Art Nouveau Manor | The Sims 4 | Stop Motion Build | No CC

Hello Everyone!

We’re finally here! The build for April is finally up! It is nothing short of a miracle it’s finally complete, there were times over the past couple of months where I debated whether or not to finish it, but we’re here, it’s done, and it’s looking absolutely gorgeous. I’m sure you’re wondering why it took me so long to complete. First off, it’s not for a lack of trying. For the most part, while I was building this house, I was going through some personal things that really took over my life for a good few weeks, and it really tanked my energy and motivation to do anything, but now we’re back on track, and we’re ready to keep going. So, if you want to see the house, in all its gorgeous glory, check it out on YouTube.

As you can already guess, the theme for April was Art Nouveau (I mean, I did tell you guys in an earlier post that this was coming, so it’s not a surprise), but what I really love about this house is all the minute little details that make it Art Nouveau. Now, mind you, it’s not a strictly Art Nouveau house, there are some details in this house that speak to other eras (e.g. the Regency era, the Victorian era, the Gothic period), but that’s the same with many houses of that period.

Art Nouveau is a transitional design style that incorporates a lot of different aspects of traditional design periods, like the Regency period and the Gothic period. It was supposed to be an answer to Art Deco, but never really took off in the way it should have, because it was too complicated to create and even maintain (cleaning every crevice of bas reliefs and intricate mouldings would have been a nightmare!). Essentially, Art Nouveau was Europe’s higher classes’ answer to the burgeoning styles of Art Deco, which emerged because of the industrial revolution that went on at the time. So, you’ll rarely find a completely Art Nouveau house. But that’s a design lesson a proper architect should explain to you, I’m not one, so don’t take my word as gospel. I just found this information fascinating and researched it.

Anyway, here’s a more in-depth look into why I built this house, what I like about it, and what stories I can see happening in this house. Let’s get into it!

So, First Question, Why Did You Pick April For The Art Nouveau Style?

Ok, so hear me out. If you’ve watched my last bullet journal video (which I highly recommend that you do), I associate every month with a different style, theme or design. That’s why I made houses over the last few months, in the styles that I did. So, for January, because it’s cold, I chose a Scandinavian inspired house, for February I saw Art Deco, for March I saw Bauhaus, and for April, I saw Art Nouveau.

The reason why is because April is the height of springtime, and motifs for spring are usually the curlicue kind, but you don’t really find these motifs anywhere in modern day architecture or interior design, that solely belongs to Art Nouveau. You could also argue that it’s also recurrent in Baroque or even Rococo architecture and art, but these designs are more palatial, fit for royalty and the nobility. If I wanted to do that sort of design, I would have made a palace, and that would have taken much longer (believe me, I’m in the middle of building one for a later build, but I haven’t even finished the landscaping, it’s a nightmare!). So, I settled for the whimsical nature of Art Nouveau.

You Said The House Isn’t Strictly Art Nouveau, Why Didn’t You Make It Fully Art Nouveau?

It would have been difficult to make a strictly “Art Nouveau” house, purely because The Sims 4 doesn’t have many build items in that style, and if I wanted to make the house strictly Art Nouveau, I would need to be even more creative than I already am. It would require a lot of trial and error, playing about with the T.O.O.L Mod by Twisted Mexi, and placing items in positions and locations that are either not functional for normal gameplay, or in the way of functional objects.

Essentially, I build my houses, not only to be pretty, but to also be functional for those of you who want to play with them. Sometimes adding 15 different pieces of art, items and clutter, onto a wall shelf just isn’t going to be helpful, when you want to play, especially when you play with walls down (or half down, like I do). My builds are not strictly for viewing, and if it isn’t already obvious, on my videos, I playtest my houses, so I know they’re ready for you guys to play with. Of course, I should point out that there will always be some items I forget to test, before I film my videos, and that’s why a few things jump from one place to another, in the video, but once I finish filming, I do always go back to adjust those items again, so they are useable.

Fair Enough, So, What Inspired You To Make The House Like This?

So, when I was looking for real world inspiration, for the house, I obviously went to Pinterest, for ideas. Of course, Pinterest, like everything else, is inundated with AI rendered homes that look almost real, and I actually took inspiration from one of them. Like I said, a true Art Nouveau house is very difficult to come by, in the real world. There are nods and hints to it, especially in Paris (just look at their signs for their Metro stations!), but to make something achievable in the Sims 4, it had to be much simpler, and I found an AI rendered image of someone else’s take on Art Nouveau, and that’s what inspired this build.

Of course, I did have other bits of inspiration, especially for the rooms and the gardens, and I’ll show you some of them, further down in this post, but this image is what really got me thinking about what kinds of rooms would be in a house like this. Obviously, the first thought that came to my mind, about this image was a hotel. In real life, there’d be plenty of space for many rooms in a building like this, and I really wanted to keep the domes, so I tried my best to imitate it in the Sims 4. However, the limitations of the game’s build mode really made me think about what I wanted to do for the build.

