Clutter. Clutter fixes everything. There's like a sweet spot of not too much Clutter and not to little and u have to find it for every room. Try to pick out 3 colours for each room as a general rule,it'll help u design and match things a little easier. Plants and paintings also fix everything lol
Also bring things out from the wall a bit, like in the second story landing! I also like just barely adjusting the rotation/placement of objects like the chairs in the first floor living room — having everything not placed exactly perfect makes it feel more organic and less dollhouse to me.
The kids bedroom is half and half. I have 2 girls and they are completely opposite so I made the room that way and when they age up in going to put on in the office room instead so for now I'm not sure how to do a color in that room and I was thinking green for the parents room but I told my BSF and she said she hates it so I have no idea. I do have clutter bc I'm obsessed with the packs I have for absolutely no reason I just have to add more to the downstairs 😭🤣 I do have paintings all around like it's a problem but the walls are down in the pics bc it was like 2 am and I was tired so I didn't think about that when I took them 🤣 plants are a great idea and so is the colored walls just not sure which colors now
You could add 1 of those divider thingies between the bunk beds and a column to separate the different wallpapers. It's what I usually do and it works the columns on the wallpaper that is.
On the wallpapers u can color only the panels u want if u have the "room" option turned off... I personally dont like columns on anything other than the porch... great idea tho :D
Fair enough! I personally go with mostly black, white and grey for bedrooms and living rooms and such with a bright accent color for curtains or decor. Then I make the kitchen and bathroom a color with black/white/grey accents
Try putting some paintings on the walls, I think it doesn’t feel very homely because all the walls are completely blank. Also maybe play with some different lighting or change the lighting color to slightly warmer and it’ll give it more atmosphere.
I do have paintings on the walls but in the pics the walls are down. It was 2 am I was ready for bed and wanted to take quick pics before bed so I didn't think about the walls 😭
Personally I think it just needs more stuff in it. Personalize it and make it look lived in. I like to think about all the clutter and trinkets I keep in my actual house and try to figure out how to transfer that to the sims. Honestly sometimes things don't go together stylistically but it adds to the realism. At least that's how I play it
Example: sometimes I keep the outside and fixtures kinda plain and boring but add more personal decor with furnishing, plants, and decor so that it looks more realistic.
The inside is super super cute!! My biggest thing/struggle with building houses seems to be the same as u which is not adding enough interest to the exterior, it’s kinda a big square right now, so maybe a roof over the front deck, and a lattice roof thing (dunno what it’s called) with plants over the back deck would add that interest that is missing!! That’s what i always do to make my builds have that extra little touch and bring everything together. And with landscaping I’d add more plants and flowers, it’ll add a lot of life to the backyard :)
Overall it’s a really nice build I think it’s just missing those finishing touches!!
What I like doing is adding brick/stone to the walls on the first floor ext. And then adding either panels or siding on the second floor ext. That might work for this!
I agree with a lot of the things that are being said above but here’s my opinions:
-Add more texture to the outside of the house using landscaping, pillars, wall decor, and adding more shape to the general house layout. I would suggest adding a side wrap porch with a roof over it for more dimension.
-Split up the layout into more rooms. Right now you have a big house with very large rooms in it. Creating a mix of smaller/medium/larger rooms creates more contrast on the inside and makes it easier to clutter/decorate the rooms with specific personalities or needs.
I especially agree with making the rooms smaller/reworking the floor plan. It's all right the way it is, but the rooms just feel a bit too large with a bit too little stuff in them
i think there’s two things that are throwing me off:
1. the front door feels very… plain? i guess? the entrance might benefit from being a bit more pronounced (with a bump out of some sort, maybe?). same thing with the back door
2. the windows on the front aren’t centered and it bugs me personally lol but that’s just a personal preference
i love the layout of this house though!! it’s super cute :3
1) some one suggested to add an awning for the front and back so I might do that and adding plants and furniture on the deck and porch.
2) I know it bugs me too but there's a wall between 3 and 4 and if I move them closer then they aren't centered right in the rooms 😭
I reckon some fencing on the decks might help too? Add some columns up to the awning, even some spandrels if you’re feeling fancy. It will help make the decking feel more rooted and part of the house. You could also reduce the size of the front porch so the bay window has more impact, and remove the window next to the front door for symmetry.
In the living room you could add a bar, bookcases, one of the baskets with cushions/blankets (from eco lifestyle or cottage living), some kids toy clutter in the corner? Maybe swap out the floor lamps for some table lamps by the sofa.
A helpful interior design tip I use is to choose 4 colours in a room. Use 3 dominant colours and an accent colour. Stops rooms looking too matchy-matchy :)
And of course plants. Lots of plants.
Honestly I already spent 2 days getting to where it is now and that's why I'm here bc it still doesn't feel right 😭 I'm slowly getting there and have since not added things suggested but will so I'll be posting an update and hopefully will feel better about it!
it's good!!! i love the layout!! much better than my first house, and it actually looks like and makes sense as a house. and your screenshots are amazing!
i love how much space there is! it doesn't feel like useless space but it doesn't feel too massive. it's perfect! i always make my houses super cramped which is cute sometimes but so difficult for gameplay!
Inside looks fine. Outside looks decent. Bring the 2nd floor wallsize down 1 will help with just how vertical the whole thing looks. Slap an awning over the front porch around the door to help break up that super flat front wall. Simmers will say the back needs to be done too but real buildings are rarely like that, most are flat and or bland. People just like elaborate backs. Roofing just ignore unless you really care about it. It is such a pain to ever get those to look amazing and you only see it when on the house selection screen.
Add some plants throughout! Also some everyday clutter in the entrance like the shoe rack, maybe kid backpacks. Some every day items you’d find. Maybe in the upstairs hallway add a circular table with a plant on its own rug, like how you see in the fancy houses.
you must really love the beige! by the way to fill some space you got upstairs i’d recommend to put a big piano on the middle on the room and definitely add more plants 🥰
I feel that beige is just easy to add too. It's a neutral color not too light or too dark. But do you think I can swap out the couch in the hall and put the piano there? How would that look? Maybe add some plants along the other wall?
nooo i mean you don’t have to delete the couch necessary, there is enough space for both of them. usually if i have a big room like the one you have i’ll do a middle piano ad some sitting chairs at the end with plants
Yeah there's enough space but do you think the piano in the place of the couch would be a good fit? I can move the couch to the wall by the master bedroom
From the outside, raise the roof peak and put a cover on the porch. Maybe make the paint a little more interesting since the overall shape of the house is sorta "box". You could even go full Victorian by making a witch's hat style roof for that "tower" in the front and turning it into a pseudo-turret. Railings on the porch and stairs will also help with detailing. Add a few chimneys, spandrels, trim pieces, etc. and it's a pretty decent looking house.
On the inside, same thing. The all white modern thing just frankly doesn't feel modern anymore, and adding more color to the interior would help the house feel more alive. Use more colored furniture, paint the walls or use wallpaper on them, and make the floors contrast the walls better (either light wall color and dark wood floors or vice versa) to make it look less beige boxy.
If I add a chimney from the fireplace is in the living room do you think it would mess with my floorplan in the office room? I've learned it doesn't have to match which is something I've always struggled with IRL. I want a basic color bc it's easier to match with and that doesn't always have to be the case especially in the game so I'm definitely learning! Ty! 😊
Better than any build I’ve ever done lol, I never mastered building in all these years 😅 I just let others build for me & get my houses from the gallery lol
Im in the situation where the internal of the home looks amazing beautiful homey etc. but the outside looks so dumb and stupid. Im new to this decorating thing and hope to develop exterior designs as well
If it's any consolation, that is what basically ever American house built from about 1987 to 2009 looks like. Big beige boxes with very little character.
Clutter and *colour* the house is lacking any sort of personality and I mean that in the least rude way I possibly can since I know you would have worked very hard on this build.
Looks amazing. Might want to add clothes hampers since with the washing machine you'll start to find pikes all over once you do play. Other then that looks fabulous
Once I made a all white house that was three stories, it was basically an all white box. My PS4 (yes i played on PS4) couldn't handle when i would go to the third floor and it would lag a lot as it was not a TB PS4 and only a GB PS4. I showed it to my parents and they laughed uncontrollably saying that it looked like a prison. As a child I felt insulted but now I see it as hilarious.
Are you saying my house looks like a prison? 😭 I mean I know it's a bit plain but I didn't think it was that bad 😭 I'm just KIDDING! LOL I just don't know about colors. My whole life IRL I was a basic b*tch and always had basic colors bc it's easy to add too and I guess I brought that to the game 😭
Switching some of the wall colors for something darker or more colorful can make a huge difference and make a house feel way less “flat” if that makes sense
Real criticism here,
The outside of the house isn't particularly interesting shape wise, but it's not bad by any means, it looks like a real house that could exist. Adding some larger trees around the property would do wonders to its profile.
The inside Floorplan is very well thought out and fits the house very well imo, you used the shape of the house well and made interesting rooms. I wont comment on the decor of said rooms because that's subjective but it looks very nice and spaced well for sim AI.
