Today I'd like to offer a peek at the delightful designs some of my neighbours have come up with this season. In particular I've picked out five players (and that in itself was hard work!) who have not only been loyal to me in the game but have also been excellent contributors to the blog.
So without any further ado, let's take a look, and I do encourage you to click on the images for enlarged versions!
We start at the home of my first regular blog contributor, Fat Bear.
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| Far Bear |
Fat Bear has been my neighbour for longer than most, and has provided some excellent insight on the blog, particularly with regards to newly released boxes.
Fat Bear's restaurant of the same name has a number of paths for the bots which weave their way through a wild forest full of nice little details. The areas towards the bottom are around all year round, including the futuristic zone which houses the Digital Solar System and Holographic Food Shelf.
But it's the outdoor section I'd like to home in on to take a closer look.
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| Wild section of Fat Bear |
There are many Fallen Trees have been placed to create the feel of a wood, and all manner of items tucked away among them. There are several White Christmas Trees positioned to get that Christmassy atmosphere through, and perhaps they help light the way for any customers who get lost in the woods! The Reindeer Tracks floor tile ensures that Winter is the season of the day.
I love how the North Pole Sign has been placed at the juncture where the different paths all meet, meaning it truly acts as a signpost. You'll notice the Haunted Clock Tower in the far corner - Fat Bear has a fascination with Halloween which results in a spooky element all year round, and the clock tower is the perfect fit to add an eeriness to the wild area. Flanking the entrance with a pair of Desert Hounds is a masterstroke!
Lastly, if you look carefully in the second picture you might spot a spoilt pan of Eyeball Stew. That's right, Fat Bear is continuing to take admissions to see the splendour of this Halloween recipe which stood unspoilt on an appliance for longer than any food in Restaurant Story history. The Lab Assistant continues to make sure it looks as revolting as ever!
Our next exhibit on this all encompassing tour is The Red Chair, the home of LauraBeth.
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| The Red Chair |
As a result of being a newer restaurant, The Red Chair is smaller than the other places being showcased today, but you don't need a lot of space for fancy decorating! Notice the Mother's Day Bear playing the role of host? It's so cute, not least because it can hardly see over the top of the host table!
There are several other small but highly sought-after items dotted around, including a Pink Tree in the middle of the kitchen area and a Blue Tree next to the Holiday Fireplace. Laura has also invested in the Festive Frenchie and Holiday Cake Display.
At the other end of the scale the gigantic Snow Globe Fountain is the centrepiece of The Red Chair, with the Round Tables strategically placed all around with Santa Chairs to accompany. And Grandma's Kitchen is also on show and positioned in such a way that it is attached to the main kitchen.
Let's put the focus on the left corner where there's a dusting of snow.
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| Reindeer section of The Red Chair |
The reindeer section looks really cool. The Reindeer Grove is an outstanding goal prize, but Laura has taken it one step further by placing some Stone flooring to act as a path leading up to the reindeer hangout. This path could even pass as a driveway (or runway!) for the sleigh!
Now to take a trip down to another dear neighbour, Black Pepper.
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| Black Pepper |
Black Pepper has probably contributed more comments than anyone on the blog, and has induced some superb discussions over time.
It's difficult to know where to start with this one! Like my diner, Black Pepper has a number of themed sections which all have a seasonal touch right now. Observe that the active seating area is a closed zone which is very subtle and is designed to improve efficiency. It's very tricky to combine a pretty layout with feeding pens, but Black Pepper has done that!
In the near corner the Cider Bar is the premium product but there's a plethora of other items also on show. They all play into the woody colour scheme really well, and I love the way the Pear Chairs have been scattered around. This is the place to come for your Christmas fix of cider!
Over in the left corner there's a homely feel as a family settle down for an Autumn Party. This piece itself may be out of season, but it actually works really nicely for Christmas when given a festive surrounding. The Mr. Clock is slumping in the corner next to Gran's Phonograph. And along from there the ever-popular Holiday Fireplace makes another appearance, this time with the Gift Pile alongside. They're both bright and vibrant decorations which make for a great combination.
Let's take a closer inspection of that outdoor area.
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| Outdoor section of Black Pepper |
The Locomotive is fast becoming a signature of Black Pepper's having been everpresent since being purchased upon release. Currently its playing the role of the Polar Express, and is arriving at the North Pole in this scene. There's so much action in this shot alone, from the Snow Angels and Tandem Bike to the Train Conductor and Snowball Fight.
It's the Snowball Fight I most adore, but when these pieces are put together it all goes to another level. Like myself, Black Pepper was relieved to see the Reindeer Tracks added this month as without them this picturesque scene just wouldn't have been the same.
