Maxis_taste Dare 009: Monty Home Makeover
Poor Patrizio and Isabella. They thought their two eldest kids were finally OUT of the house. But they were wrong.
Not only are Bianca and Antonio moving back in, Antonio has his two kids in tow.
So the old Monty homestead needed a makeover.
BEHOLD!
(sorry, I always forget to grab before pics)
I didn't add a second floor like I orginally thought I would. I just knew I'd ghetto up the joint by adding a second story (I'm a bad builder).
The easiest thing to do was get rid of all the arches and viola, you have a new outside wall. I didn't do anything to the courtyard except get rid of the one wierd arch filled wall that was there (it was purely decorative) and change around the decor.
We'll start with the courtyard and work our way around clockwise.
Looking back OUT from the courtyard to the street (yes, I made the family stand outside in the dark while I re-did their house, wave to them! HEY!).
The two doors there lead (on the left) to Bianca's room and (on the right) to Romeo and Mercutio's shared room. We'll see that in a few.
For now, turn around and move toward the left corner of the courtyard. In the original house, there was a small empty room.
Not anymore.
That empty room is now the urn room. Yes, imagine my surprise when I discovered great granny and grampy here. I didn't have the heart to delete them so they get their own bitty little room. They were in a larger more outdoor space but I had other plans for that.
In fact, here it is now.
This overview shows the flow a little better.
The former urn area is now a nice little sitting area just off the kitchen.
Just from another direction (the kitchen is to our backs).
So through the sitting area is the kitchen.
Nice and shiney-stainless-modern.
Looking the other direction, from the island back toward the little courtyard sitting area.
Just off the kitchen is the formal dining room.
I really wanted to keep most of the windows even though the brick work around them doesn't really match. The woods are a bit off, too. But at least all the wood is a deep shade (and yes, more green, I do love my green).
This is looking into the dining room from the common room.
Turn around and it's the common room.
Pair of couches, mahjong table, stereo, book case.
No tv. No video game system.
I just get the feeling papa Patrizio wouldn't want that kind of crap in his common area. Unnecessary noise should be contained to your personal space, your bedroom. Also, I just think Patrizio is a "tv rots your brain" kind of guy.
LIttle overview.
You have to cut out through the courtyard to get to Bianca's door.
That's where the chess table is now (forgive the grid lines, I didn't want to manage the family until morning so I took these during the night with daylight turned back on).
Duck around the corner (to the left and into Bianca's small room).
See what I mean about keeping your noise to yourself. Bianca has her own computer.
I didn't overly decorate any of the returning family member's rooms. Again, it's my feeling that Patrizio really sees this as a TEMPORARY condition and doesn't want his adult children getting too comfy. So they get rather plain walls and perhaps flooring left over from some other room. It's not that Patrizio can't afford to go all out, he just doesn't want to waste the money if he doesn't have to (and it's not that he doesn't love his kids, he just wants them to leave him the hell alone).
Across the courtyard hall from Bianca's room is the shared room of her teen brothers Mercutio and Romeo.
Now the teens DO have nicer walls. They never left and came back, so they get to have a bit snazzier of a room (especially since they had to start sharing again when their elder siblings came back).
I kept with the messy theme Maxis gave them (I never knew these two were pigs--what's up with there being piles of trash in their rooms when you first go into the house--gross!).
Again, they have their own computer and stereo to keep the racket down.
They have a door to the outside (at the courtyard) and a door right into the bathroom.
That's the teen's door at the top of the pic. The door at the bottom leads out to a hallway going to Antonio's room.
Hee hee, tolet paper girl! I've decided to use her as much as possible in makeover stuff.
Duck out the bathroom door and back the hallway.
(normally I don't like to have hallways because they're wasted space but this just happened--I wanted Antonio and Bianca's rooms to be the exact same size but didn't want Antonio's room blocked completely by the bathroom).
I've never played this family, but I get the feeling Antonio's kind of uptight (like Patrizio?). So he'd be the type to put a little rug out front of his door, so you could take your shoes off before going into his room. (I added the big mirror thinking it might make the hallway seem wider, what with reflecting the windows and all--that and I don't use mirrors a lot).
