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Romancing the Throne - Bathroom
Ideas | |
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This
story was designed to be read as an
Album |
Romancing the
Throne - Bathroom Ideas Created By:
RealPollyMogs
Country:
United States of America
Language: US
English
|
Created: 01.21.2007
Last Updated: 01.22.2007
Number of Entries: 73
Description:
Design & decorate
bathrooms without using custom
content. Family Name: King
Lot Name: CAS!
Categories: Designer Diaries,How
To/Tutorial |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Let's say that you have a
four-by-four bathroom and no custom content. Or
maybe you don't want to use any CC because
you're planning to upload your house to the
Exchange. All you need now is some
inspiration.
This guide was written to
help you design, build, and decorate the perfect
bathroom for your
house. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Where does inspiration come
from? In my case, it was this room. Sure, it
works. The floor is interesting. There's plenty
of light. But it's downright boring and it feels
cold. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I took out everything,
leaving just the bare walls and foundation to
create a magic box where I could play with
ideas. "Now what?", I asked myself. Form
follows function.
OK. I wanted a room
that two sims can use at the same time without
having to watch them "Shoo!" each other while
the carpool
waits. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
To do that, I separated the
shower room from the toilet area by building a
2x1 box. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Every room needs a door and
some
light. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I added the fixtures and a
mirror so my sims can brush their teeth in the
morning. The room is now functional, but it's
even colder than before with all the stainless
steel and glass. It needs warmth and a focal
point - something that will automatically draw
the eye. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The tub is the biggest
thing in the room, so I used it as the basis for
decorating. It will also become the focal point,
so I used the design tool to recolor it in a
finish that looks more
touchable. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
What was the first thing
you saw? The tub. More specifically, you saw the
wall behind the tub. It's the brightest spot in
a very dark room. The tiny spotlight above helps
to draw your eye. If not for the stone or the
light, the rug would become the focal point in
here.
Heavy use of textures is one way to
warm up an otherwise cold room. But I like
color. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Returning to my magic 4x4
box, I drew a wall just one tile down the
center. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
There's a single girl in my
'hood who wants a place where she can not only
take care of business, but where she can try on
different hairstyles and makeup. With the toilet
behind us, this bathroom will satisfy her needs.
For my young friend, I chose a reversed island
counter and barstool. The matching counter holds
the sink. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I like this wall so much
that I'm going to use it to design the rest of
the room. Without one particular focal point,
your eye is going to wander all over the
bathroom, making it seem larger than
4x4. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
See? The design tool does
its job and your eyes can't find a place to
settle. They come to rest on the center of the
photo - the stool. The swatch of yellow carpet
in the middle of the floor visually pushes the
walls back further, making it seem
bigger.
But there are still too many
angles and
corners. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Since our eyes are already
stuck to the stool, why don't we echo it with a
pair of arched windows? They also break up the
long dead wall between the sink and toilet and
provide light in the daytime.
All we need
now are the details, those little bits of decor
that make a room a sim's personal
space. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
A central ceiling light is
enough for this little room. I hung it using
boolprop snapObjectsToGrid false. I used
the double door that matches the windows and
added a little end table with a vase of
sunflowers in the empty corner. Except for the
table, everything was chosen to provide more
curves. Curves are
feminine. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Full-length mirrors give my
young friend a place to gussy up before calling
the Matchmaker and also reflect more light from
the windows and a wall sconce.
Be careful
about what you're reflecting. These mirrors were
the main reason why I changed the rectangular
door to the Colonial
Tract. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The design tool is your
friend. I was lucky, in this case, to find a
shower curtain that looked good with the wall I
wanted to use. Experiment with the objects and
build mode items in your game's catalog until
you hit upon the right
combination. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
All of them.
Sometimes ideas come from lucky accidents, like
installing a window backwards. We've all done
this at some point, right? And then we "fixed"
it. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
This time, I didn't fix it.
I left it backwards and used the shutters to
design the rest of the room. That's right - my
little building mistake has become the focal
point for this bathroom. Point and laugh if you
want.
The beadboard wainscot, louvered
cabinet doors, and railed half-wall make it
work. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
As you can see, the window
looks fine from outside the
house. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
It lets in enough light for
my purposes, too, so I continued building.
