Character

Character

Belinda Forrest

Defender of Eorzea

Famfrit [Primal]

You have no connection with this character.

Follower Requests

Before this character can be followed, you must first submit a follower request.
Do you wish to proceed?

  • 1

I Love Decorating: Part 5 - Starla's House Her Way

Public
Greetings, everyone!

[A late entry: due to my extensive use of screenshots, I am going to have to remove pics from older blogs. I'm only allowed so many, & reached my limit with blog #7. I'm truly sorry if you review the older blogs & ss are missing; it cannot be helped. The information posted is still useful, & you can find examples in my latest blogs. - Bel]

I have been enjoying seeing the houses of those of you who have graciously given me permission to visit & do screenshots of your homes & FCs. I am a relatively new player - my most advanced alt is currently a level 64 WHM, working on HW msq level 52-57 quests & side quests. I found, as have all who completed ARR (a wonderful story!) & had to run the gauntlet to reach HW, that it is extremely hard not to over-level up. So I got a bit ahead of myself & got interested in Housing to help relieve trying not to level up.

As those who follow my blog know, I started out with a cottage in Lavender Beds on Famfrit & had filled it nicely, just the way I wanted it, with a couple of really nice gifts from my FC leaders & a few lucky exploratory ventures from my retainers. (Which is an excellent reason to keep their gear up to their gathering levels - better & surprising treasures!) They have brought home stuff I haven't even discovered yet - lol.
---

When I switched out my cottage for a mid-size house last month - again, with help from FC leaders, as my gil needed a big (read 'huge') boost, I suddenly realized that I had enough screenshots of both houses to start this blog & encourage others to have as much fun with their homes as I do with mine.
---

One of my FC friends, Starla, bought her own 1st house the day I got my mid-size, as many plots opened up on the same day. Everyone online did the mad housing scramble & three members of our FC got lucky - on just our FC estate's ward. So many plots opened up that day, that after watching & waiting for 3 months in hope of newly vacated plots opening, I was glad that we all had the chance, with other FFXIV folks, of finding that new home.

Starla's house has undergone some wonderful changes as she graduated from brand-new cottage owner to growing her own personal space into a fine home. She has given me permission to show you how her house has grown in just over a month's time. She received her housing items as we all, hopefully, do: things bought on her own from the housing vendors, prizes won in playing FFXIV, & some gifts from fellow FCers. Our leader has made a practice of graciously giving us our mailboxes, a large garden plot & chocobo stables (most of which she can craft, given just a little time - lol) - a very big help in starting out a new house. She reminded us that the aetherytes were available at the GC Quartermaster, if she had none on hand. My own new home was built from a medium-size moogle wall set in our FC Chest, & anything in the Chest was free to any member needing it - counters, lamps, cupboards, etc.

Anyway, Starla has been very busy building her home up, & it is a delight to visit, so today, I thought I would share her home's growth to date. It's already very live-able & comfortable - she seems to naturally understand Feng Shui principles of home being a place of safety & being welcoming to visitors. No seating has its back to the door, and the open floor space invites you in.

These are screenshots (ss) from my first visit there - in her home's very early days:
--- [sorry - all older blogs had to have pics removed; her house can be visited in Famfrit, ward 16, plot 31 (I think that last number's right - lol)]

She has a nice plot space, elevated on a hill, looking over the Lavender Beds. She added Lavender Beds/Gridanian touches, such as the Glade walls of the main floor & the soft green Glade chairs for a seating area. The Alpine Flooring adds a nice classic feeling, a bit of energy, & lightens the whole space with its pale gray colors.

She quickly began to grow the lower floor, choosing a Cob Inner Wall for its faintly textured soft green appearance, a light, very restful, calm background, and a Stone Floor - again its pale gray colors lightening a space without windows. She placed her bed in one far corner, a bath in the other rear corner, and a counter-dining area across from the stairs, a nice, early arrangement. Then, a few weeks later, she won a unique item during an adventure - a flower rug, which she placed at the bottom of the stairs. In addition, she was continuing to develop her bath/spa area - her first real area of focus. It was a delightful surprise to me (better than my own spa & bath areas) - these & would continue to develop, as you can clearly see in the bath ss below:
---

Outside, she added a special statue she'd won, & began to rearrange the yard to her satisfaction. Flowers, grasses and her pond were moved around to various areas of the yard, until she was satisfied with the look.

