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Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 9th Jul 2014 at 7:28 PM
Default Rococo Château - Feedback Needed!
My obsession with Victorian architecture is starting to get a little too much and, in need of a palette cleanser, I decided to go for something even more ornate: Rococo. Naturally, I'm terrible at it. I am in desperate need of help with absolutely everything with this project, from the landscaping to the floorplan, but I'm sure you resourceful lot will manage to get this poor man's Linderhof off the ground.



My first problem: the exterior. It still looks a little too...plain. I feel I need some rocaille, but I have not been able to find anything good yet. And I'm not altogether sure about the front of the building, something just doesn't seem right about it. Should I move the entrance from the first floor to the ground floor?



The floorplan is a big issue for me - I have this enormous entrance hall that is just such a waste of space, but I'm not sure how to partition the space up properly, since it will leave us with a windowless room, which is not something you'd want in the 18th century when candlepower was all you had. Also not sure what to do with the small vestibules. Should I leave them there or integrate them into the room they connect to, or give them some sort of purpose?



The ground floor...well, yes, I have no idea idea what to do here. I know I want to have servants' quarters and some kitchens down here, with a neat little spiral staircase connecting it to the dining room, but once more, there's a lot of space I just don't know what to do with. I do miss my small Victorian rooms. As for that enormous corridor-like space that opens up onto the gardens, I was thinking of perhaps making it into a library or something, but I'm unsure how suitable that would be for a downstairs room.

Any tips you could give would be much appreciated, especially if you know anything about landscaping!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jje1000
If this succeeds, then we will have driven a stake through the metaphorical heart of pudding.

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
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Instructor
#2 Old 10th Jul 2014 at 9:41 AM
I would break up all the empty space in little rooms. Baroque buildings do have bigger, ostentatious rooms, but they also sport the same little parlors and bedrooms we can find in Victorians. I do not think that windowless rooms are that bad: I remember seeing plenty of little parlors built to display fine Chinas and silk tapestry in Versailles and Schönbrunn, and they were all windowless rooms made to connect each room to the other. I don't think I've seen many windowed bathrooms as well, to be honest! There's plenty of options you can take into consideration to furnish these spaces: a small bibliothèque, a tearoom, a cigar/men's room, a curiosity cabinet, a walk-in closet, an indoor winter garden (which I guess would require some kind of a roof light, though)...
And when in doubt, slap in another BDR + BTHR.
I'm guessing you already considered putting up a carriage "garage" and some horse stables as well in the other buildings?

Me, me, me against them, me against enemies, me against friends, somehow they all seem to become one, a sea full of sharks and they all smell blood.
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 10th Jul 2014 at 10:02 AM
To help you, I'd like to know what's your inspiration for this. ^^'
Lab Assistant
#4 Old 10th Jul 2014 at 10:14 AM
I would google Palladian Architecture, and take a look at some of the floorplans associated with this style. Or look into Vitruvius Britannicus, which is a wonderful book filled to the brim with floorplans from that time. I use it a lot in my historical builds.
Test Subject
#5 Old 10th Jul 2014 at 9:38 PM
The side room to the right of the foyer on the first floor would make for a good study or smoking room, while the room at the back of the bedchamber could be opened up into an en-suite bathroom (with columns and a clawfoot tub in the center!)

I do like the overall layout, and the separation between the first and ground floors - however the unusable 'rooms', spaces really, behind the angled walls makes for a somewhat awkward top-down view. I would try to place my interior walls at equal distances from any exterior angled walls in order to avoid those ugly 45 degree corners. By doing that, you would also be creating a more symmetrical design, which is faithful to the time period - neo-classicism and a return to the antiquities of the renaissance being prominent in the architecture of the time.

To compensate for windows, I would flood your larger rooms with overhead chandeliers, provided they're not so deep that they clip the floor or bonk any sims walking under them (maybe raise the ceiling of the foyer to two floors?) The whole point of the large opulent spaces in French estates was to intimidate other members of the monarchy and the aristocracy, i.e. the grander and more ridiculous, the better.

Great job so far! Looking forward to the rest of this build.
Scholar
Original Poster
#6 Old 11th Jul 2014 at 1:03 AM
Thanks for the replies, folks! I haven't been able to grab any simming time today, so I don't have any updates to post, but I thought I'd clarify my objectives for this project with some replies to your feedback!

Quote: Originally posted by Titi022002
To help you, I'd like to know what's your inspiration for this. ^^'


My inspiration for this comes mostly from Schloss Linderhof in Bavaria and Amalienburg, a hunting lodge on the grounds of Schloss Nymphenburg. Although this build is designed with French decadence in mind, most Rococo architecture comes either from Germany or from Russia - Baroque remained popular for the façades of buildings in France up until the French Revolution, when more reserved neoclassical styles become dominant.







Quote: Originally posted by baskerwil
I would google Palladian Architecture, and take a look at some of the floorplans associated with this style. Or look into Vitruvius Britannicus, which is a wonderful book filled to the brim with floorplans from that time. I use it a lot in my historical builds.


I will, thanks! I didn't really bother looking at other floorplans from the era, since Linderhof has its own set of floorplans readily available - of course, it was built in the 19th century, so it's not exactly 100% authentic.





As you can probably tell, I've made some fairly major alterations in the translation from Schloss to Château - I've reversed the entire floorplan, so that the front is now the back, facing the large fountain. Where King Ludwig's enormous bedchamber was is where the large entrance hall now is, and I've completely modified that façade, since the real one is really plain compared to the rest of the building, and I don't feel it fits all too well with it. The front of the building is also one of the main areas I want feedback on, since it's entirely my own design and I'm not too sure how good it holds up when compared with the rest of the château.

