Teaser - 101 Hanover Avenue

Well, I am finally ready to talk about the project that I've been working on!

For a long time, I wasn't ready to talk about it. At some points during the development of this project, I've been unsure if I was up to the task of finishing it! You see, I am new to building in Second Life.

About three months ago, I started shopping for Fall/Halloween themed items. I was contemplating setting up a haunted house (which of course fell by the wayside as this project unfolded). I had in mind some kind of elegant house that was somewhat goth in inspiration/color but not extremely Halloween-ish (ie, not garish or run-down). Also, my requirements were that the house be low-prim (about 130 prims or less) and fit on a 1024 lot. And I did not want to pay more than $600L for this house.

I quickly discovered that NO ONE in SL appeared to be selling the kind of house I was looking for. The houses that came close were either much higher prim, extremely low quality, or very expensive.

So that's when the idea for Hanover Ave Homes came to me.

Hanover Avenue Homes are going to be low prim houses inspired by restored old "city houses" found in many East Coast U.S. cities. Typically these are "town" or "row" houses with little space in between them, so there may be little to no windows on the sides of the houses.

The style is not goth or Victorian or Edwardian, or city-chic, but a sophisticated, eclectic combination of all of these. My younger daughter (who is the family stylestia) calls the style "elegant."

In Second Life, I have greatly appreciated a number of the shabby chic home designers who have developed their houses as both modestly priced and low prim, such as Modest House. It is my goal to keep my houses modestly priced and low prim as well.

The first house series to be released is going to be 101 Hanover Ave. This house will be available in 3 to 4 color-themed versions and will be about 100 to 105 prims (depending on the specific house in the series). This house has three stories and 5 rooms - two each on the first and second floors, and a loft in the attic. The first floor has a front porch and a double door; the second floor has french doors and a small balcony. The house fits easily into a square or oblong 1024 lot, with dimensions of about 18 x 22.

101 Hanover Ave - House of Blues is finished and almost ready to go onto the Second Life Marketplace (formerly XStreetSL). I am currently working on 101 Hanover Ave - Red Rooms. The current plans are for a fall-colored version and a neutral-colored version to follow shortly.

103 Hanover Ave is planned to feature a different interior layout, a 2 story front porch, and a brick exterior, but still fall into the same general size and prim range.

I also have plans for a whimsical themed house that won't necessarily "fit" into the main line but will be sold under the same brand.

Right now I have no plans to open a physical store in SL...content creation is taking up most of my SL time budget, and blogging the rest of that time! However, should you be interested in a footprint or seeing one of the houses rezzed in-world, please contact me (Horatia Abonwood) in SL.

Modern Store Tour #1

When I decided to do a store tour of shops with modern style furniture in Second Life, the first name on my list was PopArt. If you are on a low-Linden budget and in need of home furnishings, this should be one of the first places you check out, no matter what style you prefer (there's likely going to be something you can use here).

I recently teleported to PopArt for the first time in several weeks, and I was surprised and pleased to see that the store was in the midst of renovation (while still open for business). New furniture was in place, along with some old favorites. In addition, there was an increased emphasis on low-prim furniture.

The bad news, if this is really all that bad, is that prices have increased. Previously, all furniture at PopArt was $1L. Now the price ranges from $2L (most pieces) to $50L (mainly kitchen fixtures). It's still a bargain.

Above: the ground floor of the main building features mainly living room and dining room sets, with some kitchen sets in the rear of the store.

Above: the blue sofa above is only 8 prims. Not every piece of furniture at PopArt is low-prim, so be sure and left-click on the piece, chose "Edit" and take a look at the prim count in the Edit Window.

Above: the dining table and chairs featured above are in one of the demo houses on the PopArt property. The table is only 2 prims and the chairs are 4 prims each. Be sure and buy as many chairs as you need, because their permissions are set to no copy/no modify.

While you're at PopArt, make certain you go through any external demo houses and sets they may have at the property. Otherwise, you may miss a real find!

Note: this SLURL is not as accurate as it should be, it sends you to the front of the store across from PopArt. I'll try to get an updated landmark ASAP.

Linden Home update

I'm now comfortably settled in a Plumtree, a model that I haven't tried before. It features a first floor with a step-up living area and a nook under the stairs. The second story has a small loft set apart from the main living space and a deck with a small pool.

Currently I've got my photo studio in the main area on the second floor, and plan to use the loft area as a bedroom (the bed's in there already). This still leaves room on the second floor for a bathroom (or, as I may do, just a tub) and a sitting area.

I really like this floor plan; so far this and the Grayson are my favorites of the Meadowbrook homes. I've also tried the two Skylight models; for various reasons I feel those designs were designed with less optimum usability (two examples: one of those models has stairs that are easy to fall off; and at least one of the models has an L-shaped area on the second floor that is pretty much unusable - too wide to simply be a walkway and too narrow to be used as living space.

I'm keeping with the shabby chic theme right now, especially as I finish out the shabby chic store tour. It is very typical to see modern furniture in the Meadowbrook homes so I wanted to do something different. Those of you who prefer a different style, never fear, I am going to feature other styles in the future and will be doing "resets" featuring different styles.

In the photos above and at left there are pieces by bitter vanilla, La'Licious, Shabby Chic furniture, and other designers. I'll be giving a more in-depth report on what I'm using as things progress.

With everything moved I've moved in so far, I've only used about 65 prims of my total 117 prim allowance!  That leaves a lot of prims to use in the remaining furniture pieces and accessories.

Shabby Chic Store Tour #5

*bitter vanilla* is another cute shop that's off the beaten path.

Shabby Chic style here has a retro slant, with a focus on wooden pieces in natural and pale tones.

Be sure to check out the second floor, where you'll find kitchen and dining furniture. Below is the kitchen I have been using in  my own Linden Home; it's 10 prims and sells for $200L. I'd like to have an oven door instead of the shelves below the stove, but otherwise it's pretty much perfect for what I wanted. Now if I could only find a retro refrigerator somewhere that went well with this set!

Sale alert!

Thanks to Renee Lowenhart for posting this on the Fabulously Free in SL list in-world...

*PASH*, a SL shop selling skyboxes, furniture and trees, is having a going out of business sale. Skyboxes and furniture suites are reduced to $1L.

The sofa below is 8 prims, so this is a great deal on low prim furnishings that you can use in Linden Homes.