I couldn't wait to get started on decorating the country style home I had created for the Focal Point Challenge - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/235254.page#2932164 - read the details here but here is the brief:
The Pictures are shown in the middle of my mood board (below)...and these were the starting point for my design. For me, the pictures are about textures, colours and shapes, and I needed to find a way to incorporate the yellows and blues and the 'roughness' of the textures with the country charm theme that will run throughout the Leawater's home.
Esther Rockwell wrote:THE INSPIRATION
Hello again, I have forwarded the floor plans to the family and they love the designs. Mrs. Leawater sent me a lovely letter with a picture she would like to be used to as a design inspiration for her kitchen. Remember she is a Natural Cook so she will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Enclosed with the note are two familiar pictures of famous prints
The Pictures are shown in the middle of my mood board (below)...and these were the starting point for my design. For me, the pictures are about textures, colours and shapes, and I needed to find a way to incorporate the yellows and blues and the 'roughness' of the textures with the country charm theme that will run throughout the Leawater's home.
Click on the image for a close up...
THE TEXTURES
For me, the Impressionist School of art is, principally about textures, but more than this, it conveys a rich, earthy and rustic appeal. I love yellows and blues together so I knew I wanted those as the main focus for the colour theme, but I wanted to choose textures that had a tactile element. For the walls I chose a sunshine yellow paint which has a faint flower imprint that becomes more visible the closer the viewer gets. I chose tiles that are uneven and irregular to continue the rustic theme; so the lving/diningroom zones are painted with the floral texture with a thin dado of cracked, lilac paint running along the crown. The kitchen has the same yellow paint but with a tiles crown and the bottom is tiled.
Click on the image for a close up
THE FURNITURE
The Kitchen was sourced from a fabulous craftsperson over at Vita Sims http://www.vitasims3.com/donation3.php - It is the perfect kitchen for a country style house, with oodles of charm and decorative details, truly a kitchen that someone could imagine spending the whole day baking, in.
We added thick beech wood worktops and painted the floor cabinets in pale lilac, crackled paint, whilst the wall cabinets were left in plain wood.
Click on the image to see a close up
KITCHEN DETAILS
Click on the image for a close up
A Belfast, porcelain sink and orange, patchwork curtains finished the look and the cabinets were placed in the kitchen nook in a U-Shape with a sturdy kitchen Island, dividing the living and cooking areas of the room. The tiles on the floor are handfired, small tiles, uneven and irregularly placed with colours in pale lilac, pale yellow and off white.
THE DINING ROOM
I wanted the dining area to appear friendly, inviting and homey, so I resisted the temptation to go for anything too formal. The table top was replaced with a solid granite in deep cornflower blue and the rustic, country chairs were upholstered with a plush cornflower blue fabric.
Clcik on the image for a close up
The cabinet maker made us a beautiful china cabinet for Mrs Leawater's collections and we picked up a wicker basket rack which can be used for a number of things, including magazines, knick-knacks or fresh or dried herbs.
BRINGING THE THEMES TOGETHER
Great job! I think you completely captured the idea of quaint country home. :)