Splish Splash Kitty’s Taking a bath!

March 18, 2014March 18, 2014 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

(Click on each shot for a bigger and better look!)

As all of my regular readers know I’m a huge fan of Ria Bazar-Mavendorf’s work. I’ve been blogging Ria’s items now for well over a year, and each release is consistently awesome, with fabulous builds, textures and innovative features carefully blended to create some of the best furniture in the virtual world. The ‘Floria’ series has been a particular delight, combining elegant textures and fabrics together in a classical style with a gentle, modern twist, and the latest addition to the collection is no exception. The Floria Bathroom is one of the most extravagant bathrooms experiences you can have in Second Life and comes complete with mesh components full of options that will help you to engineer the perfect bathroom for your virtual home. Like all of the Floria range the bathroom is texture change so the units can be altered to whatever finish you see fit with the same wood characteristics and colours that were previously used in the range.

This makes it an especially nice choice for en-suite bathrooms, particularly if you already have the Floria Bedroom.

(Just a couple of the colour options you can choose from..)

The quality is of course paramount, and the selection of accessories chosen for the set is rather brilliant too. There are matching sink units, with a mirror and accessories for him and her. There’s a decorative shelving unit which is ideal to place above the pedestal, especially because it features an air-freshener! There’s even a loo-brush and a toilet paper holder too. All the fixtures are further enhanced by a golden gleam courtesy of the metal colour deployed across the range which is applied to pipework, door-knobs and other fittings. The star of the show has to be the tub. It’s a huge, claw-footed tub ideal for two to relax in and is brimming with options. For a start, you can choose soapy water, romantic rose-petals or even a fabulous bubble-bath to luxuriate in. Not only that but you can rez a bath rack that has everything you need for your perfect bath-time experience. Choose from a book, carefully propped so that you won’t get the pages damp, a bottle of wine or a shaving mirror with bath-time creams and unguents to enjoy. There’s a menu teeming with animations for single males or females, and there are couple poses too, which I really enjoyed. These are perfect for romantic moments with your significant other, and all the poses can be easily adjusted. I really like the option to rez candles around the tub; add the rose petal option and you’re all set to take advantage of the Adult only options that are available..

It’s not just the tub that is full of animations either; the sink units have options such as brushing and drying your hair or having a shave, each one rezzing the right appliance for the job. And if you need to use the loo, you can do so in comfort whilst reading a magazine. A novel and very amusing touch indeed! To finish the set there’s a side table brimming with towels and bath treats as well as a beautiful candelabra with four flickering candles to add a touch of opulence to proceedings. There’s even a lovely screen to help protect your modesty too.

The Floria Bathroom is a wonderful addition to all of the ‘Floria’ range from Bazar, but will work in any virtual abode or skybox where luxury and low-prim count are key.

And don’t forget, there are no tide-marks or mess to clean up after all the fun, and you’ll have LOTS of soapy fun with this, I promise…*ahem*

Kitty & Jez CLICK HERE to visit BAZAR in-world.

Even More Fabulously Floria By Bazar!

September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

I’ve had a very pleasant day today, even though it’s been throwing it down with rain outside. I’ve been sat at my desk drinking mugs of hot steaming tea and catching up with e-mails, all the while feeling snug-as-a-bug in my Kigu. Eventually,I found time to log on so that I could catch up with my blogging and take the photos that I needed to accompany this post. I released a short while ago that I’ve been sat here for hours, and you know what? I have loved EVERY minute.

Blogging is my happy time and Second Life is my happy place Taking photos and writing about the things that make my virtual existence so worthwhile fills me with joy. I consider myself very blessed indeed.

And my blessings are many today, because I’m blogging one of my favourite stores again today, and that store is of course BAZAR. Regular readers are well aware by now that I’ve blogged Bazar many, many times, and I will continue to do so whilst Ria Bazar-Mavendorf keeps making such beautiful furnishings and homes. Today I’m going to be featuring some new additions to the Floria range. I have already raved about the Floria Bedroom, which is the style that I have adopted for my bedroom at home and I truly adore it. I’ve also blogged the Floria Dining Room, an elegant dining solution that is perfect for evening soirees with Second Life chums.

Today I’m going to be featuring the Floria Living Room and Floria Kitchen.