First, a square of stage foundation in the
corner... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
...cut diagonally so that I
could angle the
bathtub. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
And then I added my railed
half-wall far enough away that my sims can still
reach the functional
objects. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I needed three cheats to
install the tub: boolprop
snapObjectsToGrid false boolprop
allow45degreeAngleOfRotation true moveobjects
on Then I turned them off and continued
furnishing the
room. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Installing a toilet and a
pair of sinks finished the functional part of
the room's
design. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Still without a decorating
idea in mind, I browsed the catalog for a floor
with diagonal lines to emphasize the angled tub.
The lines also direct your gaze toward the
corners, visually widening the tight space.
"Dungaree" gave me what I was looking
for. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
It also gave me a color to
work with, and I was ready to use the design
tool on the counters and
fixtures. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Crisp blue and white with
the louvered doors says "seashore" to me. I'll
go with it, but first I need to think about the
thing that is so very wrong here, and which is
about to get
worse. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Once I added a pair of
mirrors with a fishy design, the room started to
look like a cell. The tall mirrors, rail,
beadboard, and stripes were just too many
vertical lines. I had to find ways to drag the
eye back down, so I opened the catalog
again. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
With most of the floor
space in use by the functional objects, I chose
a pendant lamp for this bathroom. The color is
dark and it hangs low enough to form a kind of
roadblock for the eye, lowering the ceiling
visually and cutting the verticals in
half. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Other dark objects - the
chair and decor - help to keep the gaze down and
further break up the long expanses of white
beadboard. I used the decorating cheats again to
place the bonsai, lamp, towels, and
chair. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
You will have to be careful
when you place the tub. My bathroom failed
testing until I managed to find the exact spot
where my sim could use it. You can see by the
blue carpet swatch that it's almost outside the
invisible square where I cut the stage
foundation. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
There's still plenty of
room for her to get past and use the toilet,
though. And she likes it! Her Environment meter
is nearly all green.
Please be sure to
test your houses before uploading them. Can you
imagine how angry you'd be to find out after
moving in a family that the bathroom doesn't
work? |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
A lot of the time, one
single object appeals so much that we just have
to use it. That was the case with this painting
and a 4x4 bathroom for a set of
twins. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The toybox is actually in
their adjoining bedroom, but I took down the
wall for this photo. Bold primary colors work
well in both rooms.
This is a very simple
project. Let's go back to the magic box so I can
show you how I built
it. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I started with the shower
room, a 1x2 area that will separate two active,
dirty kids while they take care of their
hygiene. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
To make the tub platform, I
drew a block of stage foundation the width of
the remaining rear wall and even with the shower
room - a 3x2
stage. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I then added the connecting
stairs and a
railing. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
A double window and arch
made up the remaining architectural details. A
door would work, but I wanted to leave it open
so that the floor would show and balance the
colors. The kids still think it's a different
room. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Working from the gnome
painting, I colored the walls and floor. Because
there's no red toilet in my catalog, I used blue
wall tiles inside the shower room and below the
tub platform along the same wall to help balance
things. Stars from the Holiday pack in matching
colors help even more to pull the room
together. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
You'll need to use your
decorating cheats again if you want this little
guy indoors. Standing here in the corner, he
can't be stolen because kidnappers need to get
behind him. That won't stop them, though, from
screaming about blocked routes and clogging your
bathroom. It's best to leave him
outside. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
By the way, this design
also works well as a bedroom. The door leads to
a one-tile dresser, making it a
closet.
Install the door first, then use
moveobjects on to place the dresser
inside. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The game will tell you "no"
if you don't use the cheat, but Mom will have no
trouble putting away your
laundry. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
You can use stage
foundation for other things, as well. In this
bathroom, I used it to surround the tub. Even
with the other fixtures in, though, the room was
still too
square. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
So... I angled the walls.
We're not losing much space here - just making
it look nicer.
When you're planning to
cut the stage foundation, it's important to
build your walls first. I could have placed
squares of staging inside the room before
cutting the shape, but then I'd end up
with... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
...this. Cutting the stage
foundation leaves some very sharp
edges! |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
You need to work the
staging into the shape of your room. In this
case, I used the diagonal foundation to build a
pair of diamond
shapes. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I then cut out the center
to make room for the
tub. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
And removed the unnecessary
edge in
front. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
And there you have it - a
very simple tub
enclosure. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The tub fits nicely between
the bits of staging. High windows on the
diagonal walls provide a little privacy and
daylight. The windows, sink, and toilet have
rounded edges to help offset the
angles.