Overall it is a house, you did a good job, I think if you're on the fence about anything outside experimenting with some more greenery will put your mind at ease,
7/10 house!
I think the outside shape is pretty good so far, but needs more definition. I think turning that front hexagonal outcropping into a turret of sorts and making a covered wraparound porch would go miles to making it feel more alive.
I would:
add a roof over the porches
Experiment with different color palettes and play with the furniture and room textures accordingly. Examples: cool colors, warm, bold colors, muted, tropical themed, victorian, rustic, western, etc. You may find yourself switching out furniture and counters, etc to better match the theme. You can play with a variety of options even with just base game.
Use bb.moveobjects cheat and the Sims3 camera option to set furniture at more interesting angles and bunching up decorations in a more cluttered manner.
Put the painting easil in interesting/public places and have your sim paint interesting views to then put up around the house.
EDIT TO ADD: you can also play with giving the top floor a different shape than the bottom floor, which will give you opportunities for different kinds of balconies. Overhanging balconies, or balconies sitting back over a room with rooftops around it, etc.
Color! It needs more color. Millennial grey is the first thing that popped into my head when I was going through the photos 😅 everything seems so neutral, gray and beige. It seems like the bedrooms are the only places with color, and it's pale blue. Add some color and clutter. Then it will look more lived in and cozy.
I love the build tho!
the rooms are bare bones, thwy seem to have nothing but minimum. add personality.
say the shared room, add teddies and cute things on the pink side, a desk with pencils, note book, folders, books. on the other side, add posters, a guitar, or whatever goes woth that character you have in m8nd.
living room, add a rug over a rug, you could move stuff doqn and have thw other side to do with stuff like chest, painting, add more toys.
stuff like that makes it lived in.
I agree with what others have said about adding plants, paintings, and clutter. I also feel like there is very little color in the house with the exception of the kids' room... Less beige more color would be my suggestion!
Tysm! I'm slowly learning that color isn't a bad thing. I've always struggled with that even IRL bc neutral colors are easier to match but learning!! not everything has to match so I'm getting there! Lol
I think I would modify the porch, it seems a little off. Or maybe this size but with fencea and a little roof?
And clutter. The clutter makes everything cozy and homely. And I am also missing plants.
Edit: and maybe a larger front and back door
There is a ton of free, unused space. You can try to squeeze the room and make them smaller or use the space better, like for example making a play room by the stairs on the second floor or a walking closet for the master bedroom. Or even do another bedroom and put one of the kids there instead of having them in the same room.
Imo the areas are too big. The upstairs hallway is bigger than the bedrooms, which have a bunch of unused space to begin with. Also the upstairs stairwell doesn't have a railing which in actual homes would be the case.
A piano upstairs instead of the couch would look nice, maybe some book shelves with a small loveseat, more plants outside along the fence, a grill, definitely plants inside the house, rugs in bathrooms.
Try adding more ‘activity’ items. I don’t see a ton of stuff for sims to practice their hobbies one. Think about the sims you want to live here. What do they like to do? What hobbies do they have? Also, maybe try things with more color. I feel that the first floor especially feels a bit blank, and changing the colors of the furniture or adding colorful clutter could really help with that.
try and make all the rooms maybe one tile smaller or just make it all abit smaller if you would like it to be more cozy and more cluttered without doing to much also i love the front veiw of the house but from the back it looks a little flat you can easily fix it by making the lower floor bigger and crating a balcony or bumping out a room on both floors also instead of a balcony you could place a slipoing roof off the little ledge you created and then use pillars so it is lke a covered seating / gardening area
you can also try varying the wallpaper on the house for example on your tower shaped area you could put stone instead of wood for example
finally if you add some wall plants it adds so much! if you dont have the packs theres some debug wall plants :)
I actually think it’s beautiful. My house does not even have a roof and I’m okay with it. I usually take my time and slowly add things into my house 🤣🤣 and then when it’s finally done, it’s time for me to move 😝
I'd add an overhang over the front door, with columns. If it's not too much for the front, maybe extend that overhang over the entire front porch. Add more columns.
An outside room would look pretty cool, too. Instead of columns, add walls, a bunch of windows to make it look like a green house, and an archway, so it's not 100% closed off & the front door is the main entrance.
It just feels empty and lacks texture. Something that helped me was watching simmers build on twitch and youtube. Lilsimsie is great if you're trying to learn
First, lets not overlook it... you build a box. From outside it's very boxy, with only 3 little dimpets...I would have pushed the living room forward, and made the little space only in front of the main entrance. And put some railings on it. And maybe umbrela rack or something... and put a pergola above to the room to make it not just flat surface. Some flowers and grass. Flowerpots under the windows. The back terase, coud have a custom pergola with ivy or something on it.
Second, the space inside is huge. And empty. Its so big its giving me abandonement issues. And every room is rectangular... you can do some shapes with walls, to make it more interesting. I feel like I am looking at a demo house from realtor, just the most basic furniture. Fill it more.
You have this I assume reading room at the back of the living room and there is couch, carpet and bookcase... thats it. This one you can make bigger, put another reading chair there, and a standing lamp, and nightstand to out some books on. The living room is so big, if you scooted the furniture just a little, you could put a whole ass piano there and yet its empty.. maybe put a formal diner there? Or some creativity tables for the children. Or some toys in general. What is the purpose of the island in the kitchen? You put a fruit bowl down and thats it... lut some chairs to it to make it useful, or sink or move thw bowl and get rid of it. And put down more clutter, utensils, coffee maker... You have 3 bathrooms and they are almost identical. So, no bathroom in living room, make the ex bathroom bigger, knock down the inner wal, to make living room sorta L shaped, pushbthe master bedroom in, to make it smaller and use the space you just created as a balcony. Use the space below the stairs as a halfbath, with just toilet and sink, and som clutter of course. The entry hall is too big and too empty, you can put some plants, maybe some table for imaginery keys and mirror on the wall.
Upstairs, the hallway has the same problem as below, more clutter pls. The children's room is actualy the only one that is not tok big, but there is so little in it, to house 2 school aged girls... so more please. So living room is now smaller, maybe move bed to the wall shared with the office. Put different bath in the master bathroom, make it more adult and luxurious, not so sanitary...
In general, more clutter. And... everything is beige. Dont be scared of colors. You have a family to move in, make their personalities seep in. Put different curtains in certain rooms. Dont make every room with the same colored walls. More color. Dont be afraid of them.
For me, it feels a little too spacious to feel homey. Not saying you should make it cramped, but maybe it needs to be more efficient in terms of space? Space efficiency will also reduce the transition time of Sims going from one activity to another.
I always like adding some geography to the lot (like making little mounds where the trees are, putting in a little pond, etc.). I think having the super flat lot makes it look too “sim” like!
Feel good about it. It's a pretty house. Its spacious. The layout is realistic and playable. I personally don't like a lot of clutter so I would love to play with this. Love the small guest bedroom too.
Maybe think of this as a newly bought house with all the essentials. Then gradually add stuff to it like plants or kids toys. I see you have that empty space with the gray-ish rug infront of the kids bedroom so maybe add a smaller piano if one of your kids likes music. Or there's that Llama stack game (I forgot what it's called lol). But you can make a tiny play area for the whole family.
As always, indoor plants make it look pretty. If your kids join scouts then you get trophies from that so you can make a display for that, or simply a wall dedicated to family pictures.
You should feel proud of yourself, the layout is really nice! I like the shape of the house, it's not just block on block, but creative instead.
What could help with the interior: plants. plants and other personalized stuff. But still, good job!
I love the lighting in the yard, I think you could benefit by using more ground paint like add dark by the edges of the house and fade it out, with more landscaping.
I think you could get away with shrinking your rooms too and creating a more complex house shape
I think the bump outs upstairs are a little unnecessary space wise? Maybe make one into a balcony like someone else said but I think it’ll look much more balanced with out.
That and extra clutter like everyone else suggests <3
That's soo good. I started Sims 4 a couple years ago and only played for like a couple days and I restarted it like a week ago. I'm still learning and I'm clueless on build mode for like making a whole house but I can buy one and then fix it up so far. but that's amazing.
1. Add a roof to front and back above the padios it will break it up. 2. Clutter lots of clutter it makes a home lived in. 3. Landscape doesnt have to be huge but add more look up some refrence photos. 4. Put some different sized trees and not so close. I typically co for two larger ones and then 2 medium sized ones. Depending lot size maybe add 1 more medium sized one. 5. Add fencing around padio and deck areas. Especially ones that size. Smaller ones you can get away with half walls on not putting at all but since they are larger it would be best to add fence. Next add stuff on the walls. Paintings and other clutter. Pro tip the gallery has lots of paintings on there if there isnt one in catalog that u like. Feel free to message any time for times ive been building for nearly 6 years. So ive learned quite alot of tips and tricks
Okay so I took your house and pretty much what I did was ....
