Rock n Roll House

My latest build sort of came out of nowhere, interrupting my other projects.  It started from an abstract idea I had to build a small house, maybe a starter, that would vaguely suggest the shape of an electric guitar.  However, to my surprise, as it developed, it got more and more literal (and much bigger – it wound up on a 50×50 lot).

I have poured the hours into this one, but I had so much fun designing it, every aspect of it really, because I was trying for something really different.  Also, I finally had a chance to really get into playing with lighting.  Oh, and it has nothing to do with Build ‘n Share this time!

As you can see above, in addition to the unique exterior architecture, this $472,821 four bedroom, four bath modern mansion also sports a huge piano pool with (decorative) diving board and beautiful gardens.  But pictures definitely speak louder than words in this case, so let’s get on with some!

First, I want to show more of the exterior.  Here’s what the front looks like at night:

And a closer look at the walkway and “neck” or extended balcony:

A view of the front entry:

A view of the side of the property (back exit of house):

And I really love the back at night, so here are a few more shots of it:

I love the house at night obviously, but it looks great by day too:

Before we move on to the interior, I’d like to show a few more specific outdoor areas.  First, the front gardens:

For technical reasons, I didn’t know quite what to do with the little area just outside of the back exit, but I found a humorous approach for it:

Also, it’s tough to see in those panoramic shots, but I’ve got a little gnome eagerly anticipating her first dive:

Okay, so the reality is, she hates me!  She has a great view though:

Here’s a closer look at the covered outdoor dining/bar area:

You can just see a hint of the mini-garden beyond.  Here’s a closer look:

And it would probably be good to see it by day too:

Here’s the outdoor bathroom (conveniently located right by the pool (in the diving board structure):

Let’s head inside now.  My goal for the interiors was to do my best take on a color saturated, over-the-top rock star style.  If you were to arrive for the nightly party (fashionably late of course), this is how the tour might go.

Front entry:

Psychedelic stairs:

Side note:  I actually wanted to name this build “Psychedelic Rock House,” but I was worried that some might find the context of the word offensive.  If they were to report the lot, Maxis might have to remove it from the Gallery.  And that would really suck!  In the end, I took no chances, but now you know the real name. 😉

To the right of the stairs, is the living area:

I really liked setting up the unique wall features using animated signs that I’m sure Maxis intended for commercial use, but they work so well through the window (see it in game for the full effect).

To the left of the stairs is the music area.  I imagined a small group, maybe jazz players, able to entertain the entire downstairs (because it’s open concept).  Definitely looking forward to Maxis adding that real band functionality in the future.

Again, you can see the signs through the window in the third image (and if you look closely a galaxy spinning in the small windows.  Yes, once I fall in love with an idea, I tend to use it…a lot!

Walking down the hallway from the piano, you will find the bar on your left:

Turning from the bar, you’ll find the dining area centrally located between the bar and kitchen:

And naturally, this leads us to the kitchen:

You can see that throughout this level, I took a lot of chances in terms of combining different patterns/styles and some quite loud colors, but I figured if anything should be over the top, it’s rock ‘n roll!  It doesn’t get much more demure on the next level, so let’s head on up:

I wanted this large second floor room to be mostly open (only the pillars divide it and to include a lot of activities but also have a few spots where sims can just sit and observe:

To the left, artists young and old can hone their skills, play video games, or settle in for a good read:

To the right, it’s game time!

There’s also a chess table tucked out of the way, as you can see in this shot looking down the length of the room:

From this activity hub, you can also access a small home gym (time to work off all those nights at the bar!):

And also a full bath:

But of course the real place to be on this level is out on the extended balcony, sitting at the bar and enjoying the views.  It’s a long walk, but it’s worth it!

On to the third floor, our final destination in this rockin’ tour.  View from the landing, again playing with color and the signs:

To the left is the first of two master bedrooms:

I went a touch more romantic with the wall features in these rooms:

To the right is the other master:

Both bedrooms share a full bathroom:

And they also share a balcony with a bar.  They can choose to socialize or keep their distance, as they please.  Violins are there to set a more romantic mood:

The other two bedrooms on this level are designed for a teenager and child/baby.  We’ll look at the teen’s room first.  I was definitely going for a cluttered, somewhat rebellious vibe:

And now the child’s and/or baby’s room (could hold both).  Originally, this room was pretty mundane.  I looked through the stock EA kids wall papers and furniture, found some styles/colors that worked together, and just went with it.  But I had to ask myself, where was the rock ‘n roll?  So I took a second pass at it, and I like it much better now:

Last, and if I’m honest, least in terms of my favorite spaces is the kids’ shared bathroom.  It started as another fairly formulaic room.  I altered the lighting to at least achieve more of an effect, but I didn’t really revise it beyond that.  The thing is, I really wanted to complete and publish this build before Dragon Age Inquisition comes out next week. 😛  But here it is…I can’t imagine anyone downloading this build (or not) due to one of the bathrooms anyway. 😉

Here are the overhead shots, so that you can have a look at the entire layout.

Property (roofs up):

Ground Floor:

2nd Floor:

3rd Floor:

Outdoor Dining/Bar:

If you would like to take a look at the Rock n Roll House in game, click here to download it from the online Gallery.  Or you can search for it in the game Gallery by its name, or by my hashtag, #bryscreations.

Note that the lot contains resized objects.  In order to retain the adjusted sizes, please add the home to your lot in build mode rather than via Manage Worlds.

Also, there is one small glitch I encountered in this build.  In one small area outside, my walkway designs would not remain as I had placed them; the game kept switching the tile orientations.  I have deleted and recreated them I don’t know how many times, but they continue to get turned around.  It is very minor, and you can easily tweak them back to how they should be if it bothers you.  I will be reporting this bug, and I hope Maxis will fix it soon!