After reading the wonderful posts by
staticlights on the
Guide to 221B, it inspired me to do a little SketchUp model of 221B Baker Street using things/furnitures I could find from Google's 3D Warehouse that look similar to what's in the show. To bear in mind, I'd only used objects that I could find, and didn't bother to alter them all to look exactly like in the show, so it is not an accurate account of the film sets. I know, what's the merit of it if it's not accurate? Well, I just considered it a litter fun dollhouse project I do in my spare time and try not to get too obsessive with all the details (really it can't be good to my health while I'm so sleep deprived.)
Also, I wanna try my best to solve the puzzling layout of the 221B Baker Street. Sadly, it hasn't got too far, and I haven't drawn a more valuable conclusion than
staticlights already had. Anyhoo, I put up some screen-caps from my model here, and try to explain some of the mysteries that have frustrated me, in hope of maybe finding some enlightenment here. However, they are really trivia problems, maybe people really shouldn't waste their time reading my words. Just look at the nice pictures. : )))))
Mystery No.1 -- Sherlock's bedroom
In reality, it was filmed in 185 North Gower Street. From the views of Google Earth, the buildings have four storeys and the one that's supposed to be 221B has no extension on the back. Therefore, it's really mind-boggling as to why would they have to add the extension at the back of the kitchen showed on the first floor that is probably meant to be **Sherlock's bedroom?**, while there're plenty of rooms to make a proper bedroom for Sherlock.
Another problem here is that 221C really shouldn't exist because there's no space for its basement window since it's positioned directly underneath the shop (Speedy's Cafe.)
OK, I've got it wrong. It can share the light well on the left side of the entrance of 221B and a tiny window can be fitted there. So technically, 221C can be done. And yes, it will be a horrible room, haha.
Mystery No.2 -- The really thick party wall.
The party wall to the right is thick enough to have recessed bookcases and fireplace on one side, which could make it around 350mm in depth (and it's quite a reasonable number.) However, as we move to the side of the kitchen, the cabinet in-between is really posited farther right which leave tighter gaps between its edge and the corner in the show, yet the edge of the kitchen worktop showed adjacent to the edge of the cabinet/screen-doors, given the fact that kitchen worktop is normally at least 600mm in depth, the numbers just don't add up (align.)
I don't think I can explain this well enough in words. My guess, in simple terms, is that this party wall is simply not aligned on both side, and it has eaten away a few hundreds millimeters into the adjacent apartment on the side of the kitchen.
So I'd made a scrabbled version of the plans to suggest a more reasonable layout for 221B Baker Street. (Really, there's no need for the extension since it would be inevitably blocking one of the windows on the back, and a party wall shouldn't invade other flats for space.)
OK, enough about my whining here (really, it's the architect in me doing all these silly things :-)) , now to the more joyful part of this project, which is to make gorgeous INTERIOR SHOTS!!! And I had enormous fun in finding all those objects representing Sherlock's and John's characters, making the mad little lab space in the kitchen 8DDDDD. (Srsly, I've got things like eyeball/skeleton/John's Sig from 3D Warehouse, how wonderful those ppl are for sharing their lovely models!!! <3 <3 <3 )
Well, I would also like to share my model in 3D Warehouse once my internet connection is working better. Meanwhile, I'd uploaded them to MF for anyone who would like to download the SketchUp model and have their fun with it. Oh, and for anyone who's interested in the silly little chemistry laboratory I put together in the kitchen, sorry it's not in the 221b model cos it slows down the rotation so much. I've put it in a separated file for download. Cheers!! :)))
For D/L:
Exterior model in street views /
Model with interior and furnishing /
Sherlock's kitchen lab I don't think I could declare any rights cos I got most of the stuffs from internet open sources as well... (and please excuse my English, sometimes I tangled my way into all those long sentences and couldn't battle my way out : P)