It was with some joy that I learned Ria had created a Floria Living Room and Kitchen in the same classical stying that I had enthused about before. Of course I couldn’t wait to open the boxes and discover what was inside. As I’ve said before, that apprehension you experience when you’re opening a review box is pretty special indeed; it’s like opening a surprise at Christmas or paying a Gacha machine and waiting those few tantalising milliseconds before you see your prize. Of course, I wasn’t disappointed by what I discovered at all.

The Floria range, as we’ve established before, is a complete furniture solution for the more classically styled Second Life home. The design features elegant lines and shapes that evoke a bygone era, but are finished with a modern flourish that brings the range bang up to date. The pieces in the collection are so well made that you will find that both traditional and ultramodern accessories work extremely well with the entire range, helping you to create a sumptuous abode. Floria is indulgent and expensive (in appearance at least) Second Life styling, make no mistake about that.

What makes this range stand out are the options that come with each package. You can colour change the wood in all the Floria ensembles, and some of the soft furnishings too. This is taken to yet another level with the Floria Living Room which includes a number of exquisite components such as coffee and console tables, lamp, curtains and cabinet, but the piece that brings them all together is the sumptuous sofa with both the cushions and fabric holding texture-change options. This flexibility inherent in the range means that you can change your environment on a whim to suit your tastes at that moment.

A sensual atmosphere can be created by choosing dark, or even black wood options on the furniture and selecting a corresponding fabric, curtains and cushion pattern to suit. Not only that, but the sofa incorporates a fantastic array of poses for both male and female avatars. Like previous Bazar release there is the option to rez props to enable your avatar to read a book, surf the internet and a number of other actions too, but I don’t like telling you about all of the menu options, because it’s so much fun finding them out for yourself!

Something I wasn’t expecting in the sofa was the ‘Lovescene’ option. This is something I’ve only ever encountered once before, and it doesn’t take much imagination to work out what it’s all about. Instead of an Adult menu with poses for one action requiring intervention at frankly inappropriate moments, ‘lovescenes;’ allow for a fusion of different actions allowing for a very natural, intimate experience. For the sake of the blog I can confirm that I have fully-tested these (fabulous!) actions (Poor Jez!) and must advise that these animations are not for the faint of heart. If I dabbled in such behaviour on a regular basis I’d fear for my eyesight!

One of the joys of Bazar furniture has always been the functionality, and Ria has really spoiled us with the elements in the Floria Living Room. Not only are there all the texture change and animation options, but you can also click on the coffee table to rez props such as wine, and cake. Perfect for high tea with friends or a loved one before you push the coffee table out of the way and embark on an epic rumpo session on the sofa…ahem.

There’s nothing that I dislike about this living room. The tall dresser has a built-in display case featuring decorated plates and books, and there’s even space for a few of your own items in there too. I love the curtains and their vast array of fabric textures, complimented with an elegant railing and luxurious golden cord and tassel which coordinates perfectly with the opulent chandelier.

For my pictures I’ve added a few Arcade winnings to show you how beautifully the collection works with other quality items that can be found upon the grid, and I’ve also included a few of the texture combinations that you can make. Fabulous isn’t it?

Of course, once you’ve exhausted yourself in the Living Room, then it’s a good time to pop into the kitchen and replenish lost energy with a tasty snack. The Floria Kitchen complements the Living room, Dining Room and Bedroom outfits perfectly, with a traditional kitchen appearance, simple fixtures and metal fittings in the same gold tone that is carried throughout the range. It’s quite beautiful.

The kitchen also has a simpler light fitting that’s more in common with the kitchen theme, but it works just as well as all the grandiose living room chandelier.The centrepiece of the room is the large kitchen island.

Like the other pieces throughout the range, clicking on the furniture will enable for texture change as well as a menu of poses and movements. The menu in the kitchen features quality animations ut with a twist; this time you can embark on a number of kitchen-related tasks such as washing the dishes and preparing food.

It’s always nice to be surprised in a metaverse where you think you’ve seen it all, and it’s the first time in Second Life that I’ve ever come across the option to descale a fish!

Kitchen Kitty

You can also enjoy a drink of wine with your partner or friends, and there are some more adult-themed animations too, for those who like to use their kitchen for making whoopee as much as jam. (Or cake…I do like the fact that a cake is always a feature in Bazar menus!) I genuinely adore Floria. Everytime that Ria has released a new addition to this range it has excited me and entranced me which I must confess is unexpected, because my tastes are more modern when it comes to home furnishings, hence my adoration of the Arizona and Toronto Bazar sets. But the fact that Floria has me well and truly under its spell is down to the fact that it is quite simply some of the most beautiful and functional furniture I’ve seen in-world yet, and I admit it leaves me longing, yearning even for more. In fact, I feel greedy for even saying it, but there has to be a Floria Bathroom as well, surely?