Because the tub has some purple
in it, I opened my catalog again to look for
inspiration... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
...and found purple. It's
used as an accent color in this triptych and in
the bathtub, so I used it the same way. There's
also a bit of yellow so I made sure to include
that too. Purple and yellow are at opposite
sides of the color wheel. Using opposing colors
gives your rooms a lot of drama.
But who
really wants drama in the
bathroom? |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
When you're working with
this many colors, balance is critical. The wall
behind the triptych is yellow because that color
is presented in all three pictures. I brought
the purple and yellow into the room by using
colored carpet squares on the
floor.
You'll have to paint your stage
foundation before edging it or the game won't
let you do it. The light, sign and objects from
the Holiday Pack were placed using the
decorating
cheats. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Ideas can come from
anywhere. Sometimes your sims will subtly let
you know what they'd like to see in their
bathrooms, like my favorite bathtub pirate,
Jack.
"That's Cap'n Jack.
Arrrrr!"
Sorry,
Cap'n. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Rather than spoil Cap'n
Jack's fun every time another sim needs to use
the toilet, I built him his own little fantasy
area. I used another arch to separate the rooms
because a door's swing might trap someone on the
toilet or where Cap'n Jack's First Mate is
sitting.
Family Fun Stuff owners could do
more for Cap'n Jack, but I don't have any stuff
packs. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
You say you only decided to
read this guide because you liked the bathroom
on the cover? Let's return to the magic box and
see how I built it. If you've read the rest of
this, you'll know how easy it
was. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Empty
box... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Stage foundation,
4x2... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Connecting
stairs... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Walls on either side of the
steps to hold the toilet and
mirror... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
And windows for daylight.
The rest of it just involves playing with colors
and patterns, but you know how to do that
now.
I'll show you the part of the room
that wasn't in the cover
photo. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Upstairs is the bathtub
with a sconce for evening
bathing. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
The slender version of this
dresser doesn't seem to take up nearly as much
space as the older one does - and you can put
things on it. You'll need to use moveobjects
on to place it because the game thinks it'll
block the stairs, but it will work just
fine.
How does it look without the stage?
Let's ask the magic
box. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Hmm... the curtain looks
better. This design would actually work better
in the game because I added an arch between the
toilet and dressing/bathing areas. I can always
change one of the floors so they
match. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Standing at the sink,
though, the mismatched bathtub looks a little
odd. Since there isn't one to match the other
fixtures, I think I'll keep it on the stage. I
like the lower sconce too.
Meanwhile, I
still have a boring green bathroom to renovate.
I kept a couple of things when I dismantled the
old one. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I like the way this looks.
The wall could be warmer, but I think I'll stick
with the fern and botanical print and work with
them. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I'd like to surround the
tub again because I like the way it looks. You
can see that I also angled the walls to give the
room some shape.
I started with the
double diagonal stage foundation
pieces. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I filled in with square
staging in order to create a shelf behind the
tub. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
Two more pieces of square
staging evened up the front of the tub
surround. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
And then I cut a rectangle
to fit the
bathtub. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I'm going to ignore the
purple paw prints this time. But here's my
basic, functional bathroom - a tub, a toilet, a
sink, and a mirror.
Now to see where
those two reserved decorative objects take
me... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
...after another quick
glimpse at the original bathroom. I'll bet you
could tell me now why the lady of the house
hated it. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
What do you think she'll
say about this one? Warm colors, light
texturing, and soft lighting fill the room
without crowding it. This photo was taken at
night. There are no windows, so the only light
is provided by four wall sconces. It's just
enough.
But it's still a
one-sim-at-a-time
bathroom. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007 - Updated:
01.22.2007
I guess I'll have to go
back to the magic box and browse through the
catalog again.
Have fun with your own
bathrooms and remember to think inside the box -
it costs less, especially when you use the Undo
tool. Thanks for reading! ~
Polly |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Let's say that you have a
four-by-four bathroom and no custom content. Or
maybe you don't want to use any CC because
you're planning to upload your house to the
Exchange. All you need now is some
inspiration.