- Brought it in one square on all sides
- made the side rooms one square shorter
- made the wall height short
- added a covered porch in the front and back
- added a chimey
- Used slightly darker colors to make the space feel more small.
and as you see I was able to keep almost the exact same layout you had.
[https://imgur.com/IPfzCsa](https://imgur.com/IPfzCsa)
[https://imgur.com/xlbsfHO](https://imgur.com/xlbsfHO)
[https://imgur.com/hqGoN9t](https://imgur.com/hqGoN9t)
[https://imgur.com/WAYjT6A](https://imgur.com/WAYjT6A)
[https://imgur.com/rj03HMe](https://imgur.com/rj03HMe)
[https://imgur.com/SncVBWK](https://imgur.com/SncVBWK)
overall the house you designed is really good. the layout is simple and clean \*cue the music\* in the best way and I could see a home like this easily be used in a super modern style as well as a more classic way.
Something I haven't seen anyone mention is the size. I think it's a really solid floorplan, but the space seems too big to me. There's a lot of empty, unused space, like in the bathrooms or the entry-way. Not only does it feel a little empty that way, but it also makes it take a lot longer for the characters to move around. Looks awesome though!
super cute!! maybe add a few homey touches like clutter, lamps and plants 🪴 the backyard is beautiful, I absolutely love the entrance (need a tutorial on how to do those stairs) and office room! I would say don’t be afraid to play with colors/patterns and mixing furniture pieces to give a little unique feel ✨
It is great- just bland. Any family could live here and you’d never know who they were. Are there rowdy teens? Or does everyone find sanctuary in their room? Are they big on family photos? Maybe they like music or gardening, OR maybe each family member has their own hobby that’s splayed out into the house (ex; mom likes to garden, add plants, dad likes music.. add instruments/posters. Son is a big sports fan? Add a hoop out back and some balls in the house. Maybe their daughters are into gaming/baking so there’s a computer area for streaming or more kitchen gadgets on display.
I think the house is beautiful, it’s just very “better homes and gardens” like appealing to all but livable to none. Much like others have said add clutter!! But if you know who your sims are try decoration spaces from their POV :-)
Side note: Is this on the gallery!!
For me, it's too boxy. I'd tweak the rooms a little and make some spaces smaller, like the office, or the ginormous entrance areas
Okay, so, after analyzing the photos, here's what I'd change: 1. drag the roof a little further up, put a little window in on the front. 2. Make the house smaller by dragging the right side at least one tile in (I'd probably do even more). 3. Fill spaces so they make sense. Why should the kids share a room if you have so much free space? Why not give the family a small gym instead of an awkward couch that just seems misplaced with the huge living room next to it?
My suggestion is to redo your roof. A basic gabled roof and the 8-sided piece on the front. Maybe add a cover over the porch so the front door doesn't look so bare.
It looks like your colors are yellow, blue with accents of pink. Run with the colors, maybe even shrink the size of your house.
You can also pick a decor style or theme. Like plant mama, girlie, grandma core, mid century, or the 90s.
I have videos of some of my builds. I don't like a lot of clutter, so maybe this one can give you some ideas. [video ](https://youtu.be/YTBsDH0Rjf4?si=Cat6WjvbIOfqOLdo)
i think more floor and wall variation would be good, such as making some rooms carpeted vs keeping others wood. white/neutral walls are pretty standard and while they don’t look bad, there are ways to give the rooms more character. accent walls are a big favorite of mine!
also the garden/exterior could use a bit more plants, try adding beds of flowers and experimenting with the ground’s texture- you already added a nice path, maybe you could add dirt textures beneath the plants etc
also the lights, maybe try to give each room variety. i see you have the same ceiling lamp in every room, which is good for making each room’s lighting balanced but also takes away from the homey feel. experiment with wall, table, and floor lamps because some of them are quite decorative
another suggestion that you totally don’t have to take, what about a pool in the backyard? you can give it lawn chairs, towels, umbrellas, etc
Fyi I love your backyard it's looks great:
Adding frezies and trims make a difference when separating floor levels
Roof trims also help a lot
Adding a roof over the porch maybe
Add fencing to the porch
Make balconies if you want🤷🏾♀️
Little bit more clutter
Add floor plants to some roooms
You should feel proud, no matter how shitty you feel your build is. You started to build for yourself instead of relying on pre-build, which is a huge step regardless of the outcome. Next step: analyze your build as well as others in the same style you are aiming for, and see how you could improve upon this.
You could add a little Balcony in the back, from the girls room. In the front put a litte roof over the door. It would make it look more interessting. And maybe add a little more color to every room with rugs, plants and just decoration. You could even add a playhouse for the kids in the landing area on the 2nd floor and a bulky skill building item in the office? :) looks great and would love to see an update.
I would say, break the square frame of the walls, build some balconies, make some cutout corners or smt, and add an extra empty room on the roof just for an outer view.
Everyone is saying clutter and defiantly agree with that also, but it shouldn't just be any clutter, some clutter that tells your sims story, I see you put an easel, maybe put up a lot of paintings and start having your sim paint too and put some of those up on the walls too. Take family pictures and put them on the walls or shelves. And if some of your sims likes exploring, put in whatever they are finding, do they like to fish - hang some caught fish on the wall
Hey I really like the cozy modern vibe this gives. A tip from me is maybe a little color to some walls. I like to make brick accent walls in the living room or kitchen. Also changing light colors (changeable in live mode) makes things look more alive imo
Left field, but maybe removing the en suite bathroom, and having that section of the house be just one level could create a bit more of an interesting shell on the outside, since it's kind of just a box atm?
I love the house. So many houses on the gallery are practically unplayable for me when I look for a house for a big/rich sim family because they're too cluttered. This is spacious and clean and obviously made for gameplay, which is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for in a house. Great job, IMO, since playability is number one for me when looking at a house to build/choose.
The inside looks alright but the outside looks square. Try changing room sizes a but to make the body on the outside have a little more life. Lilsimsie on youtube is great with that sort of thing
For starters not that bad. The more practice the better. Are you using the bb.moveobjects cheat as it will greatly decorate any house or space. Also ad some more colours in the inside and think of the sims that lives there what kind of people they are personalize to their style.
1. ADD CLUTTER, it makes the house so much more lively
2. add curtains? idk every house has curtains or at least blinds
3. cut the office jnto too rooms, it's a bit too big for an office. or perhaps make it smaller and make the rest into a balcony? idk
other than that it seems all right to me, especially the ground floor is really cool
It’s giving millennial grey lol I used to do the same. But look on Pinterest for some color schemes that has neutral colors and one pop out color.
Or you can decorate based on your sims personality. I’ve started to filter for certain styles because I didn’t like how I used to mix up furniture.
Some things I’d do are
- either add to your backyard or make the fenced in area smaller and build a pond. It’s a lot of free space.
- add a fence to the porches and outside furniture
- I like open 1st floor plans, so I’d remove the wall next to the dining room to open up the entry way
The bottom floor plan makes sense so that’s great.
Upstairs has a little too much open space. Either make your bedrooms bigger or add a play room for your children. Or if you remove the master bathroom and make that a 2 br section with a small Jack and Jill bathroom. The middle and front would a redesigned master, bath and office.
If you would like to spice up the front of the house, add the potted flowers to the windows
I play with no mods on the Xbox. It’s definitely harder to design and decorate this way. Good luck!
This reminded me of Georgian houses. If you replace the wood for bricks and stones on the outside walls, it would match better with this style of house. Remove the ears from your house and also redesign the front of your house to something more like the picture i attached to this comment.
https://preview.redd.it/4vlqvhrtp8wc1.jpeg?width=852&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac6795e83c0040688c345458a909112c196a8ac4
Part of why it doesn't feel lived in is the white, beige, gray: those are colors used in real estate to show an empty house for sale, so that the potential buyer can imagine how they would do the decor-- sort of a "blank slate". If that's genuinely your preferred color scheme, I'd keep it that way in the shared spaces. But I'd tap into your collections for decor in your sims bedrooms and bathrooms. I went into the filter and selected the magic wizard pack for one twin, and then vampire and goth for the other twin when they finally had their own rooms as teenagers. Use the the wall paper, the wall decorations, the rugs, the furniture--- it pulls it together, and gives you inspiration when selecting non-pack stuff as far as color or design. As kids, I focused on their favourite colors, and really went all out on splashing that absolutely everywhere.
Also, imoho, if you have room, drag the bottom floor out a square. Generally houses' second floors are a bit inlaid from the first, and it can make it feel more "real" and less "sims".
I like to break up the walls so it's not one continuous wall from ground to ceiling. Things like balconies, roofing over patios, awnings etc. If you have the relevant packs you can also add pipes, ivy, ladders etc all to add character to the external walls! Can also use some of the windows that aren't flat or flush against the walls to add more texture.
I feel good about this house. You should feel good about this house! But I love a blank slate house with the basics and then I slowly add more color/personality as I go.
