Christmas Expo 2013 – The Atelier Visconti Set Vanite

December 3, 2013December 3, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

‘Shabby Chic’ is one of those looks that it is incredibly difficult to get just right. You can end up with a room that looks more shabby than chic for starters, and finding just the right items can be a nightmare. There are lots of fans of this interior styling in-world, and they are guaranteed to squeal with delight when they see this beautiful new release from ATELIER VISCONTI.

This is the Atelier Visconti Set Vanite, and it will be available at the Christmas Expo 2013. The set includes a large, comfortable chair with matching pouffe and an exceptionally elegant console table. The detailing on the console is just sublime; it’s a real work of art. The collection is accessorised with a number of bird cages (one static, one hanging), some embroidery prints, an exceptionally cute alarm clock and a rug to finish.

Every single piece in this collection is textured and shaded exquisitely and is materials ready, but then again, what would you expect from Stephan Visconti? He’s a designer with great skill and flair, and this is exactly the kind of quality furniture that we’ve come to expect from him.

The carpet, pouffe, chair and chair cushions can be retextured via HUD so that you can mix and match for your perfect look. There are a number of vibrant colours and patterns to pick from; the red and white selection is especially festive for this time of year. Of course there are poses installed in the furniture too; singles and couples poses that work really well and the cuddles are very nice indeed. It’s a very cosy, stylish and ultimately pretty set that will look great in your home, and can be purchased, as I mentioned before, at the 2013 Christmas Expo 2013 in support of Relay for Life of Second Life and the American Cancer Society.

This will be the 3rd annual Expo and will open on Thursday, December 5th, 2013 at 10am slt, and will end at 10am slt on Sunday, December 15th. It promises to be a fantastic event, with four regions of Christmas celebrations in a Victorian style. There will be shopping from over 50 vendors (including Stephan, obviously), and you can even visit Santa to have your picture taken! If you’d like a complete list of activities that will be taking place, check out the official blog. I’ll also be featuring some selections from the event on these pages too, so stay tuned.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, have you noticed?

Under The Fountain Bridge..

August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 2 Comments

It is always a humongous honour when a creator drops something on me to feature on my blog.

I try my level best to blog everything I receive; but real life has a way of interfering with my blogging plans so I don’t always have the time to write a post that will do something special the justice that it rightly deserves, but when Stephan Visconti dropped his latest creation on me I KNEW I had to find the time to tell you about it, because it is a thing of beauty and you will probably want one.

Reader, I present to you the Atelier Visconti Fountain Bridge. Bloody lovely, isn’t it?

If you have land you NEED one of these in your life. It really is a lovely thing to behold. Uber romantic and whimsical, I can think of a zillion builds where this would make a wonderful addition to the sim. If you have a store somewhere this would look gorgeous incorporated into the landscaping. Guys, it’s a must-have.

Like everything created by Stephan, this is crafted to incredibly high standards and features excellent texture and detail. Despite being a relatively simple item, a bridge over a fountain base, it is incredibly effective. The shape looks realistic and in proportion, with the textures chosen for the stonework (and especially the railings) very satisfying to the eye. The fountain element is just right too because it doesn’t overpower the structure yet offers subtle enhancement to a very effective piece of mesh architecture.

Imagine this placed on your land with some sympathetic tree and plant placements surrounding it and I’m sure you can visualise just how sensational it will look.

But it doesn’t just look nice, it features some really neat poses too. In fact, there are 21 poses including individual unisex, male and female poses as well as a lovely little selection of couples poses that Jez and I enjoyed playing around with very much.

Sadly, I don’t have enough land available to me to do this structure the pictorial it deserves, so you’ll have to forgive me for that. I headed over to a sandbox though and tried my best because I really wanted to demonstrate to you a few of the poses and how good they look. You will capture some wonderfully romantic moments using this bridge as your backdrop, as I hope the shot below demonstrates. (Jez did throw me in a few minutes after this shot was taken mind. but he is a git like that!) It strikes me that this would be a wonderful Wedding backdrop and would capture some very precious memories for your album..

What else can I share about this beautiful bridge? Well it’s MOD/COPY/NO TRANS for a start, meaning that you can resize and make whatever changes you require. However, there is a catch..