This guide was written to
help you design, build, and decorate the perfect
bathroom for your house.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Where does inspiration come
from? In my case, it was this room. Sure, it
works. The floor is interesting. There's plenty
of light. But it's downright boring and it feels
cold. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
I took out everything,
leaving just the bare walls and foundation to
create a magic box where I could play with
ideas. "Now what?", I asked myself. Form
follows function.
OK. I wanted a room
that two sims can use at the same time without
having to watch them "Shoo!" each other while
the carpool waits.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
To do that, I separated the
shower room from the toilet area by building a
2x1 box. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Every room needs a door and
some light. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
I added the fixtures and a
mirror so my sims can brush their teeth in the
morning. The room is now functional, but it's
even colder than before with all the stainless
steel and glass. It needs warmth and a focal
point - something that will automatically draw
the eye. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
The tub is the biggest thing
in the room, so I used it as the basis for
decorating. It will also become the focal point,
so I used the design tool to recolor it in a
finish that looks more touchable.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
What was the first thing you
saw? The tub. More specifically, you saw the
wall behind the tub. It's the brightest spot in
a very dark room. The tiny spotlight above helps
to draw your eye. If not for the stone or the
light, the rug would become the focal point in
here.
Heavy use of textures is one way to
warm up an otherwise cold room. But I like
color. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Returning to my magic 4x4
box, I drew a wall just one tile down the
center. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
There's a single girl in my
'hood who wants a place where she can not only
take care of business, but where she can try on
different hairstyles and makeup. With the toilet
behind us, this bathroom will satisfy her needs.
For my young friend, I chose a reversed island
counter and barstool. The matching counter holds
the sink. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
I like this wall so much
that I'm going to use it to design the rest of
the room. Without one particular focal point,
your eye is going to wander all over the
bathroom, making it seem larger than 4x4.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
See? The design tool does
its job and your eyes can't find a place to
settle. They come to rest on the center of the
photo - the stool. The swatch of yellow carpet
in the middle of the floor visually pushes the
walls back further, making it seem
bigger.
But there are still too many
angles and corners.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Since our eyes are already
stuck to the stool, why don't we echo it with a
pair of arched windows? They also break up the
long dead wall between the sink and toilet and
provide light in the daytime.
All we need
now are the details, those little bits of decor
that make a room a sim's personal space.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
A central ceiling light is
enough for this little room. I hung it using
boolprop snapObjectsToGrid false. I used
the double door that matches the windows and
added a little end table with a vase of
sunflowers in the empty corner. Except for the
table, everything was chosen to provide more
curves. Curves are feminine.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Full-length mirrors give my
young friend a place to gussy up before calling
the Matchmaker and also reflect more light from
the windows and a wall sconce.
Be careful
about what you're reflecting. These mirrors were
the main reason why I changed the rectangular
door to the Colonial Tract.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
The design tool is your
friend. I was lucky, in this case, to find a
shower curtain that looked good with the wall I
wanted to use. Experiment with the objects and
build mode items in your game's catalog until
you hit upon the right combination.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
All of them.
Sometimes ideas come from lucky accidents, like
installing a window backwards. We've all done
this at some point, right? And then we "fixed"
it. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
This time, I didn't fix it.
I left it backwards and used the shutters to
design the rest of the room. That's right - my
little building mistake has become the focal
point for this bathroom. Point and laugh if you
want.
The beadboard wainscot, louvered
cabinet doors, and railed half-wall make it
work. |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
As you can see, the window
looks fine from outside the house.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
It lets in enough light for
my purposes, too, so I continued building.
First, a square of stage foundation in the
corner... |
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
...cut diagonally so that I
could angle the bathtub.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
And then I added my railed
half-wall far enough away that my sims can still
reach the functional objects.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
I needed three cheats to
install the tub: boolprop
snapObjectsToGrid false boolprop
allow45degreeAngleOfRotation true moveobjects
on Then I turned them off and continued
furnishing the room.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Installing a toilet and a
pair of sinks finished the functional part of
the room's design.
|
|
Created: 01.22.2007
Updated: 01.22.2007
Still without a decorating
idea in mind, I browsed the catalog for a floor
with diagonal lines to emphasize the angled tub.
The lines also direct your gaze toward the
corners, visually widening the tight space.
"Dungaree" gave me what I was looking for.
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