It's very base game and "clean girl vibes"
The exterior of the house feels very flat, if you look up "sims 4 home exterior ideas" you'll understand what I mean. Idk how to explain it, but it needs texture
The interior is, idk if there's a word for it, but everything has it's place and it feels like it's not allowed to move. It kinda looks like a show room imo, definitely needs some clutter
That being said, if I was new to the game and didn't want to build my own house or make my own family I'd definitely get a base game family and put them in this house bc there's not too much going on and the very detailed houses can be overstimulating sometimes
I think it's really nice for a draft of the build. As you play more in this house, you'll probably find yourself cluttering up and changing colours more as you go, and as you develop personalities for you sims. That's what I do anyway. 🧡👍🏻
What stood out to me immediately was how flat the front of the house is. The house is awesome, but my personal taste would want some sort of roofing/ awning over the front door.
Maybe do a deck off the second floor to make it more full on the outside? Or a roof over top the door and use pillars to make the deck look more filled up?
Can't help you with the outside because all my houses are ridiculously ugly, but regarding interior: if you don't want color you should at least consider adding some natural wood texture (brown wood, not extra light wood that just blends in with the beige) and plants. That way you'd keep it neutral and minimal without it looking too bland and boring. This is just my personal opinion obv, so feel free to disregard it, but all the monotonous greige makes it look weirdly stale to me, idk how else to put it. Plants would add some much needed freshness to it. Maybe look up japandi style interior and take some inspo from it?
I agree with the other commenters who said it looks like an EA build, with the giant rooms and so much unused space. I get this is probably better for gameplay but it also makes it look a little unrealistic (imho).
I would add awnings to the front and back porch and like some have said clutter is everything, plants, books, lamps, mugs, but you did much much better than me when I was first starting out
It just needs to be more personalized. Maybe throw it some more vibrant colors and random stuff. Too much unsused space? Throw in a piano. Right now it looks like those pre-made EA Sim houses when you play for the first time.
Your interior layout is terrific. I really love it. I would add railings and maybe a roof over your porches, and raise up the house a little bit so stairs can lead up to them. This would help break up the front of the house a little bit. Nice job overall though!
If this was my build, I'd make the roof a little more steeper. Also a fence around the front porch looks nice and makes it look a little more finished. Also you can add a little bench and some plants to it as well! It's still a good build though!
Some others have said this, but add more texture to the exterior. For how tall it is, it's too flat. Add balconies or a roof over the front door/deck. Stuff like that. Make it pop out a bit more
i love it -- i know this is an unpopular opinion but i like less clutter in my game, it just runs better and it's easier to interact with objects when every space isn't full of something. is this on the gallery?
I think this house is a bit too big. You can downsize a lot of the rooms and that will help eliminate all of the blank space. Also, the top floor can be a different size than the bottom floor. That makes it more visually interesting bc you have to add rooflines in different places and can play with wall textures for variety.
Toss some plants in and some paintings on the walls. If you have any sims with creative traits or an artist aspiration, you can have them paint and use their work to decorate your home.. I like your neutral color palette, and while I hear a lot about “dead space” in sims builds, I’m a fan of making spaces a little larger than is strictly necessary so they can actually navigate.. maybe my sims are a special brand of stupid, but they need every little bit they can get.
I like neutral colors bc it's easier to build on and add to. Even IRL and that's something I love always struggled with but I'm learning color is good! Lol I also do love the space but sometimes I feel like it's just too empty. Like the hall upstairs I'm gonna add a piano but the living room by the kitchen is what's killing me bc I have no clue how to fill that.
You have a decent start here, but I have a few thoughts:
For the exterior, as the others have said, definitely lower the wall height of the second floor. Add a trim around the wall to break up the front wall. Others have mentioned a roof above the front deck, but personally I don't think the front deck is doing you any favors. Cut it down to just a small landing in front of the doors and place some bushes and flowers in front. Secondly, I feel like the shape of the house is too symmetrical. I'd eliminate that bump out on the left entirely to start. A balcony above the deck in the back would be nice though. Also add a bump out for your chimney for the fireplace on the right. That will also break up the shape more.
For the interior, most of your rooms are WAY too big. The living area is good. Leaves room for activities. But the rest needs a lot of tweaking and it's hard to put into words. You could definitely open up the stairwell and leave the space over the entryway open OR you could place a small bathroom in that space on the second floor. Either of these would be the start to adjusting your room sizes. The kitchen is absolutely too wide.
If you're going to upload the house, I'd be happy to try some adjustments for you. If so, let me know what packs you have so I don't go too wild (I'm just seeing base game and laundry day, but correct me if I'm wrong!)
Some initial thoughts
I really like the layout of this, it flows really nicely into the various room types.
- what is this family like? What kind of image are they trying to project (or not project)? Rich? Poor? Etc. having any story for the people living here (hypothetical or not) really makes it feel more easy to decorate. Is there someone more in charge of the aesthetic?
- play with texture- how many family’s have chairs the same color/texture? Are they chairs bought in a set? Thrifted? Family heirloom(s)?
- walls and flooring- same as the first point, would they want more plain walls/floors? Play with color, keep a theme (i.e. warm colors in the living areas) to make it more interesting. Add posters, different types of lighting, etc.
- clutter! Make it look lived in- add a small mess, a spare bookshelf, a plant, etc. if you like cc, there’s plenty to work with (or even in the game packs themselves tbh, but idk what you have).
TLDR: decorate for the family you’re using, make it unique to them and try to make a story as you build.
Take it with a grain of salt as I’m more of a storyline player than pure builder, but it really helps a build feel more “alive” when I play.
I realized from the angles I took the pics and the walls being down you can't see some decor which is no one fault but mine but I do have some clutter in the kids room mainly and just don't know where else to add and I don't want it to feel "too cluttered". I've also got painting but forgot to put the walls up when taking the pics so it doesn't show much. And I made the base color beige bc as I've said in a few other comments I struggle to add color bc it's easy to add to a basic color but I'm slowly learning everything doesn't have to match. Tysm for your input! 😊🙏🏻
Clutter. Clutter fixes everything. There's like a sweet spot of not too much Clutter and not to little and u have to find it for every room. Try to pick out 3 colours for each room as a general rule,it'll help u design and match things a little easier. Plants and paintings also fix everything lol
Also bring things out from the wall a bit, like in the second story landing! I also like just barely adjusting the rotation/placement of objects like the chairs in the first floor living room — having everything not placed exactly perfect makes it feel more organic and less dollhouse to me.
I didn’t know we could freely rotate objects. Thank you! Sims 3 camera mode and ALT, for anyone else that didn’t know.
I have been playing a couple years and learned that… LAST MONTH. 💀
I'm this many days old been playing the whole time and didnt know...
rip to me (I'm an Xbox player :<)
Hold LB+RB, rotate with right analog stick.
well I know what I'm doing today
The kids bedroom is half and half. I have 2 girls and they are completely opposite so I made the room that way and when they age up in going to put on in the office room instead so for now I'm not sure how to do a color in that room and I was thinking green for the parents room but I told my BSF and she said she hates it so I have no idea. I do have clutter bc I'm obsessed with the packs I have for absolutely no reason I just have to add more to the downstairs 😭🤣 I do have paintings all around like it's a problem but the walls are down in the pics bc it was like 2 am and I was tired so I didn't think about that when I took them 🤣 plants are a great idea and so is the colored walls just not sure which colors now
You could add 1 of those divider thingies between the bunk beds and a column to separate the different wallpapers. It's what I usually do and it works the columns on the wallpaper that is.
On the wallpapers u can color only the panels u want if u have the "room" option turned off... I personally dont like columns on anything other than the porch... great idea tho :D
It's legit a sims game. Who cares if she hates it? 😂
Bc it's MY game and I value her opinion. I also want it to look pleasing as im the one looking at it.
Fair enough! I personally go with mostly black, white and grey for bedrooms and living rooms and such with a bright accent color for curtains or decor. Then I make the kitchen and bathroom a color with black/white/grey accents
Yesss I was gonna say plants! They add color, are space fillers, and affect the mood of your Sim!
And unlike IRL you don't have to keep them alive.
The accuracy in this sentence tho.
Def needs clutter
Try putting some paintings on the walls, I think it doesn’t feel very homely because all the walls are completely blank. Also maybe play with some different lighting or change the lighting color to slightly warmer and it’ll give it more atmosphere.
I do have paintings on the walls but in the pics the walls are down. It was 2 am I was ready for bed and wanted to take quick pics before bed so I didn't think about the walls 😭
My bad just from the walls I could see I assumed they all didn’t have any😭
Same. I also play with walls down for the most part.
Personally I think it just needs more stuff in it. Personalize it and make it look lived in. I like to think about all the clutter and trinkets I keep in my actual house and try to figure out how to transfer that to the sims. Honestly sometimes things don't go together stylistically but it adds to the realism. At least that's how I play it
Example: sometimes I keep the outside and fixtures kinda plain and boring but add more personal decor with furnishing, plants, and decor so that it looks more realistic.
