Shangri-La A Japanese Themed Luxury Home w/ a Focus on Nature

This one took FOREVER!
I had two ideas, I wanted to create a Japanese style home and also a home that focused on nature for my nature loving sim, so I decided to do them in the same lot. I am very pleased with the final product.

This is definitely not a starter home! Rich sims only (or sims who use cheat codes)! This is a single level home (actually it's multiple levels but only one livable level) with a sunken living room.
I built the back yard first and the unfurnished lot value was around $75,000 so poor sims can't even live in the yard.

The backyard features several deck areas, bridges, a bar/dance floor for parties, a picnic area, and a in-pond swimming pool. I've been trying to make a in-pond pool for some time and could never get it to look right, that is until Fluttereyes started uploading her recent community lots. So a big thanks to her!

The main living area has a spacious open floor plan complete with sunken living room, eat-in kitchen, dining area, study, and a bit of nature brought indoors. There's a palm tree near the entry way and several sunflower beds scattered throughout.

Down the main hall, you'll find a nice sitting area/library where the pond manages to find it's way indoors.

There's a large master bedroom with fireplace and entertainment area with backyard access, and 2 other large, tastefully decorated bedrooms.

The entire house is decorated with calm earth tones keeping with the "natural" theme.

There are also 3 full baths and a 2 car garage with workbench (that your sims will never use for anything).














Furnished: $401,447
Unfurnished: $215,810

Lot Size: 60x60

This home was originally built in Riverside @ 345 Riverblossom Hills Drive

Known Issues

- Originally I had wanted the indoor flower beds to have a variety of colorful flowers, but occasionally when I left the lot they would fall through the foundation. It didn't happen all the time, but enough to be annoying. For some reason shrubs and rocks don't fall through the foundation and sunflowers are tall enough that it doesn't matter, so I removed the flowers and only used the latter. There are still 2 flowers near the kitchen that for some reason seem to stay put, but if you load your game up and they're gone, they're under the house.

- When placing the lot (which I did several times during testing) the Brambles I have in the pond and streams decide to defy gravity. So after the lot has been placed you may need to preform a tiny bit of maintenance. I was going to remove them, but it only takes a minute to put them back. Just click on the to grab and click again (without moving your mouse) and they'll snap right back into place whether you have "moveobjects" on or not.

- There was also one occasion where every shrub on the lot decided to defy gravity, but I'm chalking it up to a random glitch, because it never happened again. But in the interest of full disclosure, I though I'd mention it.


I used the following store and custom content on this lot:

Costom Content

Wood Patterns by Tammy_Trauma (I'm not sure which pack I used, so the link is to her profile)
Westside Dining Chairs by Fresh-Prince
Special Interest Magazines Set 02 by Sunsetavenue
New Fishbowl by xdarkshadowx
Elation Coffee Table by simfantastic2
SeiHEXA Platinum RDTV by PigiePower
Trees Of Sunset Valley - Paintings Set by lemoncandy
2009 BMW M3 Coupe by Fresh-Prince
Orchid Recolors by damnedcitizen

Content from StyilistSims (All on the same page)
Livingroom 01 coffeetable
Livingroom 01 plant
Livingroom 01 sofa
Livingroom 01 armchair
Bedroom 01 bed
Bedroom 01 plant

Store Content

Exclamation Point
Elegant Swirls Wide
Antique Chronometer
Cushy Cushion Chair
Cushy Cushion Sofa
Cushy Cushion Loveseat
Tropical Leaves of Repose

I apologize for the excess of custom and store content, I'll try to use less next time.

Hope you all enjoy this house, feedback always welcome.

Lot Size: 6x6
Lot Price: $401,447