The far corner contains a variety of items including the Holiday Train and North Pole HQ. As is so often the case, it's the flooring which brings it all together, with the Sparke tile in use. It's an expensive one, but Black Pepper has justified it here - there's a certain magic which it adds to proceedings.
Time to jump on the Polar Express and get to our next destination, Garden party.
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| Garden party |
This is the restaurant of Trisha Lovetrove, who hasn't actually contributed as much as the others featured in this showcase, but her creativity and attention to detail meant I just couldn't leave her out!
For Christmas Trisha has created a street with a number of different designs. The right corner has a homely feel and encourages decent efficiency when it comes to cash flow. The Nutcracker Waiter is my favourite feature here because as he's standing at the door he must be offering free tasters to the customers!
Christmas 2014
Down in the near corner candy canes are the theme. Trisha has lots of reds and whites on the go with six Candy Cane Tables in the middle. The arrangement of counters plays into this pattern too as do the Holiday Cake Display and Gingerbread Dividers. Even the Swedish Server is getting into the Christmas spirit - her apron is red and white!
Heading to the left corner the Snow Angels take precedence, but the Crystal Penguins are playing in the snow too. Generally there's just a very happy atmosphere in this place, demonstrated by the playful Little Helper who is sitting amongst the trees.
In Garden party, it goes without saying that the section to zoom in on is the rooftop.
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| Rooftop section of Garden party |
Here we have a home with a roof! This in itself is an outstanding achievement in design and it isn't the first time I've seen Trisha do amazing things with those Riverboat Railings! The Reindeer Tracks floor tile is prevalent on the rooftop - it's almost like it was created by TeamLava with Trisha's layout in mind!
Then there are six Christmas Reindeer pulling the Gingerbread Sleigh. But a closer look will yield another couple of fantastic drops of creativity. A Sleigh Chair has been strategically placed at the rear to give Santa somewhere to sit since there's a Holiday Bear taking the reins up front! The bear is actually placed behind the sleigh but in such a way to give a brilliant illusion.
Then there's the Gourmet Chef Santa. In reality he holds a tray of turkey, but Trisha has stuck a Holiday Bear in front of him to give the impression that Santa is about to drop a present down the chimney! This inventiveness is customary at Garden party!
We're almost at the end of this journey, but there's one last restaurant we need to visit, and that is Nibble and Noms.
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| Nibble and Noms |
This diner is owned by Whipped Cream who not only provides her thoughts on this blog, but runs another blog called That Bakery Story which has the same general format as this one but revolves around Restaurant Story's sister game.
There are three main sections in Nibble and Noms, with each focusing on a different aspect of this most wonderful time of year. The first is an outdoor zone where, in a break from the norm, there isn't a total covering of snow. Instead it comes in patches, with the Dandelion Field flooring ensuring there is a small amount of snow on every tile, even if it's just a few flakes. The Snowy Fountain and White Christmas Tree both feature in this chilly area, while the Playful Parasol's brolly is a necessity if she is to keep dry!
In the middle section we've once again got a warm and cosy theme. The Christmas Visitor overlooks a festive banquet being run by the Wedding Caterers. It was a shrewd move by Whipped Cream to include this particular decoration - on the face of it this piece just doesn't belong to a Christmas theme but it actually works really well. At the end of the area there's a range of goodies including the Cozy Couch and Wine Cart. Plus the Holiday Fireplace makes another appearance - I did say it was popular!
It's the third zone I want to put the focus on, where there's a big New Year celebration in full swing.
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| New Year section of Nibble and Noms |
The New Year Party is a standout item and really is a must-have in order to do New Year decorating justice, but Whipped Cream has padded out the rest of the section so well that it blends smoothly into its surroundings. The Golden Tables and Mardi Gras Chairs combine beautifully and with the Golden Italian and Purple flooring it all marries together excellently.
The Baroque Columns flanking the door add to the sophistication of this New Year occasion, as do the Bubbly Fountains and Party Cart. All in all Whipped Cream has done a fabulous job of decorating for New Year - this is definitely the party I'm attending next week!
So there you have it. I spend so much time giving glimpses of my own restaurant that it's been really fun to offer up an insight into the stuff a few of my blog-contributing neighbours have been getting up to for Christmas. And I'm sure they'll all continue to inspire with their magnificent decorating well into 2015!
Well I'll be darned if this isn't the most flattering description of my restaurant I've ever read! Best Christmas present ever :) Thank you for including me in this showcase! I'm honored to have been one of the five lucky neighbors receiving a shout-out.