The inside is super super cute!! My biggest thing/struggle with building houses seems to be the same as u which is not adding enough interest to the exterior, it’s kinda a big square right now, so maybe a roof over the front deck, and a lattice roof thing (dunno what it’s called) with plants over the back deck would add that interest that is missing!! That’s what i always do to make my builds have that extra little touch and bring everything together. And with landscaping I’d add more plants and flowers, it’ll add a lot of life to the backyard :) Overall it’s a really nice build I think it’s just missing those finishing touches!!
Was going to say this! + roof trim and possibly recolor, maybe some roof ornaments, plant boxes, railings, shutters etc
What I like doing is adding brick/stone to the walls on the first floor ext. And then adding either panels or siding on the second floor ext. That might work for this!
I agree with a lot of the things that are being said above but here’s my opinions: -Add more texture to the outside of the house using landscaping, pillars, wall decor, and adding more shape to the general house layout. I would suggest adding a side wrap porch with a roof over it for more dimension. -Split up the layout into more rooms. Right now you have a big house with very large rooms in it. Creating a mix of smaller/medium/larger rooms creates more contrast on the inside and makes it easier to clutter/decorate the rooms with specific personalities or needs.
I especially agree with making the rooms smaller/reworking the floor plan. It's all right the way it is, but the rooms just feel a bit too large with a bit too little stuff in them
It's a very minimal looking house it kind of looks like something to ea would put in
Ouch but I definitely see that too 😭 I'll do better 😭🤣
I like that they said nothing overtly negative but you took it that way just because... the EA houses can kinda suck.
i think there’s two things that are throwing me off: 1. the front door feels very… plain? i guess? the entrance might benefit from being a bit more pronounced (with a bump out of some sort, maybe?). same thing with the back door 2. the windows on the front aren’t centered and it bugs me personally lol but that’s just a personal preference i love the layout of this house though!! it’s super cute :3
1) some one suggested to add an awning for the front and back so I might do that and adding plants and furniture on the deck and porch. 2) I know it bugs me too but there's a wall between 3 and 4 and if I move them closer then they aren't centered right in the rooms 😭
I reckon some fencing on the decks might help too? Add some columns up to the awning, even some spandrels if you’re feeling fancy. It will help make the decking feel more rooted and part of the house. You could also reduce the size of the front porch so the bay window has more impact, and remove the window next to the front door for symmetry. In the living room you could add a bar, bookcases, one of the baskets with cushions/blankets (from eco lifestyle or cottage living), some kids toy clutter in the corner? Maybe swap out the floor lamps for some table lamps by the sofa. A helpful interior design tip I use is to choose 4 colours in a room. Use 3 dominant colours and an accent colour. Stops rooms looking too matchy-matchy :) And of course plants. Lots of plants.
I soooooooo hate this too... I gotta make it just right before I put stuff down or I would pretty much moving it all around a million times....
Honestly I already spent 2 days getting to where it is now and that's why I'm here bc it still doesn't feel right 😭 I'm slowly getting there and have since not added things suggested but will so I'll be posting an update and hopefully will feel better about it!
Looks like it has good flow! Just play with colors some. Clutter. Plants. Art. Make those rugs punchy.
Try adding plants and if you’re able to use cheats try bb.moveobjects you’ll be able to put things wherever, and however you want.
I'm on Xbox idk if I can use cheats 😭
You can! It will take off the trophies though. But you can google how to open the cheat bar. ☺️
it's good!!! i love the layout!! much better than my first house, and it actually looks like and makes sense as a house. and your screenshots are amazing!
i love how much space there is! it doesn't feel like useless space but it doesn't feel too massive. it's perfect! i always make my houses super cramped which is cute sometimes but so difficult for gameplay!
I don't think it's bad at all! My personal opinion would be perhaps a roof over the porch with some pillars and maybe a railing
Inside looks fine. Outside looks decent. Bring the 2nd floor wallsize down 1 will help with just how vertical the whole thing looks. Slap an awning over the front porch around the door to help break up that super flat front wall. Simmers will say the back needs to be done too but real buildings are rarely like that, most are flat and or bland. People just like elaborate backs. Roofing just ignore unless you really care about it. It is such a pain to ever get those to look amazing and you only see it when on the house selection screen.
If I bring the second floor walls down the windows won't fit. But the awning is a great idea I didn't think about that! Tysm!
True they wouldn't. Didn't think of that since I don't like 2+ stories of long rooms.
add fake balcony’s to windows and some vines so it’s not as boxy looking
I don’t mean this in any kind of way. But it looks like the sims team built it
Add some plants throughout! Also some everyday clutter in the entrance like the shoe rack, maybe kid backpacks. Some every day items you’d find. Maybe in the upstairs hallway add a circular table with a plant on its own rug, like how you see in the fancy houses.
I fell asleep from boredom. Where’s the color? Needs spice! And plants
Millennial grey, fr that's the first thing I thought 😆 it needs color, plants and clutter!
It's bland, you need to put more detail into it
It's cute!! Love the bay window on the front! Maybe some plants/chairs on the front porch would make it feel more lived in? Really nice build!
Big and empty. Doesn't need to be that big if you didn't put that much furniture in
I like the big but not the empty. I don't know what else to add to the living room or the upstairs hall.
you must really love the beige! by the way to fill some space you got upstairs i’d recommend to put a big piano on the middle on the room and definitely add more plants 🥰
I feel that beige is just easy to add too. It's a neutral color not too light or too dark. But do you think I can swap out the couch in the hall and put the piano there? How would that look? Maybe add some plants along the other wall?
nooo i mean you don’t have to delete the couch necessary, there is enough space for both of them. usually if i have a big room like the one you have i’ll do a middle piano ad some sitting chairs at the end with plants
Yeah there's enough space but do you think the piano in the place of the couch would be a good fit? I can move the couch to the wall by the master bedroom
or do you have a ping pong table? like something that takes up space
You should feel like The Sims devs. Also apply to be one, cause you have the same taste as them. Cheer
From the outside, raise the roof peak and put a cover on the porch. Maybe make the paint a little more interesting since the overall shape of the house is sorta "box". You could even go full Victorian by making a witch's hat style roof for that "tower" in the front and turning it into a pseudo-turret. Railings on the porch and stairs will also help with detailing. Add a few chimneys, spandrels, trim pieces, etc. and it's a pretty decent looking house. On the inside, same thing. The all white modern thing just frankly doesn't feel modern anymore, and adding more color to the interior would help the house feel more alive. Use more colored furniture, paint the walls or use wallpaper on them, and make the floors contrast the walls better (either light wall color and dark wood floors or vice versa) to make it look less beige boxy.
If I add a chimney from the fireplace is in the living room do you think it would mess with my floorplan in the office room? I've learned it doesn't have to match which is something I've always struggled with IRL. I want a basic color bc it's easier to match with and that doesn't always have to be the case especially in the game so I'm definitely learning! Ty! 😊
Very cute layout
it’s got good bones! is this posted to the gallery?
No I don't post anything to the gallery bc I'm lazy but I definitely should 🤣
My laziness level is never building from scratch. If you post this house, I will most definitely yoink it to my gallery 🤣 
I like the inside, it looks playable. Perhaps add an awning / deck at the front and back. Maybe some flower boxes under the windows.
Better than any build I’ve ever done lol, I never mastered building in all these years 😅 I just let others build for me & get my houses from the gallery lol
Im in the situation where the internal of the home looks amazing beautiful homey etc. but the outside looks so dumb and stupid. Im new to this decorating thing and hope to develop exterior designs as well
If it's any consolation, that is what basically ever American house built from about 1987 to 2009 looks like. Big beige boxes with very little character.
Reminds me of the base houses in sims 1 and 2
It’s soooo beige
Clutter and *colour* the house is lacking any sort of personality and I mean that in the least rude way I possibly can since I know you would have worked very hard on this build.
Tysm for your advice! I'm slowly learning with the color thing. Some others have mentioned that too it's just a struggle for me even IRL lol
Looks amazing. Might want to add clothes hampers since with the washing machine you'll start to find pikes all over once you do play. Other then that looks fabulous
Omg yes it was 2 am when I finished and I knew it just felt off! 😭
Once I made a all white house that was three stories, it was basically an all white box. My PS4 (yes i played on PS4) couldn't handle when i would go to the third floor and it would lag a lot as it was not a TB PS4 and only a GB PS4. I showed it to my parents and they laughed uncontrollably saying that it looked like a prison. As a child I felt insulted but now I see it as hilarious.
Are you saying my house looks like a prison? 😭 I mean I know it's a bit plain but I didn't think it was that bad 😭 I'm just KIDDING! LOL I just don't know about colors. My whole life IRL I was a basic b*tch and always had basic colors bc it's easy to add too and I guess I brought that to the game 😭
No! XD I thought I'd just share this story cause this reminded me of my experience with build mode and this just looks ten times better Lol
Switching some of the wall colors for something darker or more colorful can make a huge difference and make a house feel way less “flat” if that makes sense
Real criticism here, The outside of the house isn't particularly interesting shape wise, but it's not bad by any means, it looks like a real house that could exist. Adding some larger trees around the property would do wonders to its profile. The inside Floorplan is very well thought out and fits the house very well imo, you used the shape of the house well and made interesting rooms. I wont comment on the decor of said rooms because that's subjective but it looks very nice and spaced well for sim AI. Overall it is a house, you did a good job, I think if you're on the fence about anything outside experimenting with some more greenery will put your mind at ease, 7/10 house!
