island decorating tips??

[LeAckerman]

So I've had this game since release but my town is basically stuck in that new fresh town look (in some areas i have something done but it looks like i just threw it there..) and after seeing how much progress made on their towns since then im just curious

Idk i created this thread hoping to get some tips on how you guys just decorated your town and made it look nice
I think one of my issues is just terraforming and making it look nice

 

[Pikabun]

Mostly I watched youtube video or look in Pinterest but always just look as a reference in the end I ll put my touch into it. Good luck with doctorate your island!

 

[Xara]

the main piece of advice that i can give you is to try and plan stuff out first, especially where things that cost bells to be demolished are concerned. before decorating, i find it helpful to think about what furniture items i like, what my desired aesthetic/theme is or if you’re not going for a theme, it still helps to think about what sorts of things you like and areas that you like, if that makes sense.

also like pikabun said, there’s no shame in seeking out inspiration from others! whether you look at irl examples or those island tour videos on youtube, it’s nice to see what’s out there and what’s possible to give you a rough idea of what you want.

hope this helps!

 

[Jessi]

Honestly advice is to find a style or overall idea you want for your island, and roll with it. Look up ideas on the styles. I looked up a lot of terraforming tutorials, and it definitely helped me give my island more personality

 

[Violet~]

What helped me is trying to think of little areas I wanted to have on the island, like a rose garden, or a picnic area, or a stargazing lookout. Then I planned where on the island I wanted to put them. I find that creating these little areas and connecting them to each other "fills out" the island and makes it more interesting.

Another thing you could do is decorate around the villagers' houses, give them little gardens or just decorate around the area

 

[Dracule]

Terraforming is really difficult and can sometimes change the positions of my furniture items. What I personally did was find a theme and color scheme I wanted for my island, then went with it full speed. I based everything around a mountainside autumn town, so my colors were red, white, yellow, orange, and purple. Furniture is similar to these colors, or very neutral (like dark brown colors). Basically, find a theme you want and try to stay with it; don't pick something too intricate or difficult to achieve--usually really advanced/obsessive players are good at choosing this path and end up with impossibly beautiful islands, lol. I'd say try to terraform first before you start decorating, mapping out general areas you want to represent a specific thing (like a rock garden, barn, or painting area). (houses can be decorated to fit a theme, so that's something you can do on the side.) After that, decide on colors and a general theme, then start decorating with furniture. :3

 

[meggiewes]

What worked for me was giving myself permission to have no theme or ideas going in. I just started throwing cliffs and water around until I liked it. Then I decorated with fencing and trees and bushes. Then I threw in a couple of other items that weren't natural like a lighthouse and a barrel.

I would say start in a small area first. And then branch out. Two of the things that I couldn't get out of my head is wanting cliffs behind my resident services, opening up the secret beach area, and making my own little "secret beach" area surrounded by cliffs (since I put cliffs on my peninsula to make a cliff diving spot and a place for my lighthouse).

I am nowhere near done yet, but I have enough of a layout in my head that I feel confident enough to move around my shops and houses.

 

[Imbri]

I worked in small areas and then created connections and transitions between them. Not everything is the exact same style, but it ends up working because I stuck to my taste.

It's fine to go look at videos or dreams for ideas, especially in using items in new/unexpected ways. Then just try placing them in with your own ideas. I've been adjusting and tweaking things since launch and am just now getting to where I'm happy with it. Even then, there are definitely areas that need a lot of work, but that's also part of the game. I don't ever consider my towns/island to be "finished", as it will constantly evolve and morph as my interests and tastes change. The only thing I know is that the base will stay the same, in that I prefer more natural settings. Beyond that, anything can happen!

 

[Dracule]

I worked in small areas and then created connections and transitions between them. Not everything is the exact same style, but it ends up working because I stuck to my taste.

It's fine to go look at videos or dreams for ideas, especially in using items in new/unexpected ways. Then just try placing them in with your own ideas. I've been adjusting and tweaking things since launch and am just now getting to where I'm happy with it. Even then, there are definitely areas that need a lot of work, but that's also part of the game. I don't ever consider my towns/island to be "finished", as it will constantly evolve and morph as my interests and tastes change. The only thing I know is that the base will stay the same, in that I prefer more natural settings. Beyond that, anything can happen!

I like how you put this, and it would be a good idea for @LeAckerman to try doing what you’re suggesting. I tend to work in small areas as well, otherwise I become overwhelmed and take much longer breaks than I want to. There are times I’ve looked at certain terraformed parts from other islands and morphed it into my own. Not exact copying, but the general base to fit my island. It’s always good to see how others have styled their islands and fix it up to fit your needs. C: