The Executive Retreat

I’m pleased to present your new getaway in the city, a modern 2 story home on a 30×30 lot with 2 large bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, open concept kitchen/dining, big livingroom, sunroom, and a bonus room (currently set up as a nursery).  The yard has zen-like gardens, outdoor dining, pool, jacuzzi, and a custom water feature.  I wanted to try a modern build, and I was inspired by a picture I found online while randomly browsing Google images:

I really liked the juxtaposition of the stark, modern structure with what looked to be a lush, even overgrown yard with a lot of deep green color to it.  I tried to match the front exterior as closely as possible, but beyond that, I had no house plan or other images to go by, so the rest springs from my own imagination.  It’s taken me months to complete it (being the mother of two very young children necessitates that almost any project takes months!), but I’m pleased with the results.

I wanted to challenge myself to do a few new things time around.  First, I wanted to try to complete a fully furnished lot without using custom content (except patterns).  That was probably a good decision given what happened with the Pets expansion!  I also wanted to do something inventive with the pool and jacuzzi.  I love water features, and while I’m grateful for all the prebuilt fountains EA has given us as well as the new fountain tools, I want to be able to connect one body of water to another more creatively.  I’m really excited with what I was able to achieve with this home’s water feature, and I hope to do more like it in future builds.

Without further ado, here are images of the home:

Front Exterior:

Back Exterior:

Closer views of the pool, jacuzzi, water feature, and outdoor dining:

Images from the gardens:

Interior:

Downstairs Foyer

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Bar (adjoins kitchen)

Sunroom

1/2 Bath

Upstairs Foyer

1st Bedroom

2nd Bedroom

Nursery

Bathroom

Overhead Shots:

Download the fully furnished version of the home here; the unfurnished version is here.

For the furnished version, I used items from World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, and Generations expansion packs.  I also used items from High End Loft Stuff and Outdoor Life stuff packs.  Finally, I used the following store items:

• Tropical Fruit Bowl
• Wicker is Love Loveseat
• Glass Flowers Column
• Intrinsic Windows by Bauhaus
• Transcendental Window by Bauhaus
• Transparent Window by Bauhaus
• Bauhaus Stupendous Door
• In Orbit Blinds
• Piece of Paradise Fan Palms
• Replicated Reflection
• Ultra Lounge Sink
• Scarab Rejuvenation Bed by Cunee
• Illuminator of the Illuminati
• The Desert’s End
• Baylee the Bunny Cupid
• New Years Nectar
• Bamboo Shelf of Balance
• Plants in Glass
• Forever Living Plant
• Potted Bamboo Glory
• Contented Sighs
• Tranquility Stone by Feng Shui
• Floral Fruits
• Taintless Window by Bauhaus
• Sippin Succulents
• Bauhaus Immaculate Window

Note that if you don’t have a given store item, the game will replace it with a similar item you do have.

For the unfurnished version, you’ll still need World Adventures (for water feature, statue, and some foliage), Late Night (for fountain and exterior lighting), Generations (for outdoor lighting), Outdoor Life (for jacuzzi) and the following store items (optional but recommended):

• Glass Flowers Column
• Intrinsic Windows by Bauhaus
• Transcendental Window by Bauhaus
• Transparent Window by Bauhaus
• Bauhaus Stupendous Door
• Taintless Window by Bauhaus
• Bauhaus Immaculate Window

I created some floor tiles for this build that may be of interest to other builders/decorators.  I saw this image:

I really liked the effect of the grass between paving stones, and I wanted to see if I could duplicate it for my gardens:

I think the tiles pretty closely approximate what I wanted.  You can easily match most grass terrains by simply adjusting the two colors used in the green pattern.  Besides creating a path, you can also use some of the others I made to highlight interesting spots in your garden:

If you are intested in the tiles, you can click on the images below and download them from the exchange: