A Case for Minimism and Realism. Decorating Houses Tastefully

Sporvan

As much as I enjoy these flights of fancy and creative designs, I'd love to see more realistic representations of tastefully furnished houses without throwing everything sparkly at it. You know sticking to a theme or something believable.

I love some of the realistic ones like the bookstore we saw etc. Those pique my curiosity much more than bling bling garish crystals and dazzling lighting that seem more prevalent lately.

Tamriel needs a housing revolution! Minimism Ahoy!

bluebird

While my tastes also run towards the toned-down immersive type houses, I think it's great that we have such variety of houses that showcase their owners' vision and personal touch

For a lot of players, sticking to a theme isn't feasible when they only have one house that they will furnish. So a lot of people's main (and only) residence could therefore have different styles of statues that they earned through achievements and are proud to showcase, a whole wall crammed full of busts and trophies, a room with nothing but crafting stations, or various PvP equipment scattered around in their garden. Perhaps you (or I) wouldn't ever decorate a house like that, but we have the luxury of compartmentalizing furnishings into several thematic homes rather than showing off all our favourites in just one. And in any case, houses in this 'tutti frutti' style do showcase their owners' achievements, their life story in ESO if you will, so they shouldn't be viewed as lesser than themed homes in my opinion.

Another end of the non-realism spectrum is when the house does have a theme, and that theme is 'magic overload' or 'coolest most badass house' something, where people get the most extravagant furnishings and try to push whatever is possible to the extreme. Essential Housing Tool additions such as light effects, water features, or custom patterns are often added on top of these, and while they're generally great, too much of a good thing can indeed end up garish. I still think that if I someone is going for a crazy mage's tower vibe I would expect the house to be as 'bling bling' as possible so it's not necessarily a bad thing

Long story short, while my own personal taste also does end up cringing at some creations, I think it's good that we have such variety and that some people are pushing their creativity to the extreme and milking the housing system with all possible effects for all it's worth I also suspect that the more 'extreme' houses get featured more often because the most frequent housing posters are also the ones who already explored and posted their more basic builds long ago, and now have moved on to building new and exciting things that are more elaborate. But generally speaking I think the majority of player homes ingame are sort of spartan (based on many homes I visited, filled only sparsely with a few basic furniture), it's just that those don't get showcased and thus skew the proportion of 'extreme' homes.

Tigerseye

Sporvan wrote: »

As much as I enjoy these flights of fancy and creative designs, I'd love to see more realistic representations of tastefully furnished houses without throwing everything sparkly at it. You know sticking to a theme or something believable.

I love some of the realistic ones like the bookstore we saw etc. Those pique my curiosity much more than bling bling garish crystals and dazzling lighting that seem more prevalent lately.

Tamriel needs a housing revolution! Minimism Ahoy!

I wouldn't say minimalism of style, necessarily (although, that too, sometimes), but I do tend to enjoy the homes that actually seem like they have a purpose, other than to dazzle.

Even if it's just as a fully functioning house.

That's not to say the OTT ones can't be amazing to look at, sometimes; but, I agree it is nice to have something which is closer to the style of the original game, too.

Just with someone's personal style and (ideally, in my opinion) a mix of racial styles overlapping that; rather than, necessarily, obscurring it entirely.

Of course, people should remain free to create what they like, either way, though.

wishlist14

I myself am a minimalist in real life. I use some of my minimalist flair in my homes as I don't like too much clutter and I always furnish my houses with my items limit in mind. I tend to use larger items in my bigger houses so big spaces don't appear too sparse and then I have more spaces for the smaller items that add detail to a home such as meals and towels, vases and the like.

I actually enjoy having my house item limitations as I like a bit of a challenge. I usually start with a vision of how I'd like it look and feel and then I calculate how many items i wiil allow myself per room and exterior garden. I do use some glowy enchanted lights in water mainly to brighten areas that get too dark at night. I don't like to over do it with the glowy lights but they are very effective.

I also like to showcase some of my achievement items in my houses as they do tell a story about my adventures in Tamriel. It is these items that are my pride and joy, they are special to me.

M_Volsung

My in-game house is decorated as I imagine one would do if they spent a lot of time traveling, adventuring, seeing different lands, and bringing back items from those places (with a slight emphasis on Dwemer relics)... eclectic, but not jarringly so.

If you can find me on PC/NA feel free to come by for a look.

Tigerseye

Of course, it is harder to decorate tastefully and/or minimally, as you:

a) Have to be discerning about what you use and what goes with what.

That, obviously, takes time and consideration.

b) Are penalised by the game, as you are charged two slots for (for example) a small Hosta, in a pot.