ReplyDeleteAnd the other restaurants look so amazing! Fat Bear is as spooky as ever, and I've definitely drawn some major inspiration from the thick canopy of Fallen Trees. I also really like that the bots have to walk through the forest into the cozy eating area. There's something very fairytale-like about bots coming in from the cold, having to walk by a haunted tower, into a welcoming warm restaurant. Or perhaps it should be sci-fi since there's a mad scientist manning the stoves? ;)
The Red Chair's Christmas layout looks fantastic. I love the arrangement of tables and chairs around the fountain (red chairs! :D). I would never have guessed that The Red Chair was a Level 80 restaurant; it looks much better than some Level 99 restaurants I've seen! (Not counting the ones here, of course :P)
And what can I say about Black Pepper that you haven't said already? Each section is so well thought-out and finished with the choicest of decorations, and while they're all distinct, they work together really well. I'll be very interested to see where that Locomotive takes us in the coming months! :)
Garden party is the first restaurant I've seen to utilize a rooftop design, but it's such a clever concept and looks awesome! I also love the arrangement of bots and other floor decorations in her restaurant - the roadside carolers, kids enjoying the snow off to the side, and a welcoming seating area all make this place look so festive and inviting. And the street is one of the best I've seen implemented in Restaurant Story.
And then there's me! :D
I remember you posted on my wall about the Wedding Caterers back when my sections were beginning to materialize. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to put them in either after my Thanksgiving decoration, but their formal apparel, the coloring and style of the table, and the fact they're serving soups (at least, I think of the foods as soups) just compelled me to have them in my restaurant. I'm glad for it, too; they just complete my middle Christmas section. Shrewd, indeed! ;)
I'm also happy you chose to focus on my New Year's section :D I took a lot of care to decorate this section as there weren't too many real New Year's items on the market, so I'm really happy everything looks deliberate and well-coordinated ;) I'm glad you're making this your go-to New Year's destination, and of course you have an invite to the party, but don't you have your own party in The Garlic Tree to host?? :P
P.S. Thanks for the shout-out to TBSB ;)
There's some fantastic descriptions in there Whipped Cream - great comment!
DeleteYour New Year section is probably the best I've seen actually. You have to be creative with it because of the shortfall of content and you've certainly managed that!
As for New Year parties, the one in The Garlic Tree started more than three weeks ago so is beginning to lose some of its gusto. My staff and I are going to gatecrash yours! :D
As silly as it may seem to some, decorating in Restaurant Story gives me an unreasonable amount of real life pleasure. So I can't lie, reading your post gave me a little swell of pride and I am honored to be included.
ReplyDeleteYour detailed descriptions too, gave me an even deeper appreciation for other's decorating efforts, several of them already neighbors of mine as well!
I love your blog but I do tend to be a "lurker", and usually find that your comprehensive post or another's thoughtful comments have covered everything I would think of to say. However, as I find myself spending more and more time here I will certainly start contributing more. I even made a new account for exactly that purpose! :D So you will definitely see more of me. And I was really happy to learn about Whipped Cream's blog, since I play this and Bakery Story equally and enjoy them both for the same reasons.
Thank you again!
Well, it seems that we are all commenting on our showcase!... I must say, that I’m sure it would have been hard to try to comment and give equal praise to each of the restaurants you chose, and you made such wonderful descriptions – it’s been said many a time here on your blog; you certainly do have a way with words, and you’ve used them to make some RS players quite happy this holiday season, so thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI’m so very glad you chose Christmas to provide this showcase; this is the first time I had gone ‘all out’ and not scrimped or saved on a tile here or there (you know when you sometimes don’t want to fork out the full $5000 for a tile when only the corner of it will be seen, so you pick something similar and cheaper? – or maybe this is just me!!) well this time I did not do this, all stops were pulled, and it also happens to be the first time I’ve redecorated my entire restaurant with a single theme.
I understand what you said too Garden Party; designing new, interesting and unique layouts for my restaurant has given me so much joy, and of course it’s so flattering to be recognised for it. I’m neighbours with everyone you chose to showcase, and I’m very happy for that – the thing that has multiplied my enjoyment of the game is the social factor; the daily comments and recognition going back and forward about the creativity of so many individuals.
This has been my favourite restaurant story season, many thanks to you for providing this wonderful blog, and thanks to my many wonderful neighbours!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
You really have some amazingly creative friends, just like yourself!
ReplyDeleteIn the Garden Party - that Sleigh Chair, and the Gourmet Santa Chef with Holiday Bear... just, brilliant. I really believed it was one item with santa holding a bear toy, until I read the description...!
Thank you for amazing posts this year, and Happy holidays!
Thanks bittersweet, and to Garden Party and Black Pepper too for your kind words.
DeleteIt was a pleasure to write this post! It was something a bit different and definitely something I'd like to do again sometime! :)