Her original exterior walls were the Glade Wood Walls, but she soon changed this to Glade Stone walls & this seems to suit the space very well. It shines in its spot at the top of the hill.
---

I visited her again just 3 days ago, after nearly a 2-week hiatus & wow! I was thrilled (& a wee bit jealous - lol) at the wonderful changes she has made! The cottage, a compact home, looks spacious, restful, gracious & with lovely touches of fun. I am so proud of what she's accomplished in just 4-6 weeks of ownership.
---

The main floor, as you can see, still rests upon its Glade origins, with the chairs, clock, walls & the restful, roomy feel running throughout this house. Now let's check the downstairs area:
---

From the bottom of the stairs, it has blossomed - literally, as flower petals like butterfly wings fly up as you cross the new flower rug - magical! The dining area is blossoming with a small feast & many tiny prizes and dolls.
---

The bed hides quietly behind its Ahriman screens, with a lovely (& fun!) pile of stuffed toys on the floor beside the bed; & the sheltering soft green curtain wall blends in with the cob walls to shield the bath/spa area & its glorious stained-glass window, surrounded by green, growing things, the neighboring aquarium and water-themed items.

The house is a delight to visit & I love running over the flower rug (several times - lol) every time I go downstairs. Thank you, Starla, for allowing me to share it with my readers.

I will be featuring some more friends' homes in the near future, as well as showing you the rearrangements I was inspired to do in my own home. A couple homes in particular were inspirational to me in their use of dyes (although I had quickly discovered I liked my furniture in a deep kobold brown, I had not really tried other colors), and I believe this is what I will showcase on our next visit here. I will also soon show how various walls & wallpapers can really change the feeling of a living space. Lots of blog ideas to keep sharing, with the more I see!

As always, I thank you for visiting with me, & I welcome your comments. If you are willing to share your home with me, please let me know. Just give me your permission to share it (& your name, if okay - just 1st name is fine).

Just tell me with a comment your residential area, ward & plot #'s: Lavender Beds, The Goblet, or Mist (I'm currently unable to visit Shirogane, except on Diabolos, & perhaps Ultros, as I'm not far enough advanced in the game. I can only visit it on those worlds because I belong to an FC located there.) I love sharing others' creativity & FFXIV is a world to share.

Some of my reporters from the worlds I've shown are presented here. I have multiple alts on 8 worlds, so lots of reporters that can visit your house:
Bel (me) on Famfrit, Cherinda on Ultros, Elea on Behemoth, Eleluna on Hyperion, Katchira on Brynhildr, Liliana on Excalibur, Sephina on Marlboro, & Tesla on Diabolos, in that order -
---

I realize, that opposed to Starla's house, I have not yet shared the lower (& upper levels) of my, or any others' homes, except for the estate vendor/retainers' story last week. Don't worry - I will be getting to those areas quickly. I did not want to delve deeply into homes until I had discussed what one sees upon first encountering any home - its outdoor & initial entry spaces. We will now be venturing into the more private areas of the homes I can share with you, in my future blogs.

Until next time, Fare Thee Well! Live, Love & Laugh! & Huggles to all my friends & visitors - ;D ! I & my alts look forward to seeing your homes on the eight worlds I can reach.

Belinda Forrest (Bel)
Level 64 WHM, Famfrit









Comments (1)

Grandpa Pajamas

Excalibur [Primal]

congrats to Starla getting the new house! I love it!
Post a Comment

Community Wall

Recent Activity

Filter which items are to be displayed below.
* Notifications for standings updates are shared across all Worlds.
* Notifications for PvP team formations are shared for all languages.
* Notifications for free company formations are shared for all languages.

Sort by
Data Center / Home World
Primary language
Displaying