Thoughts on a zen garden...?

[Dewy]

So at this point it almost feels like every island has an obligatory zen garden. There are just so many cute bamboo and Japanese themed items that it makes sense to have a dedicated area for them, unless your whole island is themed that way.

Anyway, my island has one of these areas. I’m using the imperial fencing, a red zen bridge, all the bamboo items and there’s of course a lot of bamboo plants. Overall I really like it and I think it’s pretty cute.

My problem now is that I’m not sure if I want to keep it, even though I like it. My island is floral-y, with lots of hedges and gardens and like a .. French chateau in the country vibe (lol idk how else I’d describe it).
The zen garden looks very nice but doesn’t necessarily fit the vibe of the rest of the island.

Also, I’m using six patterns in the zen garden. It looks really nice, but I’d love to have more space for patterns to use elsewhere on the island.

What do you think? Do you have or plan to have a zen area on your island? Does it look odd when it doesn’t fit the theme of the island?

Any advice or opinions are appreciated!

 

[elphieluvr]

I planned to have one but now I’m reconsidering lol. My island is named Arendelle and I’m trying to match it to the world of the movie Frozen as much as I can.

And yeah it is kind of a design cliche, but you make a good point that the game goes hard on Japanese (and Chinese, in the case of the imperial items) influenced furniture and design elements, so if you want to showcase them on an otherwise themed island, the zen garden is almost obligatory. Same as the playground and all the fun toy/kid-related items.

 

[Dewy]

I planned to have one but now I’m reconsidering lol. My island is named Arendelle and I’m trying to match it to the world of the movie Frozen as much as I can.

And yeah it is kind of a design cliche, but you make a good point that the game goes hard on Japanese (and Chinese, in the case of the imperial items) influenced furniture and design elements, so if you want to showcase them on an otherwise themed island, the zen garden is almost obligatory. Same as the playground and all the fun toy/kid-related items.

Yes exactly! I want to use the cool items but I wish they didn’t feel out of place on the island

 

[Ace Marvel]

I found a spot that fitted a zen garden perfectly, but it is more of a bath house than a zen garden.

 

[Blueskyy]

Zen garden was what I used my first set of fences on and tbh I still am so happy I have it.

 

[ceribells]

Haha, you're right, I have a bamboo forest too. I was expecting it to overrun the town like in NL, so I always planned to have it on a small 3rd level cliff, with a naturally occuring waterfall. I threw in a few decorative rocks, some stone lanterns, and some imperial fencing and called it a day. I don't think it's too odd in my otherwise foresty town because it's so minimal and fairly isolated.
I also use the red zen bridge as my default bridge, so.

 

[Jacob]

Very early on I created a zen-style bamboo/cherry blossom area, but I'm definitely going to be taking it all down within the next few days. My island is neon themed/vaporwave inspired, so the red and green definitely do not match. I personally think zen areas are far too overdone and not really exciting to see anymore, but I'm sure there are ways you can merge the zen style and your islands aesthetic to make it super unique and cool!!

 

[Xara]

i’ve never created a zen garden and while a lot of people implement them into their designs, i think they really look nice! there’s definitely lots of items and plants in the game that’ll help make it look awesome aha

 

[dragonair]

If you have something else to put there and feel like it doesn't fit with your theme it makes more sense to get rid of it than keep it honestly! I would at least suggest taking screenshots just so you can look back at it but I really think it might feel more freeing to just use the space for something else!

 

[Carole]

I planned to have one but now I’m reconsidering lol. My island is named Arendelle and I’m trying to match it to the world of the movie Frozen as much as I can.

And yeah it is kind of a design cliche, but you make a good point that the game goes hard on Japanese (and Chinese, in the case of the imperial items) influenced furniture and design elements, so if you want to showcase them on an otherwise themed island, the zen garden is almost obligatory. Same as the playground and all the fun toy/kid-related items.

Ha ha! So true! In my case, I don't have a zen garden but I do have a playspace for kids (in the shopping area). My island isn't themed. I have many of the Asian inspired items scattered about wherever I think it might be fun to put them throughout the island.

 

[Dewy]

Hmm yeah I agree they’re definitely overdone. I think they look great but I’m getting tired of looking at mine tbh

I’m thinking I’ll take it down!

 

[ceribells]

Very early on I created a zen-style bamboo/cherry blossom area, but I'm definitely going to be taking it all down within the next few days. My island is neon themed/vaporwave inspired, so the red and green definitely do not match. I personally think zen areas are far too overdone and not really exciting to see anymore, but I'm sure there are ways you can merge the zen style and your islands aesthetic to make it super unique and cool!!

I'd love to see screenshots of your island.
Also think some of the "zen garden" stuff could be incorporated into that aesthetic with interesting effect - like Blade Runner-esque.