Looking for suggestions in sectioning off an area under stairs

kalabakk · October 2022

I wanted to see if anyone had suggestions for how I can section off what is meant to be a small, cozy reading nook in my house.

This is in the Antiquarian's Alpine Gallery, under the stairs leading from the 2nd to the 3rd floor.

In other places in the house, I've used things like the, "Elsweyr Wall, Rough Wooden," various banners, or even floor dividers to section off areas, but the problem here is that the parts to be blocked off are triangular. The items I've used elsewhere are all rectangular in shape, so they wouldn't quite work (as far as I'm imagining). The rest of the space on that 2nd floor is already being used as a bedroom, a fireplace area, and a small library.

The other little gotcha is that since this is the mid-level of the house, any extra bits that don't neatly fit into the triangle area would stick out into other rooms.

Any thoughts or suggestions for what I could do? Maybe plants or something else like that to block off the area while leaving an opening to get in and out?

TeruKisuke · October 2022

First off, I guess I'll ask to clarify since I'm not 100% sure: You mean you want to enclose this reading nook but still making it accessible? On both sides or just the one side so you still have the balcony to look out? Or to block it off completely?

There are a lot of options to do this, but I'll bring up a few points first. It might end up feeling super cramped after given the nature of ESO's camera, and the open-slatted stairs kinda suggest openness underneath, so something like a custom doorway might be an odd fit. It's still doable, but it was just a thought I had, figured I'd mention. And you could also frame it with plants like you said.

If you want to frame it like a doorway, there are a few variants of Solitude bookcases of different sizes. There's a tall skinny rustic one and a squat wider one. It won't completely cover the triangle, but you said it was near a library, so you could have these shelves with clutter like figurines or knick-knacks on top to fill the gaps in an organic way.

If you want no gaps at all and want to completely cover it while leaving a doorway, you're gonna have to cobble, which might take quite a few slots to look nice. You have the bookcases previously mentioned and you could use two at a time to cover up the shelves and enclose the space. There are also a slew of long thin benches that could be used as boards for the thinner sections. If any jutting bits poke out through the wall unintentionally, you might have to add a believable cover-up like a tapestry or pillar that matches the house. If you're good at covering things up, you could just use Elsweyr small wooden platforms and cover up the excess.

If you don't care about the view from the stairs as much, you could also extend a wall up so that the stairs are against a wall, and thus you wouldn't have to stick to the triangle shape anymore.

I don't know if this would work but I figured I'd mention it anyways. If you don't want slatted stairs, (with the gaps in the steps), you could try using a Leyawiin Wooden Stairway and angling it to make a complete stair, if you wanted it to feel even more enclosed. But I haven't tested if the Antiquarian stairs would even be of similar size to the Leyawiin for that to work.

kalabakk · October 2022

Thanks for the reply, I'll see if any of those ideas will do the trick.

I guess the feel I was going for was kind of like the blanket forts I made as a kid. Something cozy and tucked away, but not necessarily a formal affair.

TheImperfect · October 2022

There are some smaller wooden platforms added in High Isle that may work. Still not triangular but may be more effective.