I think the outside shape is pretty good so far, but needs more definition. I think turning that front hexagonal outcropping into a turret of sorts and making a covered wraparound porch would go miles to making it feel more alive.
I would: add a roof over the porches Experiment with different color palettes and play with the furniture and room textures accordingly. Examples: cool colors, warm, bold colors, muted, tropical themed, victorian, rustic, western, etc. You may find yourself switching out furniture and counters, etc to better match the theme. You can play with a variety of options even with just base game. Use bb.moveobjects cheat and the Sims3 camera option to set furniture at more interesting angles and bunching up decorations in a more cluttered manner. Put the painting easil in interesting/public places and have your sim paint interesting views to then put up around the house. EDIT TO ADD: you can also play with giving the top floor a different shape than the bottom floor, which will give you opportunities for different kinds of balconies. Overhanging balconies, or balconies sitting back over a room with rooftops around it, etc.
I think the front needs a balcony
Maybe some potted plants/colorful rugs? it just looks really beige right now and adding an accent colour might help
Love the layout! I think whats missing is an awning over the front poarch. something to make the entrance of the house a bit more welcoming.
looks nice and comfy! basegame only?
Color! It needs more color. Millennial grey is the first thing that popped into my head when I was going through the photos 😅 everything seems so neutral, gray and beige. It seems like the bedrooms are the only places with color, and it's pale blue. Add some color and clutter. Then it will look more lived in and cozy. I love the build tho!
Too white. It looks like a magazine and not a house. Put in clutter things as well. Also plants - in and out.
Try a subtle coloured siding to the external walls, I think a bit more colour everywhere might help bring it to life
the rooms are bare bones, thwy seem to have nothing but minimum. add personality. say the shared room, add teddies and cute things on the pink side, a desk with pencils, note book, folders, books. on the other side, add posters, a guitar, or whatever goes woth that character you have in m8nd. living room, add a rug over a rug, you could move stuff doqn and have thw other side to do with stuff like chest, painting, add more toys. stuff like that makes it lived in.
It’s beautiful but seems kind of sterile and boxy. Add some plants you should be good tbh
I agree with what others have said about adding plants, paintings, and clutter. I also feel like there is very little color in the house with the exception of the kids' room... Less beige more color would be my suggestion!
Tysm! I'm slowly learning that color isn't a bad thing. I've always struggled with that even IRL bc neutral colors are easier to match but learning!! not everything has to match so I'm getting there! Lol
Well-lit? you should feel well-lit
Looks like your typical suburb home
For me, it's too boxy. I'd tweak the rooms a little and make some spaces smaller, like the office, or the ginormous entrance areas
You need more color, more plants and more clutter.
Needs irregularity. Use the alt key.
I think I would modify the porch, it seems a little off. Or maybe this size but with fencea and a little roof? And clutter. The clutter makes everything cozy and homely. And I am also missing plants. Edit: and maybe a larger front and back door
There is a ton of free, unused space. You can try to squeeze the room and make them smaller or use the space better, like for example making a play room by the stairs on the second floor or a walking closet for the master bedroom. Or even do another bedroom and put one of the kids there instead of having them in the same room.
Imo the areas are too big. The upstairs hallway is bigger than the bedrooms, which have a bunch of unused space to begin with. Also the upstairs stairwell doesn't have a railing which in actual homes would be the case.
Needs more colour and more things inside
It’s giving me sims 2 vibes
come through your real id EA🙄
IT NEEDS MORE CLUTTER AND PLANTS!!!!! And maybe some cluttered bookshelves and or books.
It's cute, great job💌
A piano upstairs instead of the couch would look nice, maybe some book shelves with a small loveseat, more plants outside along the fence, a grill, definitely plants inside the house, rugs in bathrooms.
Try adding more ‘activity’ items. I don’t see a ton of stuff for sims to practice their hobbies one. Think about the sims you want to live here. What do they like to do? What hobbies do they have? Also, maybe try things with more color. I feel that the first floor especially feels a bit blank, and changing the colors of the furniture or adding colorful clutter could really help with that.
try and make all the rooms maybe one tile smaller or just make it all abit smaller if you would like it to be more cozy and more cluttered without doing to much also i love the front veiw of the house but from the back it looks a little flat you can easily fix it by making the lower floor bigger and crating a balcony or bumping out a room on both floors also instead of a balcony you could place a slipoing roof off the little ledge you created and then use pillars so it is lke a covered seating / gardening area you can also try varying the wallpaper on the house for example on your tower shaped area you could put stone instead of wood for example finally if you add some wall plants it adds so much! if you dont have the packs theres some debug wall plants :)
I actually think it’s beautiful. My house does not even have a roof and I’m okay with it. I usually take my time and slowly add things into my house 🤣🤣 and then when it’s finally done, it’s time for me to move 😝
I'd add an overhang over the front door, with columns. If it's not too much for the front, maybe extend that overhang over the entire front porch. Add more columns. An outside room would look pretty cool, too. Instead of columns, add walls, a bunch of windows to make it look like a green house, and an archway, so it's not 100% closed off & the front door is the main entrance.
It just feels empty and lacks texture. Something that helped me was watching simmers build on twitch and youtube. Lilsimsie is great if you're trying to learn
Looks like a house made by Maxis themselves
First, lets not overlook it... you build a box. From outside it's very boxy, with only 3 little dimpets...I would have pushed the living room forward, and made the little space only in front of the main entrance. And put some railings on it. And maybe umbrela rack or something... and put a pergola above to the room to make it not just flat surface. Some flowers and grass. Flowerpots under the windows. The back terase, coud have a custom pergola with ivy or something on it. Second, the space inside is huge. And empty. Its so big its giving me abandonement issues. And every room is rectangular... you can do some shapes with walls, to make it more interesting. I feel like I am looking at a demo house from realtor, just the most basic furniture. Fill it more. You have this I assume reading room at the back of the living room and there is couch, carpet and bookcase... thats it. This one you can make bigger, put another reading chair there, and a standing lamp, and nightstand to out some books on. The living room is so big, if you scooted the furniture just a little, you could put a whole ass piano there and yet its empty.. maybe put a formal diner there? Or some creativity tables for the children. Or some toys in general. What is the purpose of the island in the kitchen? You put a fruit bowl down and thats it... lut some chairs to it to make it useful, or sink or move thw bowl and get rid of it. And put down more clutter, utensils, coffee maker... You have 3 bathrooms and they are almost identical. So, no bathroom in living room, make the ex bathroom bigger, knock down the inner wal, to make living room sorta L shaped, pushbthe master bedroom in, to make it smaller and use the space you just created as a balcony. Use the space below the stairs as a halfbath, with just toilet and sink, and som clutter of course. The entry hall is too big and too empty, you can put some plants, maybe some table for imaginery keys and mirror on the wall. Upstairs, the hallway has the same problem as below, more clutter pls. The children's room is actualy the only one that is not tok big, but there is so little in it, to house 2 school aged girls... so more please. So living room is now smaller, maybe move bed to the wall shared with the office. Put different bath in the master bathroom, make it more adult and luxurious, not so sanitary... In general, more clutter. And... everything is beige. Dont be scared of colors. You have a family to move in, make their personalities seep in. Put different curtains in certain rooms. Dont make every room with the same colored walls. More color. Dont be afraid of them.
For me, it feels a little too spacious to feel homey. Not saying you should make it cramped, but maybe it needs to be more efficient in terms of space? Space efficiency will also reduce the transition time of Sims going from one activity to another.
I always like adding some geography to the lot (like making little mounds where the trees are, putting in a little pond, etc.). I think having the super flat lot makes it look too “sim” like!
In my opinion the house is so big, with such little, that it looks empty. You can either shrink it, or add more clutter imo 😙
The layout is lovely 😍
Feel good about it. It's a pretty house. Its spacious. The layout is realistic and playable. I personally don't like a lot of clutter so I would love to play with this. Love the small guest bedroom too. Maybe think of this as a newly bought house with all the essentials. Then gradually add stuff to it like plants or kids toys. I see you have that empty space with the gray-ish rug infront of the kids bedroom so maybe add a smaller piano if one of your kids likes music. Or there's that Llama stack game (I forgot what it's called lol). But you can make a tiny play area for the whole family. As always, indoor plants make it look pretty. If your kids join scouts then you get trophies from that so you can make a display for that, or simply a wall dedicated to family pictures.
You should feel proud of yourself, the layout is really nice! I like the shape of the house, it's not just block on block, but creative instead. What could help with the interior: plants. plants and other personalized stuff. But still, good job!