You can see that the Schloss has a lot of small reception rooms - in fact, it only has two rooms with any real function (the bedchamber and the dining room), so it's obviously not ideal for gameplay. I like the idea of a smoking room, a library and a curio cabinet, and I'll definitely toy with that tomorrow.

Quote: Originally posted by Devea
I do like the overall layout, and the separation between the first and ground floors - however the unusable 'rooms', spaces really, behind the angled walls makes for a somewhat awkward top-down view. I would try to place my interior walls at equal distances from any exterior angled walls in order to avoid those ugly 45 degree corners. By doing that, you would also be creating a more symmetrical design, which is faithful to the time period - neo-classicism and a return to the antiquities of the renaissance being prominent in the architecture of the time.


I built the rooms that way because that's the general layout they have in the real palace, even if they are a little awkward from the top-down view - I'll probably just fill it in with pure black wall and floor covering to make it a little less awkward.

Neo-classicism was popular at this time, but Rococo was a reaction against the formality of the Baroque era before it, and asymmetry was a hallmark of this over-the-top style - sadly, as common as Rococo is in interior design and the visual arts, it's rather rare in architecture, which is why I'm having so much trouble with this. There's a fine line between Baroque and Rococo, and I'm trying my best to not mix the two together - I'm looking at this as kind of a challenge to do what few real world architects have ever done, and build something that is 100% Rococo, without bringing the popular Baroque and other neoclassical styles into the mix. Linderhof is as pure Rococo as I have been able to find so far, but if anyone knows of any other great examples, I'd really appreciate it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jje1000
If this succeeds, then we will have driven a stake through the metaphorical heart of pudding.

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
Now also on Tumblr !
Top Secret Researcher
#7 Old 12th Jul 2014 at 11:48 PM
I think you've run into the same problem that whoever builds lots at EA runs into every time they build a large house. If you start by building the exterior first and then the interior rooms after, you end up with really, really big rooms that feel like caverns. Keep in mind that the builing system in the sims mimics the stick frame construction common in current residential housing. You'll notice from the floor plan of your inspiration that the walls, both interior and exterior, are much thicker than the walls in TS3. You might produce a more satisfying result if you either scale down the overall size of your building to fit the interior rooms, or create false walls that are at least one tile thick (or thicker) to represent the heavier framing used in constructing a timber framed building with stone walls.

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TS4: Where adult sims make Angry Poops.

Which game is made for the juvenile minded?
Scholar
Original Poster
#8 Old 14th Jul 2014 at 1:34 AM
Quote: Originally posted by zigersimmer
I think you've run into the same problem that whoever builds lots at EA runs into every time they build a large house. If you start by building the exterior first and then the interior rooms after, you end up with really, really big rooms that feel like caverns.


The size of the interior suits me fine, I just can't figure out what to do with the space! The rooms actually feel a bit too small to me, but thanks for the advice.

I've taken some of your suggestions onboard and altered the floorplan;



The library seems a bit too small to me, and I'd like to fit another bedroom in here somewhere, but not sure where.

Opinion on the interiors? They seem a bit bare to me, and still not sure about the main hall.







I finally started landscaping, but I have no idea on where to go ftom here. French gardens are very elaborate, and it's a daunting task, so if anyone has any tips on using the clunky landscaping tools to create nicely rounded shapes, 'twould be most excellent.





Also altered both the front and rear façades. I am really not sure about the front one; it looks a bit too neoclassical to me, and doesn't seem to match the rest of the château.





Thanks for the tips, keep 'em coming!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jje1000
If this succeeds, then we will have driven a stake through the metaphorical heart of pudding.

♥ Receptacle Refugee ♥
Now also on Tumblr !
Test Subject
#9 Old 14th Jul 2014 at 10:32 AM
i think everything looks perfect!
Instructor
#10 Old 14th Jul 2014 at 10:53 AM
I think the interiors are on point! The only things missing are ceilings (I am sure you're planning on adding them though), but the color patterns and the choice of furnitures suit the lot perfectly imho
My only suggestion at this point is maybe give the stables access to the road? I think the lot could use another small "staff" entrance for horses and servants, besides the grand palatial gate.
Keep up the good work

Me, me, me against them, me against enemies, me against friends, somehow they all seem to become one, a sea full of sharks and they all smell blood.
Instructor
#11 Old 14th Jul 2014 at 11:34 AM
Perhaps simply paint the grounds with the "checkered" style mowed lawns? And maybe some small bushes / flowers placed regularly (eg on every alternate "checker"?
Test Subject
#12 Old 14th Jul 2014 at 10:39 PM
Great to see your progress, it;s really taking shape.

You could perhaps combat the neoclassicism by using columns from the Corinthian order. As for the rooms the layout looks great! Curtains would help soften the walls and fill up the space a bit. Portraits would also certainly do the trick, those 18th century folk were certainly fond of those! To create a bigger library space you could always incorporate it in with the music room, I think the library at Blenheim Palace houses a piano for entertainment.
Test Subject
#13 Old 27th Dec 2014 at 2:34 AM
I disagree with SimsMatthew about the lawns. During the 18th century, estates such as these were considered far too big to mow with the primitive tools they had. Instead, the lawns were allowed to grow and were often scattered with small, natural flowers.
Test Subject
#14 Old 27th Dec 2014 at 2:36 AM
Also, can I ask what CC you've used, in particular the doors, windows and columns? I myself am an avid rococo fan and I recognize the majority of the CC you've used on your beautiful home, but not these. It'd be a great help, thanks
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