Antonio's room.
*snerk* I have the computer turned the wrong way. OOPS!
Again, individual computer and mimimal decor. (and keeping with the "Antonio is uptight" theme, he has one of those plastic chair pads under his computer chair, so the wood floor doesn't get scratched up--how thoughtful, huh?).
With Antonio's room to our backs, we see the fish tank right next to his kids' shared room.
(I see the fish tank as a way to compromise with the kids. Grandpa Patrizio would NEVER let them have a dog or cat but fish, now he can accept that)
You can see the courtyard from here, too.
Let's take one last peek at it, there's a corner I didn't show off.
Little quiet space to do some painting.
The other corner I left alone (so that big tree is still there).
Ok, back to the kids' bedroom.
Yes, the poor things share a wall with the urn room. The mean part of me really enjoys this fact.
Also please note, Antonio makes his kids keep their room tidy at all times. "Grandpa and Grandma were nice enough to let us live with them, don't turn their home into a pig sty. And don't drag your toys and dolls out into the courtyard or common area. If grandpa tramps on them, they'll go in the trash."
Out from the kids' room is the little walkway to Patrizio and Isabella's room.
(yeah, I didn't even stock the fishtank before taking the pics, really, Patrizio's not so mean he makes the kids have imaginary fish).
I just gave it a little makeover. Again, deep earth tones but with a tiny spash of color from the flowers.
But the bathroom?
It borders on eyesore.
The place needed a little color but this way Patrizio doesn't have to be over burdened with it. Even though he's an old guy with a shrinking prostate, he's not in the bathroom THAT much.
Above the elder's bedroom is the little deck area.
Patrizio likes to take in the stars at night.
I'm still not sure I like the awning but there definitely needed to be some cover for the little workout area. Patrizio likes to stay fit (and he's not sold on the awning, either, it is kind of tacky). But once the two older kids move out again (or Romeo and Mercutio go to college) he could move the workout stuff into one of those rooms. So the awning is a temporary situation (he hopes).
Good luck, Patrizio.
----------------------------------
The only cc is the bunkbeds--lordy how I love those things!
Not only are Bianca and Antonio moving back in, Antonio has his two kids in tow.
So the old Monty homestead needed a makeover.
BEHOLD!
(sorry, I always forget to grab before pics)
I didn't add a second floor like I orginally thought I would. I just knew I'd ghetto up the joint by adding a second story (I'm a bad builder).
The easiest thing to do was get rid of all the arches and viola, you have a new outside wall. I didn't do anything to the courtyard except get rid of the one wierd arch filled wall that was there (it was purely decorative) and change around the decor.
We'll start with the courtyard and work our way around clockwise.
Looking back OUT from the courtyard to the street (yes, I made the family stand outside in the dark while I re-did their house, wave to them! HEY!).
The two doors there lead (on the left) to Bianca's room and (on the right) to Romeo and Mercutio's shared room. We'll see that in a few.
For now, turn around and move toward the left corner of the courtyard. In the original house, there was a small empty room.
Not anymore.
That empty room is now the urn room. Yes, imagine my surprise when I discovered great granny and grampy here. I didn't have the heart to delete them so they get their own bitty little room. They were in a larger more outdoor space but I had other plans for that.
In fact, here it is now.
This overview shows the flow a little better.
The former urn area is now a nice little sitting area just off the kitchen.
Just from another direction (the kitchen is to our backs).
So through the sitting area is the kitchen.
Nice and shiney-stainless-modern.
Looking the other direction, from the island back toward the little courtyard sitting area.
Just off the kitchen is the formal dining room.
I really wanted to keep most of the windows even though the brick work around them doesn't really match. The woods are a bit off, too. But at least all the wood is a deep shade (and yes, more green, I do love my green).
This is looking into the dining room from the common room.
Turn around and it's the common room.
Pair of couches, mahjong table, stereo, book case.
No tv. No video game system.
I just get the feeling papa Patrizio wouldn't want that kind of crap in his common area. Unnecessary noise should be contained to your personal space, your bedroom. Also, I just think Patrizio is a "tv rots your brain" kind of guy.