Whereas, if you put a giant, shimmering tree, or large glowing coral, in your house that is only one slot.

So, why wouldn't most people do that, instead?

NotaDaedraWorshipper

Sometimes I feel a bit boring when it comes to my houses and ideas for them, because mine are usually designed to fit one of my characters from a roleplaying perspective. So a lot of times they aren't that much different from houses you could see ingame. Except I try make them look a bit more personal and homey.

This can cause them to be everything from minimalistic and simple, to slightly more extravagant and eccentric.

Kiyakotari

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

Sometimes I feel a bit boring when it comes to my houses and ideas for them, because mine are usually designed to fit one of my characters from a roleplaying perspective.

I'm in the same boat, NotaDaedraWorshipper. My houses are all based on roleplay, and they're meant to be representations of the characters that would live in them, and what kinds of furnishings and decorations they would prefer. Because of this, a lot of them are fairly plain.

Still, I prefer to do things this way, as decorating the houses (some of which are based in the characters' pasts, while others are meant to show where they currently live) really helps me flesh out the characters in my mind. The houses add detail to their stories and their lives.

StabbityDoom

There's a place for both, I think. Also, don't look at the candyland pics I posted if you want realism I went deliberately over the top not realistic and minimalistic. But plenty of my other homes are done in a tasteful style.

R_K

StabbityDoom wrote: »

There's a place for both, I think. Also, don't look at the candyland pics I posted if you want realism I went deliberately over the top not realistic and minimalistic. But plenty of my other homes are done in a tasteful style.

...and it’s awesome ( you should look at it )

sueblue

Magazine homes are nice but the really interesting ones are based on how a character would actually live. I mean after all it is a Role Playing Game. When people hirer me to decorate their spaces, the first thing I ask them to do is to write a character biography. It informs every choice.

That's not to say that I am not blown away by some of the custom builds I have seen. Steampunk pirate and air ships, haunted carnivals, and dance clubs. I have even done a few theme houses myself for contests that were a lot of fun.

Totally agree that shiny<>good in most scenarios.

SantieClaws

This one agrees to a point. Knowing when to stop is a very necessary thing given the unfortunate limits we work with.

But you must do what you feel is right for the idea you have. The important thing is to have that clear idea in the first place.

If you know what you want to do then it will be good - cluttered or not.

Yours with paws
Santie Claws

Mysanne

Here are some pictures of my houses. I think I'm close to the style of the original game.

This house is a monastery, with its chapel, crypt, his study room of religious works and refectory.








Here is the witch's house. Although it is a little disturbing, it is more the dwelling of a witch who lives in contact with nature than a kind of necromancer.





The Autumn's Gate is the first house I bought and furnished.




The house of the winemaker has a cellar in the basement, a wine sales area with wines from different countries on the ground floor and a tavern, to taste what we have produced or bought, upstairs.

Ajaxandriel

Mysanne wrote: »

Here are some pictures of my houses. I think I'm close to the style of the original game.

This house is a monastery, with its chapel, crypt, his study room of religious works and refectory.

I like this!
But do you imagine a backstory for it? or is it pure aesthetic realism/"minimism"?
I'm wondering because your monastery seem to praise...Sithis...!

Nice job anyway! ^^

I do like this way of furnishing because I need credible immersion into houses to feel them right.
I'm sorry to say most of houses I visited ...aren't really furnished but just a storage of random items, well... but those which are furnished are too flashy or nonsensical regarding the lore, you know, like if they are Oblivion pockets (not only the surreal estate)

Hopefully some houses are lore-friendly and I always enjoy to find and visit them.

Pinesy

I like to have my homes be "lived-in" and realistic, like they were a NPCs home ~ if in case anyone is wanting another persons to tour! @Beezenees, my homes are open on EHT for folks to view.

StabbityDoom

I stalk Beez's homes and they are pretty awesome.

Pinesy

StabbityDoom wrote: »

I stalk Beez's homes and they are pretty awesome.

Thank you so much Stabbity I've been busy IRL and haven't been decorating as much as I want, so to hear that folks do enjoy my homes makes me so happy

xaraan

Here's my Hall of Lunar Champion.

I probably ride the line for some since I do use some achievement furnishings for effects in certain spots. But I don't use any add-ons for additional effects and usually set up my home to look like a place I could live. And the special furnishings are used for specific effects to be 'show-y' like you might in any fance home.

For my Hall I have a plan:

The main room will be the crafting/meeting/general area. Folks can pop in, get crafts done and get out. The side section that we have opened is the living area - this has been "argonian'd up" as I run all argonian characters and often do this to a home. But with the Hall being split, this gives me the chance to have a dedicated argonian area and do something different with the other wings.