There will be just 100 Fountain Bridges available as part of ‘The 24’ event which begins on Friday 23rd August, so you will have to be quick to get yourself one of these limited edition items before they sell out, and they will, fast!

If you want to find out more about the event then CLICK HERE to read all the details on the official blog. I really cannot compliment this build enough and genuinely think that if you have a build that needs a finishing touch to make it extra special then you’d be wise to purchase one of these beautiful bridges.

I’ll be featuring some more content from this exclusive event tomorrow…don’t miss it!

Kitty Loves ‘The Etienne Set’ From Atelier Visconti

July 5, 2013July 5, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 8 Comments

(Click on any image to enlarge)

I talk about texture a lot on the blog, but that’s because it’s so important. I mean, it’s one of the most essential elements of successful Second Life design, and it continues to amaze me when I come across shoddily manufactured items on sale, with textures that look like they’ve been dragged from a bargain basement bin. Why would you want to pay for an inferior product when a few Lindens more can get you something sensational?

A lot of people seem to think that because this is a virtual world everything should be cheap and cheerful and if that’s the way you want to play then that’s fine, but for me I get a real buzz out of something when it has clearly been crafted and worked upon with great care and sympathy towards the finished product. It doesn’t matter what it is, if the quality is there it will speak volumes about the creator, and of course about the eventual owner.

Today I’m sharing with you a collection of furniture that really evokes these quality principles. Nothing could be simpler in Second Life than making a sofa, chair and table combination but this is where a designer worth their onions can make a huge impact. It’s not just about the shape, but also about the texture, functionality and the overall quality of the finished product. Rather than a ‘bish, bash, bosh made it lets sell it’ approach, the conscientious content-creator will take their time and the results will naturally reflect this.

The Etienne Set from Atelier Visconti is a prime example of this ethos and features beautiful workmanship at a very reasonable price. This is an original mesh set aimed at outdoor dining, featuring a gazebo with delicate gauze curtains, a sofa,armchair, side table, low table and lanterns. It’s a perfect blend of quality elements with the textures that Stephan Visconti has selected for this piece turning it into a sensation.

The cushions are a gloriously comfortable spread of materials on a sturdy wicker base. The cloth textures look like a mixture of cotton, and I think some linen as well. The placement of textures and shadows along with the combination of fabrics mean that this sofa and chair look really relaxing and cozy but with a contemporary edge. I want to sit on this in real life, desperately. (We have a shop in my home-town that sells furniture like this but it’s well out of my price range and I’ve always wanted some. Now I’ve got some, sorta..YAY!)

What is even better is that the sofa fabrics can be changed to suit your own tastes. That’s actually a bit of an understatement really, because there are 24 textures resulting in 432 colour combinations. YIKES! (I didn’t do the maths!) This means you can chop and change your furniture look to suit mood and setting. All of the choices are equally excellent, and it’s fabulous fun selecting options from the HUD (great hud too, nice and easy to use!) to co-ordinate and contrast.

Etienne features quite a classical, muted colour-palette which I really like; the trend at present is for really loud hues but I like something that will look the part for a long time to come. In particular I really rate the patterned cushions with their floral design because they aren’t overpowering and don’t take away from the look of the overall piece.

Incidentally there’s another thoughtful touch, and that is that the chair and sofa have separate texture HUDS ; this means that you can really contrast your furniture pieces and create a look that’s unique to you.

But the quality isn’t just limited to the larger furniture pieces; it extends to the tables too. These are both stone topped tables adorned with excellent marble textures. Both the side table and low table feature different furniture patterns yet both work wonderfully together and are enhanced by the lanterns; one lit and one static that can be placed in or around the setting to create a gentle ambience. Not only that, but they’re juxtaposed perfectly with their elegant Verdigris framework that also extends to the foot of the sofa and chairs; and to the stunning, elegant Gazebo.

The Etienne Set is a creation that has lots of ‘zoomability’; and you will take great photographs using these pieces as your setting and I recommend that using these pieces you do just that.