LIttle overview.
You have to cut out through the courtyard to get to Bianca's door.
That's where the chess table is now (forgive the grid lines, I didn't want to manage the family until morning so I took these during the night with daylight turned back on).
Duck around the corner (to the left and into Bianca's small room).
See what I mean about keeping your noise to yourself. Bianca has her own computer.
I didn't overly decorate any of the returning family member's rooms. Again, it's my feeling that Patrizio really sees this as a TEMPORARY condition and doesn't want his adult children getting too comfy. So they get rather plain walls and perhaps flooring left over from some other room. It's not that Patrizio can't afford to go all out, he just doesn't want to waste the money if he doesn't have to (and it's not that he doesn't love his kids, he just wants them to leave him the hell alone).
Across the courtyard hall from Bianca's room is the shared room of her teen brothers Mercutio and Romeo.
Now the teens DO have nicer walls. They never left and came back, so they get to have a bit snazzier of a room (especially since they had to start sharing again when their elder siblings came back).
I kept with the messy theme Maxis gave them (I never knew these two were pigs--what's up with there being piles of trash in their rooms when you first go into the house--gross!).
Again, they have their own computer and stereo to keep the racket down.
They have a door to the outside (at the courtyard) and a door right into the bathroom.
That's the teen's door at the top of the pic. The door at the bottom leads out to a hallway going to Antonio's room.
Hee hee, tolet paper girl! I've decided to use her as much as possible in makeover stuff.
Duck out the bathroom door and back the hallway.
(normally I don't like to have hallways because they're wasted space but this just happened--I wanted Antonio and Bianca's rooms to be the exact same size but didn't want Antonio's room blocked completely by the bathroom).
I've never played this family, but I get the feeling Antonio's kind of uptight (like Patrizio?). So he'd be the type to put a little rug out front of his door, so you could take your shoes off before going into his room. (I added the big mirror thinking it might make the hallway seem wider, what with reflecting the windows and all--that and I don't use mirrors a lot).
Antonio's room.
*snerk* I have the computer turned the wrong way. OOPS!
Again, individual computer and mimimal decor. (and keeping with the "Antonio is uptight" theme, he has one of those plastic chair pads under his computer chair, so the wood floor doesn't get scratched up--how thoughtful, huh?).
With Antonio's room to our backs, we see the fish tank right next to his kids' shared room.
(I see the fish tank as a way to compromise with the kids. Grandpa Patrizio would NEVER let them have a dog or cat but fish, now he can accept that)
You can see the courtyard from here, too.
Let's take one last peek at it, there's a corner I didn't show off.
Little quiet space to do some painting.
The other corner I left alone (so that big tree is still there).
Ok, back to the kids' bedroom.
Yes, the poor things share a wall with the urn room. The mean part of me really enjoys this fact.
Also please note, Antonio makes his kids keep their room tidy at all times. "Grandpa and Grandma were nice enough to let us live with them, don't turn their home into a pig sty. And don't drag your toys and dolls out into the courtyard or common area. If grandpa tramps on them, they'll go in the trash."
Out from the kids' room is the little walkway to Patrizio and Isabella's room.
(yeah, I didn't even stock the fishtank before taking the pics, really, Patrizio's not so mean he makes the kids have imaginary fish).
I just gave it a little makeover. Again, deep earth tones but with a tiny spash of color from the flowers.
But the bathroom?
It borders on eyesore.
The place needed a little color but this way Patrizio doesn't have to be over burdened with it. Even though he's an old guy with a shrinking prostate, he's not in the bathroom THAT much.
Above the elder's bedroom is the little deck area.
Patrizio likes to take in the stars at night.
I'm still not sure I like the awning but there definitely needed to be some cover for the little workout area. Patrizio likes to stay fit (and he's not sold on the awning, either, it is kind of tacky). But once the two older kids move out again (or Romeo and Mercutio go to college) he could move the workout stuff into one of those rooms. So the awning is a temporary situation (he hopes).
Good luck, Patrizio.
----------------------------------
The only cc is the bunkbeds--lordy how I love those things!