The two new rooms (when we get them) / (and depending on what they look like) -- will be 1. a trophy room and 2. a training room (will move target dummies there and maybe set up a dueling area).

Probably one of the more grandious parts of the home. When you enter the transmute station is set up around some achievement furnishings to make the setup appear more magical than it already does. And thought it made a good focal point with the already fancy khajiit portal crystal above it.





Crafting areas to either side of the entrance:





Dressing area:



Kitchen corner:




(Totally stole that stove idea, though with some of my own modifications, from JHart's stream when he was doing a housing tour. Loved the idea in someone's home.)

The outdoor "argonian'd up" section (Halls of Colossus):

When you enter, small seating areas on each side of the pergola enclose the entrance and straight ahead sits my very own hist tree being grown for a piece of home.




Looking back toward entrance:


Small training area (this will probably be changed when I get a new wing to work with):


And a small sleeping nook off past the waterfall in a private corner. Argonians aren't too worried about getting moist

Carbonised

I think us housing people can generally be divided into two categories, those who see furnishings as Lego blocks, and houses as giant playgrounds where they can build dragon statues or fantastic buildings or other interesting ideas. And then us more "immersive" oriented housing people, who like to build houses that we imagine our characters could actually live in and use for a purpose, and who tend to decorate houses "traditionally". I wouldn't necessarily call my housing philosophy minimalistic, since I do like a luxurious feel to it, and I very much like my clutter, but I would consider it "realistic". I build houses that I imagine could have been in the game to begin with, and that I think reflect my charcater(s) and their personal taste.
I have showcases of all my houses with pictures and videos, the links are in the signature, for anyone interested.

StabbityDoom

There are some people whose homes look like the neighborhood house that doesn't mow and has broken down cars up on blocks in the front lawn. It's all I can think of when they put every shiny thing they can find with no rhyme or reason, like a crazy Vegas.

But they have fun with it, and that's cool. I also do extreme homes as well as sedate ones. I would get bored if I did everything "traditional" though. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate it, but it's harder for them to be unique or interesting if they follow the design models of the regular npc homes.

Mysanne

@Ajaxandriel

Salut ! Merci beaucoup pour ta réponse !
Comme je parle français, comme toi (j'ai lu tes messages sur le forum français) je te mets la version française ci-dessous, ce sera plus simple.

French version

Non, par les Neuf, ce monastère n'est pas dédié à Sithis, heureusement !
C'est seulement le seul vitrail disponible et j'ai cédé au côté esthétique au détriment du lore". Il est tellement beau !
En réalité, j'ai regroupé dans cette maison tout ce qui avait trait à la religion sans vraiment plus réfléchir.
Disons que cette demeure est dédiée à la religion, aux divinités et à leur étude.

Quand j'achète une maison, j'attends d'avoir une idée du thème général que je pourrais suivre pour la décorer.

Parfois c'est un thème assez élaboré et je me raconte une histoire.
Par exemple, pour le monastère, tous les livres présents sont sur le thème de la religion.
Je m'imagine que l'abbé, ou plutôt le prieur, vit à l'étage supérieur, sous les toits et qu'il fait des lectures religieuses aux moines pendant qu'ils prennent leur repas au-dessous, puis il les rejoint et s'assied à la place d'honneur, en bout de table.

Parfois j'essaie juste de faire une maison accueillante que j'aimerais habiter moi-même.

Je ne connais pas très bien le lore alors je fais surement des erreurs, mais j'essaie juste de ne rien placer de choquant ou de vraiment déplacé par rapport au thème général choisi.

English version

No, by the Nine, this monastery is not dedicated to Sithis, fortunately!
But it's the only stained glass available and I preferred aesthetics to tradition. "It is so beautiful!
In fact, I grouped everything related to religion in this house without really thinking more.
Let's say that this house is dedicated to religion, deities and their study.

When I buy a house, I wait to get an idea of ​​the general theme that I could follow to decorate it.

Sometimes it's a pretty elaborate theme and I tell myself a story.
For example, for the monastery, all the books I have placed are on the theme of religion.
I imagine that the abbot lives on the upper floor, under the roof and does religious readings to the monks while they eat their meal downstairs, then he joins them and sits in the place of honor at the end of the table.

Sometimes I simply try to create a welcoming home in which I would like to live.

I do not know the tradition very well, so I'm probably making mistakes, but I'm just trying not to put anything shocking or really out of touch with the general theme chosen.