But it’s not just about appearance, it’s about function too, and the sofa and chair both have an extensive range of poses for males, females and couples. When I say extensive, I’m under-playing it a little. There are 54 animations in the sofa (31 single, 23 friends/couples) and 33 in the chair (23 singles/10 couple) That’s an astonishing amount and yet again a further example of the quality of this piece. The poses are all excellent too, with a few quirky choices thrown in. For example there’s a nice lean onto the wicker arm, and a great pose called ‘curler’ which is me when I’ve got a hangover. (Try it; you’ll see exactly where I am coming from!)

It should be apparent by now dear reader that once you rez this furniture you’ll instantly see that a lot of thought, time and care has gone into its production and that’s something that I really value as a customer. Be assured that Etienne is going to win admiring glances from your peers, and it’s going to be extremely popular to get comfy on too. I don’t think it’s limited to being an outdoor piece either, exclude the gazebo and you have furniture that will work extremely well in a living room setting.

For now mine is erected on my patio, facing over the water. I can sit under my gazebo and gaze into the Second Life night sky as the stars begin to twinkle and it feels really good.

And that after all isn’t that what life it is all about; real or virtual?

I cannot recommend Etienne enough, please go and see if for yourself by clicking HERE.

Set containing ALL pieces (Gazebo, Sofa, Armchair, Side Table, Low table and lanterns(on static, one lit) has a total land impact of 28 and will set you back a mere L$1700. Which is a ruddy bargain for original mesh of such quality. Pieces are also available individually too.

A Blogger’s Despair….

July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 6 Comments

Kitty sobbing at her keyboard earlier…

The past few hours have NOT been kind to me blog-wise.

I’ve been really conscious of my lack of blogging over the past few days. I’d gotten into a rhythm during the Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge, and I’ve been surprised to note that I’m missing blogging so frequently. Writing takes up a lot of time and of course I have to devote some of that to real life, but even so, it appears I had got into the daily habit and I was pining for it!
So last night I sat down and opened up Second Life to check my inventory and IM’s. I had a couple of blog-posts in mind and was going to start about writing them in earnest, when I spotted that I’d received a review package from Atelier Visconti, which really made me squeal with excitement. ( I did squeal actually, so much that ‘Jez’ shouted at me from his office down the hall!) My reaction though was pretty justified. Stephan Visconti makes bloody fantastic stuff, so the prospect of opening up a review box from him and seeing what was inside was a gloriously self-indulgent one indeed.

But alas, Second Life has a special talent for crashing your plans into a dirty heap upon the floor, and when I searched my inventory said package couldn’t be found. I spent ages, hunted high and low for it in a Morten Harket style, and even cleared cache and went through the whole rigmarole of re-loading my inventory. But the package had gone, leaving me pretty piddled off.
No matter. I was a Girl Guide in my youth after all, and I am all about ‘being prepared’. So I zoomed over to the main-store and thought I’d play about with the set in-situ, so at least I could blog it. There would be limitations alas (I wouldn’t be able to change the colour of the cushions, couldn’t position/take photos how I wanted to) BUT no biggy. I would do this creation justice!
Before I went to bed last night I sat down at my desk and wrote a few paragraphs and I was pretty pleased with what I had written. Sometimes when you’re writing something just clicks and a post feels really good. I was on a roll last night. My post was funny, I was enjoying writing it and I really was a girl on fire (In an Alicia Keys style, not due to a yeast infection.)
So imagine the expression upon my chops as I’ve just sat down to reopen my Word document to carry on writing my review and discovered that it’s gone. To say I look like a bulldog chewing a wasp is putting it mildly.
Well, let me elaborate, the document is there, but the four or five paragraphs I had written have disappeared. The page is blank. This vexes me. I am TERRIBLY vexed.
I’ve tried everything and realised that Mercury’s retrograde at the moment so I’m blaming that for my misfortune. I’ve cursed and yowled and would punt my PC out of the window if it wasn’t for the fact that I love it so much, but to say I’m annoyed is putting it bluntly.
Normal blogging service will therefore resume once I’ve calmed down a tad. It’ll take a few cups of tea and perhaps a chocolate biscuit, but I fully intend to blog ‘The Etienne Set’ by Atelier Visconti when I’m feeling a little more Kitty like!