) furniture and décor.
3. The overall design and “feel” of the houseboat is realistic and believable.
4. The boat is aesthetically pleasing inside and outside. It makes me think, “This is a place where I would like to live” or “I would like to make my houseboat look like that.”

With that in mind, I found five houseboats that made me go “wow!” I would like to share them with you. I wasn’t looking for any particular style of houseboat, but as it turned out, four of the five boats that really WOWed me were the evening star model.

I did not contact the owners to interview them or ask questions, I just used pancam and took pictures.

I am including SLUrls that land you near them, in case you want to go admire them in person. But please remember that these are people’s private property, and please do not enter them without first getting permission from the owner.

HOUSEBOAT #1 

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Templars%20Deep/95/163/22

Model: Evening Star

Wow Factor: Exterior and Landscaping

 

Amazing Houseboat #1

Three Exterior Views and One Interior View

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The thing that really WOWed me about this boat was the exterior… a combination of elegant and simple décor with stunning landscaping. The lights along the rails were a nice touch. I love how they did not overcrowd the decks, but what is out is well placed and high-quality furniture. I could picture myself sitting at that table enjoying a romantic dinner

I love the little island they added to the foot of the boat. It is very well textured and has believable plants, rocks and birds on it. And the way they used those two Skye trees… it just “blew me away.”

 

HOUSEBOAT #2 

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lapis/41/101/22

Model: Evening Star

Wow Factor: Interior

Amazing Houseboat #2

Exterior, Livingroom, Kitchen, Bed Loft

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The exterior on this boat is nice. I love the hammock on the lower deck extension and like that there is a stairway to the upper level. It was very creative how she worked a lawn onto the upper deck, so that it is realistic and believable. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into this houseboat.

But what really wowed me on this one was the interior. She found the most amazing interior add-on that gives a very nice raised- kitchen area AND adds an upper level which is used as a bedroom. The livingroom is accented by a bookcase and fireplace, making it very cozy and comfortable. The kitchen is absolutely perfect for a houseboat, and the upstairs bedroom loft looks comfortable and slightly elegant at the same time.

I wont be mentioning product information on most of these, but I just had to mention these two. The kitchen is “Rustic Kitchen” from “Your Dreams.” As far as I can tell, it is only available inworld and not on the marketplace. The interior shell is made by Divine Designs and is called “BELLISSERIA HOUSEBOAT EVENING STAR ADD ON.” You can find it HERE

HOUSEBOAT #3

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isthill/158/139/22

Model: Evening Star

Wow Factor: Interior

Amazing Houseboat #3

Exterior, Livingroom and Upstairs

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If you were to step inside this houseboat, you won’t think you were in a houseboat. The décor is very well done. The room has a crowded, cozy feel -- yet it manages to maintain an air of elegance. This place definitely has a masculine tone to it, but it remains comfortable and inviting. The fireplace is well stocked with logs to burn and takes an impressive command of the room. It is carefully positioned to conceal the fact that there is a very close boat next door. The other side of the boat faces open water and has a lovely view of the sunrise.

 

HOUSEBOAT #4

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Echo%20Cove/125/118/22

Model: Evening Star

Wow Factor: Interior and location

Amazing Houseboat #4

Exterior, Lower Level and Raised Bedroom

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This houseboat is every bit as feminine as the last one was masculine. It has a light airy feel and has a slew of decorative lighting – it gives it an almost magical feel. Even the outside has a feminine touch, with a lovely decal on the side of the houseboat. And it is located in one of the prettiest spots that I have seen for houseboats. It is at the base of a lovely park, with scenic rocks, lots of green grass and flowers, and some nice trees.

This boat has a custom-built tri-level interior. The livingroom and kitchen are on the “ground” level. Then you go up a short flight of stairs to the bathroom (which is nicely decorated by the way). Then go up another short flight of stairs, and you are at the bedroom. The bedroom has glass rails and overlooks the kitchen and livingroom. And the rail has a bunch of decorative lights, as does the trim where the walls meet the ceiling.

Please note: the houseboat moved (new SLURL is in article) but the interior stayed the same.