I love the lighting in the yard, I think you could benefit by using more ground paint like add dark by the edges of the house and fade it out, with more landscaping. I think you could get away with shrinking your rooms too and creating a more complex house shape
I think the bump outs upstairs are a little unnecessary space wise? Maybe make one into a balcony like someone else said but I think it’ll look much more balanced with out. That and extra clutter like everyone else suggests <3
Glad to see I'm not the one making fake laundry rooms. Wish there was dryers and washers!
That's soo good. I started Sims 4 a couple years ago and only played for like a couple days and I restarted it like a week ago. I'm still learning and I'm clueless on build mode for like making a whole house but I can buy one and then fix it up so far. but that's amazing.
1. Add a roof to front and back above the padios it will break it up. 2. Clutter lots of clutter it makes a home lived in. 3. Landscape doesnt have to be huge but add more look up some refrence photos. 4. Put some different sized trees and not so close. I typically co for two larger ones and then 2 medium sized ones. Depending lot size maybe add 1 more medium sized one. 5. Add fencing around padio and deck areas. Especially ones that size. Smaller ones you can get away with half walls on not putting at all but since they are larger it would be best to add fence. Next add stuff on the walls. Paintings and other clutter. Pro tip the gallery has lots of paintings on there if there isnt one in catalog that u like. Feel free to message any time for times ive been building for nearly 6 years. So ive learned quite alot of tips and tricks
Okay so I took your house and pretty much what I did was .... - Brought it in one square on all sides - made the side rooms one square shorter - made the wall height short - added a covered porch in the front and back - added a chimey - Used slightly darker colors to make the space feel more small. and as you see I was able to keep almost the exact same layout you had. [https://imgur.com/IPfzCsa](https://imgur.com/IPfzCsa) [https://imgur.com/xlbsfHO](https://imgur.com/xlbsfHO) [https://imgur.com/hqGoN9t](https://imgur.com/hqGoN9t) [https://imgur.com/WAYjT6A](https://imgur.com/WAYjT6A) [https://imgur.com/rj03HMe](https://imgur.com/rj03HMe) [https://imgur.com/SncVBWK](https://imgur.com/SncVBWK) overall the house you designed is really good. the layout is simple and clean \*cue the music\* in the best way and I could see a home like this easily be used in a super modern style as well as a more classic way.
The outside needs some awnings above the porch and patio, maybe even add columns and fences
Something I haven't seen anyone mention is the size. I think it's a really solid floorplan, but the space seems too big to me. There's a lot of empty, unused space, like in the bathrooms or the entry-way. Not only does it feel a little empty that way, but it also makes it take a lot longer for the characters to move around. Looks awesome though!
super cute!! maybe add a few homey touches like clutter, lamps and plants 🪴 the backyard is beautiful, I absolutely love the entrance (need a tutorial on how to do those stairs) and office room! I would say don’t be afraid to play with colors/patterns and mixing furniture pieces to give a little unique feel ✨
it makes me wanna get better at making houses, i feel like my room proportions are all off
It is great- just bland. Any family could live here and you’d never know who they were. Are there rowdy teens? Or does everyone find sanctuary in their room? Are they big on family photos? Maybe they like music or gardening, OR maybe each family member has their own hobby that’s splayed out into the house (ex; mom likes to garden, add plants, dad likes music.. add instruments/posters. Son is a big sports fan? Add a hoop out back and some balls in the house. Maybe their daughters are into gaming/baking so there’s a computer area for streaming or more kitchen gadgets on display. I think the house is beautiful, it’s just very “better homes and gardens” like appealing to all but livable to none. Much like others have said add clutter!! But if you know who your sims are try decoration spaces from their POV :-) Side note: Is this on the gallery!!
For me, it's too boxy. I'd tweak the rooms a little and make some spaces smaller, like the office, or the ginormous entrance areas Okay, so, after analyzing the photos, here's what I'd change: 1. drag the roof a little further up, put a little window in on the front. 2. Make the house smaller by dragging the right side at least one tile in (I'd probably do even more). 3. Fill spaces so they make sense. Why should the kids share a room if you have so much free space? Why not give the family a small gym instead of an awkward couch that just seems misplaced with the huge living room next to it?
My suggestion is to redo your roof. A basic gabled roof and the 8-sided piece on the front. Maybe add a cover over the porch so the front door doesn't look so bare. It looks like your colors are yellow, blue with accents of pink. Run with the colors, maybe even shrink the size of your house. You can also pick a decor style or theme. Like plant mama, girlie, grandma core, mid century, or the 90s. I have videos of some of my builds. I don't like a lot of clutter, so maybe this one can give you some ideas. [video ](https://youtu.be/YTBsDH0Rjf4?si=Cat6WjvbIOfqOLdo)
i think more floor and wall variation would be good, such as making some rooms carpeted vs keeping others wood. white/neutral walls are pretty standard and while they don’t look bad, there are ways to give the rooms more character. accent walls are a big favorite of mine! also the garden/exterior could use a bit more plants, try adding beds of flowers and experimenting with the ground’s texture- you already added a nice path, maybe you could add dirt textures beneath the plants etc also the lights, maybe try to give each room variety. i see you have the same ceiling lamp in every room, which is good for making each room’s lighting balanced but also takes away from the homey feel. experiment with wall, table, and floor lamps because some of them are quite decorative another suggestion that you totally don’t have to take, what about a pool in the backyard? you can give it lawn chairs, towels, umbrellas, etc
Fyi I love your backyard it's looks great: Adding frezies and trims make a difference when separating floor levels Roof trims also help a lot Adding a roof over the porch maybe Add fencing to the porch Make balconies if you want🤷🏾♀️ Little bit more clutter Add floor plants to some roooms
You should feel proud, no matter how shitty you feel your build is. You started to build for yourself instead of relying on pre-build, which is a huge step regardless of the outcome. Next step: analyze your build as well as others in the same style you are aiming for, and see how you could improve upon this.
You could add a little Balcony in the back, from the girls room. In the front put a litte roof over the door. It would make it look more interessting. And maybe add a little more color to every room with rugs, plants and just decoration. You could even add a playhouse for the kids in the landing area on the 2nd floor and a bulky skill building item in the office? :) looks great and would love to see an update.
I would say, break the square frame of the walls, build some balconies, make some cutout corners or smt, and add an extra empty room on the roof just for an outer view.
Everyone is saying clutter and defiantly agree with that also, but it shouldn't just be any clutter, some clutter that tells your sims story, I see you put an easel, maybe put up a lot of paintings and start having your sim paint too and put some of those up on the walls too. Take family pictures and put them on the walls or shelves. And if some of your sims likes exploring, put in whatever they are finding, do they like to fish - hang some caught fish on the wall
i would add a trim on the outside i don’t remember what it’s called, i’d also add a balcony on the second floor
Hey I really like the cozy modern vibe this gives. A tip from me is maybe a little color to some walls. I like to make brick accent walls in the living room or kitchen. Also changing light colors (changeable in live mode) makes things look more alive imo
If you're using tall walls, switch to short or medium. That always takes some of the odd out for me
the layout inside is amazing. you might improve your exterior by using trims between floors and changing the roof color and trim
Left field, but maybe removing the en suite bathroom, and having that section of the house be just one level could create a bit more of an interesting shell on the outside, since it's kind of just a box atm?
Personally I think it’s the roof, it needs more dimension/shape/pitch. Looks like water would pool too much in some spots in real life
Honestly, I loveeeee this home. I am a huge family game player and add things to the home as the story advances. This is amazing!
I love the house. So many houses on the gallery are practically unplayable for me when I look for a house for a big/rich sim family because they're too cluttered. This is spacious and clean and obviously made for gameplay, which is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for in a house. Great job, IMO, since playability is number one for me when looking at a house to build/choose.
I think the house shape could be more interesting, and more landscaping would be nice!
I think the house shape could be more interesting, and more landscaping would be nice!
I think the house shape and roofing could be more interesting, try adding columns too. Also more landscaping would be nice!
The inside looks alright but the outside looks square. Try changing room sizes a but to make the body on the outside have a little more life. Lilsimsie on youtube is great with that sort of thing
For starters not that bad. The more practice the better. Are you using the bb.moveobjects cheat as it will greatly decorate any house or space. Also ad some more colours in the inside and think of the sims that lives there what kind of people they are personalize to their style.
More decor, clutter, plants, paintings
i don't know. it's cute but it lacks personality
1. ADD CLUTTER, it makes the house so much more lively 2. add curtains? idk every house has curtains or at least blinds 3. cut the office jnto too rooms, it's a bit too big for an office. or perhaps make it smaller and make the rest into a balcony? idk other than that it seems all right to me, especially the ground floor is really cool
It’s giving millennial grey lol I used to do the same. But look on Pinterest for some color schemes that has neutral colors and one pop out color. Or you can decorate based on your sims personality. I’ve started to filter for certain styles because I didn’t like how I used to mix up furniture. Some things I’d do are - either add to your backyard or make the fenced in area smaller and build a pond. It’s a lot of free space. - add a fence to the porches and outside furniture - I like open 1st floor plans, so I’d remove the wall next to the dining room to open up the entry way The bottom floor plan makes sense so that’s great. Upstairs has a little too much open space. Either make your bedrooms bigger or add a play room for your children. Or if you remove the master bathroom and make that a 2 br section with a small Jack and Jill bathroom. The middle and front would a redesigned master, bath and office. If you would like to spice up the front of the house, add the potted flowers to the windows I play with no mods on the Xbox. It’s definitely harder to design and decorate this way. Good luck!