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Like I said, I really wanted to keep the domes, but circular walls in the Sims 4 is very difficult to navigate around. You can’t really have a completely round room, that connects to a straight one. It’s frustrating, especially when you want to create things like towers and interesting shapes, but alas, such is the life of a Sims 4 house builder. In the end, I had to work with what I had, and ended up making octagonal rooms, to emulate those domes. I also didn’t want to contend with the constraints of their roof system, so I changed up how the roof looks, to make it seem a little more “old-world-y” and high class. Basically, instead of roofs that covered the entire roof line, I sized them down, to fit within the house’s borders, and used fences to cap them off, which allowed me to add those extra details that really make the house seem more decorated.

I know that for some of us (including me), having flat surfaces on roofs can be damaging to a property, because water can collect on those surfaces, and may even soak into the building itself, if not laid down with the right materials (I’ve worked in the construction industry, I’ve done some research, I know what I’m talking about), but there’s something about the extra space between the roof’s fence line, and the roof itself that makes it feel like old money. My take on it is that the people who own the house can afford roofers who will maintain the roof and its trappings frequently, like cleaning the tiles and windows for the attic, removing any debris or nests that birds might make on the flat surfaces, and even maintaining those solar panels and the chimneys.

Interesting, What Room Is Your Favourite?

Honestly, I can’t decide. Although I may be a little tired of seeing the house, after weeks of building and filming it, I still love the way it looks. I actually, can’t believe I made it. It still amazes even me sometimes, just out detailed the house is. However, we’re talking about rooms, and like I said, I don’t really know. Firstly, I am in love with the gardens, and I mean all of them, including the delivery area on the side, near the kitchens. It’s a little detail I added, because I wanted to make it feel like this house is lived in and was made for high profiled nobility or merchants.

Of course, if we’re talking about the inside, I can never get over the gorgeous conservatory. I mean it’s just so busy with plants, it really looks like a greenhouse, and the little sitting areas are just so comfy and cosy. Who wouldn’t want to have a tea party here?

Now, I have to be completely honest here, I didn’t make this up all on my own, I had some help from good old Pinterest. Like I said, I was struggling to find ways to make this build true to Art Nouveau, but again, the constraints on the Sims 4 were doing my head in, so I had to compromise, and look for inspiration elsewhere. That’s when I found it.

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The conservatory in these photos is gorgeous. It almost makes me wish I had a big enough house to make it. I can just imagine myself, sitting on one of those sofas, drinking tea, watching the gardens outside and reading a good book. It looks so peaceful, I had to add it into the build, somehow. I just wish we had more large stained-glass windows that are evocative of this era. It would look so good on may other types of builds as well, like palaces, or churches. In fact, one of the community builds I was going to make this year was going to be a church. I’m sure it would have been a challenge to make, unfortunately, with the current schedule I have, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it any time soon. Although, I will eventually give it another go.

You Said You Think About The Stories Of The House, What Are They?

Like I said, I can imagine a high-class family living here, like an old money kind of family. For the most part, I imagine they’re nobility, who are stewards of the house, and the lands around it. They may not be royalty, but perhaps a Count or a Viscount, since the house is a little small, compared to what the higher classes of nobility would have. After all, they have a small garden, and usually those with more noble titles would have bigger lands, so, that’s why the people living in this house would have a minor title.

That’s not to say they’re not rich, after all, who can afford a 4-bedroom house, complete with a giant conservatory and a fully fitted out kitchen, these days? Certainly not me. It would be a dream but knowing the economic situation of the housing market…unless you’re a millionaire, there is no way this dream is feasible. Anyway, I digress, like I said, the family who live here are old world, that means they subscribe to the superstitions of that era. What I mean is during that time period, particularly in Europe, the women of a noble family were very much into the supernatural, using superstitions to explain something that was unexplainable, so they dealt a lot in tarot readings and seances. That’s why you have the séance solarium in the attic.

I could have put a tea table in the attic, since that was another option, and I was sorely tempted to, but I wanted to stay true to some of the nuances of society in the Art Nouveau era. So I made it a séance room instead, which really adds a whole other level to the build, in my opinion. In fact, I’m glad the Sims 4 has the Paranormal and the Life & Death packs, they really helped to add more character to the house.

Of course, on another level, I also imagine that the family does some form of apothecary, that’s why they’re so rich. Their business is in helping people heal their sicknesses through natural means. In this case, the matriarch of the family does this, but anyone could really, and if you choose to have a sim in the apothecary career, the basement will be a perfect office for you, as long as your visitors don’t wander around too much (it can happen, I’ve played the career before, it was rather annoying).

Final Thoughts?

I know I say this for every build, but I think this one truly is the top of the list…I love this build! I really do, in fact, like with the Art Deco Theatre, I’ll be using this build in my personal gameplay. It’s so cool! The house is perfect for one of the families that I’ll be making, and I can see some of those bedrooms being nurseries instead. If I do convert one, I’ll let you guys know. Nevertheless, I think this house will be my favourite for a while, I know exactly what the other styles and designs I’m going to make for the rest of the year, but I don’t think they’ll be as detailed as this. So, it looks like I’m going to have to make more like it, next year. We’ll see.

Well, that’s it from me today, you guys. I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and if you did, let me know in the comments below. Right now, I’m going to run off and create another build for you, as for you guys, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my social media channels, and on Patreon. Your support really helps me make more content like this, for you guys.

And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.

I’ll see you later!

Feather, out!