And don’t even get me started on the prospect of a Floria House..that’s too much to wish for! Or is it….??

Check out the entirety of the Floria Range by clicking HERE to visit Ria on the marketplace.

Click HERE if you’d like to go in-world to see the furniture in the flesh, and come back tomorrow when I’ll be featuring even more BAZAR!

Bazar Floria Dining (Avatar Blogger Crossfit Challenge(Entry 26 of 30))

June 26, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

(Click on the picture to enlarge and have a closer look at the table layouts!)

I swear I’m not a one woman Bazar appreciation society, I really do, BUT when Ria Bazar Mavendorf keeps dropping awesome on the grid then I’m going to rave about it.

A few weeks ago I blogged the Floria bedroom. I instantly fell in love with it, and it’s still laid out in my house looking awesome. I’ve added a few pieces to it to compliment but I can honestly say I’ve never been happier with my virtual sleepy-place.

So when Ria sent me a box called ‘Floria Dining Room’ I kind of had an inkling as to what the contents would be. If they were in keeping with the bedroom, then there would be romantic lines and feminine touches brought together with grace and class. I wasn’t wrong.

Floria Dining has the same styling as the matching bedroom, and features a table, chairs, chandelier, dresser and a potted plant. Like the bedroom before it the furniture is colour change, so you get TONS of options for your Lindens, although it has to be said that the pink and blue colour schemes that are included may well prove to be too much for some. (They were for me, hence I haven’t photographed them!) I do get the feeling that they will go down very well with the Lolita crowd, and leaving the pastels to one side you still get plenty of colour options to play with including dark and light wood, black and white solid colour and complimentary striped colour schemes too.

The dresser is elegant and includes tableware and glasses. The chandelier matches the sconces in the Floria Bedroom and is just the right height for an intimate dinner party setting. The light can be turned off and on, and is also colour change too, a thoughtful touch. The potted plant is, to be honest, a little disappointing. The pot is great but the plant isn’t anything to write home about especially. But that’s a minor quibble, because on the whole this is a quality dining set and that’s proven when you sit at the table to begin your feast.

The table can accommodate 2, 4 or 6 persons. It’s menu controlled, and you have a choice of tea and cake, wine or coffee. When you rez your selection the table comes to life and it’s a sight for sore eyes. It’s beautifully decorated with linens, cutlery, flowers and foodstuffs depending upon the setting.

There are candles, and cheeses and oh my goodness you should see the chocolate cake!! It’s utterly resplendent, incredibly posh and luxurious and the whole ensemble works beautifully in both a formal home setting and a more modern environment. I absolutely adore it, and the visual feast is enhanced by the animations that you can select from the chairs, and of course you’re automatically issued with cutlery, glasses and all the tableware you need to attach to your avatar and fully live the dinner party experience.

The’ Floria Dining Set’ proves yet again that Ria Bazar Mavendorf is a thoughtful designer because she always adds quality finishing touches to her furniture items, and each time she issues a new release it leaves me longing for more.

I’ve become so enamoured with the brand that I confess it’s made me greedy, but when creative work is consistently this good it’s to be expected. I’m wondering now if there are going to be further additions to the Floria series, such as a Living Room and Bathroom ,and if there are I can see them proving to be exceptionally popular with individuals whose taste in Second Life home furnishings is a little more classical than contemporary…

BUT as I said previously it does work in a modern setting. For my pictures I actually rezzed my absolute favourite skybox, ‘Apartment C’ from Commoner. This build is based upon Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment from ‘Sex and the City’ and it’s a fabulous dwelling. It is beautifully open plan, with kitchen and bathroom included, along with a closet to absolutely die for. (If you’re a fan of the show it’s a must have!) I rezzed the Floria Dining Room in the skybox, and just added a few cat prints in Barnesworth Anubis’s fabulous ‘Four Frame Grid (Oak)’ et voila! A stunning look for formal dining in a casual setting, and I love it. What do you think?

Click here to teleport to Bazar to experience Floria Dining for yourself!

STOP PRESS: There is indeed a kitchen too! WEEE!