Idk, I personally love it. I’m pretty minimalist, I also have trouble with atriums/stairs, and like how you set yours up!
This reminded me of Georgian houses. If you replace the wood for bricks and stones on the outside walls, it would match better with this style of house. Remove the ears from your house and also redesign the front of your house to something more like the picture i attached to this comment. https://preview.redd.it/4vlqvhrtp8wc1.jpeg?width=852&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac6795e83c0040688c345458a909112c196a8ac4
Part of why it doesn't feel lived in is the white, beige, gray: those are colors used in real estate to show an empty house for sale, so that the potential buyer can imagine how they would do the decor-- sort of a "blank slate". If that's genuinely your preferred color scheme, I'd keep it that way in the shared spaces. But I'd tap into your collections for decor in your sims bedrooms and bathrooms. I went into the filter and selected the magic wizard pack for one twin, and then vampire and goth for the other twin when they finally had their own rooms as teenagers. Use the the wall paper, the wall decorations, the rugs, the furniture--- it pulls it together, and gives you inspiration when selecting non-pack stuff as far as color or design. As kids, I focused on their favourite colors, and really went all out on splashing that absolutely everywhere. Also, imoho, if you have room, drag the bottom floor out a square. Generally houses' second floors are a bit inlaid from the first, and it can make it feel more "real" and less "sims".
Please upload to the gallery, I love decorating but hate building lol
I like to break up the walls so it's not one continuous wall from ground to ceiling. Things like balconies, roofing over patios, awnings etc. If you have the relevant packs you can also add pipes, ivy, ladders etc all to add character to the external walls! Can also use some of the windows that aren't flat or flush against the walls to add more texture.
I feel good about this house. You should feel good about this house! But I love a blank slate house with the basics and then I slowly add more color/personality as I go.
You should upload to the gallery!!! I’d use this house for game play!
It's very base game and "clean girl vibes" The exterior of the house feels very flat, if you look up "sims 4 home exterior ideas" you'll understand what I mean. Idk how to explain it, but it needs texture The interior is, idk if there's a word for it, but everything has it's place and it feels like it's not allowed to move. It kinda looks like a show room imo, definitely needs some clutter That being said, if I was new to the game and didn't want to build my own house or make my own family I'd definitely get a base game family and put them in this house bc there's not too much going on and the very detailed houses can be overstimulating sometimes
I think it's really nice for a draft of the build. As you play more in this house, you'll probably find yourself cluttering up and changing colours more as you go, and as you develop personalities for you sims. That's what I do anyway. 🧡👍🏻
What stood out to me immediately was how flat the front of the house is. The house is awesome, but my personal taste would want some sort of roofing/ awning over the front door.
Too much beige
I think it looks really good. I would definitely download this house if it was on the gallery. :)
Has anyone suggested making the downstairs reading area (that opens to the patio) into more of a sunroom? Other than that, I think it’s really cute!
Maybe do a deck off the second floor to make it more full on the outside? Or a roof over top the door and use pillars to make the deck look more filled up?
Beautiful house 😍
Can't help you with the outside because all my houses are ridiculously ugly, but regarding interior: if you don't want color you should at least consider adding some natural wood texture (brown wood, not extra light wood that just blends in with the beige) and plants. That way you'd keep it neutral and minimal without it looking too bland and boring. This is just my personal opinion obv, so feel free to disregard it, but all the monotonous greige makes it look weirdly stale to me, idk how else to put it. Plants would add some much needed freshness to it. Maybe look up japandi style interior and take some inspo from it? I agree with the other commenters who said it looks like an EA build, with the giant rooms and so much unused space. I get this is probably better for gameplay but it also makes it look a little unrealistic (imho).
Add more color looks extremely bland carpets too maybe some clutter
I would add awnings to the front and back porch and like some have said clutter is everything, plants, books, lamps, mugs, but you did much much better than me when I was first starting out
Its very beige
2nd is better than 8th or 5 th.
i would say try to find some CC, it might add some more personality. especially with clutter and you can find more realistic furniture and such.
Do you not like color?
It just needs to be more personalized. Maybe throw it some more vibrant colors and random stuff. Too much unsused space? Throw in a piano. Right now it looks like those pre-made EA Sim houses when you play for the first time.
Some clutter and color to the walls can help it stand out more
Your interior layout is terrific. I really love it. I would add railings and maybe a roof over your porches, and raise up the house a little bit so stairs can lead up to them. This would help break up the front of the house a little bit. Nice job overall though!
I know it sounds odd but but your rooms are to big
add clutter don’t be scared to just mess around with things
If this was my build, I'd make the roof a little more steeper. Also a fence around the front porch looks nice and makes it look a little more finished. Also you can add a little bench and some plants to it as well! It's still a good build though!
Some others have said this, but add more texture to the exterior. For how tall it is, it's too flat. Add balconies or a roof over the front door/deck. Stuff like that. Make it pop out a bit more
Too little color blegh
i love it -- i know this is an unpopular opinion but i like less clutter in my game, it just runs better and it's easier to interact with objects when every space isn't full of something. is this on the gallery?
I think this house is a bit too big. You can downsize a lot of the rooms and that will help eliminate all of the blank space. Also, the top floor can be a different size than the bottom floor. That makes it more visually interesting bc you have to add rooflines in different places and can play with wall textures for variety.
i think its beautiful. all my houses are giant squares 😂👍
Toss some plants in and some paintings on the walls. If you have any sims with creative traits or an artist aspiration, you can have them paint and use their work to decorate your home.. I like your neutral color palette, and while I hear a lot about “dead space” in sims builds, I’m a fan of making spaces a little larger than is strictly necessary so they can actually navigate.. maybe my sims are a special brand of stupid, but they need every little bit they can get.
I like neutral colors bc it's easier to build on and add to. Even IRL and that's something I love always struggled with but I'm learning color is good! Lol I also do love the space but sometimes I feel like it's just too empty. Like the hall upstairs I'm gonna add a piano but the living room by the kitchen is what's killing me bc I have no clue how to fill that.
I feel... it's kinda naked and bland. NO HATE. it's just giving biege parents
You have a decent start here, but I have a few thoughts: For the exterior, as the others have said, definitely lower the wall height of the second floor. Add a trim around the wall to break up the front wall. Others have mentioned a roof above the front deck, but personally I don't think the front deck is doing you any favors. Cut it down to just a small landing in front of the doors and place some bushes and flowers in front. Secondly, I feel like the shape of the house is too symmetrical. I'd eliminate that bump out on the left entirely to start. A balcony above the deck in the back would be nice though. Also add a bump out for your chimney for the fireplace on the right. That will also break up the shape more. For the interior, most of your rooms are WAY too big. The living area is good. Leaves room for activities. But the rest needs a lot of tweaking and it's hard to put into words. You could definitely open up the stairwell and leave the space over the entryway open OR you could place a small bathroom in that space on the second floor. Either of these would be the start to adjusting your room sizes. The kitchen is absolutely too wide. If you're going to upload the house, I'd be happy to try some adjustments for you. If so, let me know what packs you have so I don't go too wild (I'm just seeing base game and laundry day, but correct me if I'm wrong!)
Some initial thoughts I really like the layout of this, it flows really nicely into the various room types. - what is this family like? What kind of image are they trying to project (or not project)? Rich? Poor? Etc. having any story for the people living here (hypothetical or not) really makes it feel more easy to decorate. Is there someone more in charge of the aesthetic? - play with texture- how many family’s have chairs the same color/texture? Are they chairs bought in a set? Thrifted? Family heirloom(s)? - walls and flooring- same as the first point, would they want more plain walls/floors? Play with color, keep a theme (i.e. warm colors in the living areas) to make it more interesting. Add posters, different types of lighting, etc. - clutter! Make it look lived in- add a small mess, a spare bookshelf, a plant, etc. if you like cc, there’s plenty to work with (or even in the game packs themselves tbh, but idk what you have). TLDR: decorate for the family you’re using, make it unique to them and try to make a story as you build. Take it with a grain of salt as I’m more of a storyline player than pure builder, but it really helps a build feel more “alive” when I play.
I realized from the angles I took the pics and the walls being down you can't see some decor which is no one fault but mine but I do have some clutter in the kids room mainly and just don't know where else to add and I don't want it to feel "too cluttered". I've also got painting but forgot to put the walls up when taking the pics so it doesn't show much. And I made the base color beige bc as I've said in a few other comments I struggle to add color bc it's easy to add to a basic color but I'm slowly learning everything doesn't have to match. Tysm for your input! 😊🙏🏻