 

HOUSEBOAT #5

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sirinial/182/134/22

Model: Windlass

Wow Factor: Exterior

Amazing Houseboat #5

Exterior with Beach

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This house has an interesting shell, which makes it look more like a two-story home than a houseboat. The shell is made by Bellisseria Homes & Gardens and is named “BH&G Windlass Serenity Add On”. But that is not why this house WOWed me.

The thing that WOWed me is how they added a beach to their lot. They have a 32x32 square lot instead of one of those long narrow rectangular ones. The placed a Skye beach along the boat and extended the wharf to the boat’s deck. Then the added a palm tree, some beach towels, a couple of folding beach chairs and a fire-pit. The end result was a very realistic looking beach.

You can get the Skye beach kit on the marketplace.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

As you can see, people have had a lot of interesting and creative ways to decorate houseboats. My hope is that this article will give you some ideas of things you can do when (or if) you get a houseboat and want to decorate it.

Decorating a Houseboat

 

by Teresa Firelight

I recently landed a houseboat in an dream location. I wanted to decorate it to be something amazing, but I am not at all experienced in decorating houseboats.

(I had a Wallover houseboat in the past, and I got one of those addons that makes a large room out of the flat upper deck. It was nice from the inside, but the shape was like a big square block, and it looked like an eyesore from the outside. I discovered that the hard way, when I later got a trad overlooking a couple of houseboats. One of the boats used that same addon, and it looked awful from my yard. That experience made me decide not to use addons that alter the natural lines of the boat.)

My new houseboat location has a lovely sunset view, which meant that I wanted the livingroom windows to face the sunset. Sadly, that eliminated my two favorites: the Wallover and the Evening Star, because they faced the wrong way.

I choose the Barnacle, which was basically a large empty rectangle with a staircase. Then I asked myself, “How do I go about turning a big empty rectangle into something amazing?”

I decided to look around and get inspiration from how others decorated their houseboats. I saw some amazing houseboats – ones I must photograph and write up for this blog (which you will see in my next article). But none of them were Barnacles.

Houseboat Kitchen

Two views of the L-Shaped Kitchen

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I did find a couple of Barnacles that used a nice addon – Blushed Living - Party Boat - Barnacle.

That addon had a wall partially separating the back third from the front. It had a cute little curvy area with a bathroom built in – very nice, but I really wanted to put an L-shaped kitchen there, so I couldn’t use that addon. I did however notice a couple of things that inspired me. It had a little bar counter about ½ way, partially separating the front from the back. And they added rails to the top of the staircase.

I decided to build my own addon out of prims, inspired partially by Blushed Living’s build. I put an L-shaped kitchen wall where they had separated off the bathroom area. I added the rail to the top of the stairs, similar to what Blush did. I also borrowed the counter idea to separate the livingroom from the entry, only I decided to do it on both sides and to make it narrower and put plants on top of it.

Wood Panneling

The back wall and livingroom wood pannels

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This was a good start, but it still wasn't quite right. The walls – ug! The colors they offered for this model felt dark and unappealing. It seemed cheap instead of classy. So I decided to add a bunch of dark wood paneling to give it a classier look.

Once I had the dark wood paneling, I needed to add a lot of white shelves (covered with plants) and wall mounted candles to lighten the place up. Then, for consistency, I put a lot of potted plants in the livingroom and bedroom. And of course, I added nice furniture. This was starting to look good to me, but it needed a bit more. So I loaded the kitchen and dining room with realistic looking coffee and food dispensers.

About the outside – I did not want to add anything bulky or unnatural. I love to sit on my deck and watch my dolphins play. Since this was a square lot, it needed an L-shape to wrap the deck around the of the houseboat. I wanted to keep the deck light and narrow, so it did not need much furniture. I put down a couple of nice Trompe outdoor chairs and a little Dekute Dekore bench at the end. I was careful to use textures that matched the deck on the houseboat, so it all looked like it belonged together. I also added a small plank to connect my L-shaped deck to the pier.

For the upper deck, I keep it very simple. I put out 1 Dekute Dekore sofa-table-chair set and some plants.

I have to say that my houseboat turned out better than I expected and I am quite happy with it. I am sharing it with you in hopes that some of what I figured out and did might inspire you on decorating your houseboat.