Kitty Is Tantalised And Tormented By Toronto!

September 8, 2013September 8, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I promised you ANOTHER Bazar blog-post yesterday.

Unfortunately my plans took a bit of an awkward turn, meaning I didn’t get to spend any time in-world at all, so please forgive my delay.

I promise I’ll make up for it by telling you about the latest BAZAR home release, the delightful Toronto House.

But first, some background. My home is of course the Arizona House by Bazar. This was my introduction to the brand, and I have (somewhat obviously) been a firm fan ever since, because the house is BEAUTIFUL. It’s spacious and has all the features a girl-about-town like this little Kitty could possibly need. It would take something really special for me to consider changing it. (Perhaps an update to the existing structure with a few extra rooms could be just what I need.. An Arizona #2 perhaps? Oh if wishing made it so!)

On Friday I spent most of the day in a sandbox taking pictures of the Floria furniture set that I blogged previously. As I was doing so, and having a kittygasm at it, Ria Bazar dropped a review package on me and I almost wet myself. It’s a good job that I wasn’t on voice at the time, because I made quite an excited ruckus! (Think the sound of a goose farting in the fog, yup, that’s me!)

Now, cast your minds back to The Home Show 2013. If you recall the Toronto furniture sets that Ria revealed there, then you’ll have an idea of what to expect from this build. The individual Toronto items proved extremely popular with their simple styling and texture changing options. Not only that but they have true universal appeal, being adaptable to both feminine and masculine home environments. Well Bazar now have the house to match the furniture, and my word it’s GOOD.

It’s NOT a huge build, but it’s beautifully structured, delightfully textured and boasts great structural features. It’s nothing less than a virtual architect’s dream abode.

(Now I tried to take some pictures but I was in a sandbox, and it was difficult to find just the right angle that would present this house in the glory that it rightfully deserves, so I defer to the marketplace snaps that Ria has uploaded to illustrate this post, with the exception of a quick interior shot further down the page.)

First things first, I REALLY love that this home takes on the industrial flourishes that are hinted at by the Toronto furniture range. The emphasis is on clean lines, brick, concrete and metal. It’s back to basics but done so beautifully that it exudes a warmth that you would normally expect from a much grander build. The exterior is a delicious combination of wooden windows, bare brick and grey, weather worn concrete.. There’s a spacious patio area and a smaller deck to the rear. To the side is a metal exterior staircase leading to an open roof space perfect for after hours partying with friends. A nice touch is the tree that rises up the brickwork to the rear of the build with a flourish. An even nicer touch are the extra trees (including bare and leafy) and the grass texture that the house package includes, enabling sympathetic landscaping around the house. A thoughtful bonus.

Inside the property the focus is on crisp lines and structure. Open plan is the theme, with wooden beams and stunning brick archways. It’s a home that requires you to be conscious of the space that surrounds you and envelopes you in a surprisingly welcoming embrace. Despite the industrial elements in the design this is not a space that feels clinical, instead it exudes designer comfort.

house_7

Walk around the interior and when you look above you will find yourself in a space that suggests a warehouse heritage. It’s no surprise that there was a Toronto Arts and Crafts furniture set that would be perfect for this setting, because this home would be an artist’s dream with the large windows allowing for the home to be flooded with light. It’s clean, crisp and ripe for decoration; which I did a wee bit of, as you can see below:

To access the first floor you need to climb upstairs via the open wooden staircase into a large bedroom space with an adjoining bathroom. There’s a nice glass balcony that you can see above which denotes the first floor, and would make a great relaxation area with a sofa and a few potted plants to decorate, or even a spa-massage table.

Toronto’s small size makes it a great choice for smaller land plots. As I was enjoying it I considered it a perfect choice for landowners; a few of these houses neatly arrange would certainly make a really lovely home rental prospect. I must admit I started fantasising about having a number of these in a block and decorating them..such FUN!

This really is a great choice for a virtual home. With a 23×23 footprint, and a prim count of 219 ( the structure is 100% mesh) it’s going to leave you with ample prims to furnish on a small plot. Even better is the price; a structure of this quality should by rights cost an absolute arm and a leg, but it’s a very worthwhile investment at just L$1980.

It’s practically a steal at the price, and offers so much potential. Go and experience it in-world and consider making Toronto your virtual abode, I am absolutely sure that you won’t regret it.

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!

The Perfect Chair For Over There..

August 22, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

For that corner over there I need to find the perfect chair for getting comfortable while I read, surf, chat, knit, you know the kind of thing! Well, I don’t actually have to look very far to be honest, because BAZAR have created two stunning chairs for the 24 event I was talking about yesterday, and they will more than satisfy your comfy chair needs.

The ‘Summer 24 Chairs’ are available in either leather or fabric styles. There are also versions featuring a delicious fur throw, just right for covering your knees while you become engrossed in your latest read. As with all BAZAR products (and come on, by now you KNOW that I am a fan) they feature perfect texture choices and styling and are top-notch build quality.

The fabric version has a classic scallop-style print in neutral tones. The leather version features a really brilliant leather texture, perhaps the best I’ve seen in-world yet, and is a dark, chocolate colour. The wood for both is dark and modern, with a dusky pink cushion thrown in for good measure. The seat is deep and comfortable looking, which is important because there’s nothing worse than a sore bum when you’re enjoying a good read.

At the rear there are a couple of metal rivets to hold everything in place; not really an important detail I know, BUT the fact that this is paid attention to and treated with the same care as the rest of the chair confirms that this is quality work indeed. The fur throw is casually tossed to one side of the seat and features an exquisite fur that you just know would be super-soft and warm to the touch.

Like most BAZAR seating this comes complete with an array of poses for male and female avatars, and also features a great selection of prop-led poses, including this great telephone number…(Change your expression using an Anypose HUD and you have a great photo opportunity!)

Land Impact is a pretty damn negligible 2 points, and chairs are MOD/COPY/NO TRANS. Because they’re going to be featured at ‘The 24’ I assume that there will be limited quantities available of each chair, so as per my recommendation yesterday, be sure to get there early to bag yourself one of these seats!

Smashing aren’t they? Check out ‘the 24’ blog for more details. It’s going to be quite an event; I’ll see you there!

Kitty FINALLY Blogs..THE HOME SHOW 2013!!

July 21, 2013 by Lisa Millar ♥ 1 Comment

So, The Home Show. OK, I’m late to the blogging party for this one, profuse apologies galore, BUT better late than never!

You have until the end of the month to enjoy this event, eleven days to be precise, and enjoy it you will. Take ample Lindens, because as you stroll around the beautiful Culprit designed sim-build you are sure to find many items to tempt you to part with your lovely virtual cash.

By now there are plenty of posts listing the wares from each vendor, so I won’t do a rundown in that sense. What I will do is share my favourites with you, why I like them, and why I think you’ll like them too.

First up, ORGANICA. I’ve long thought that I didn’t have enough hanging plants in my virtual home, BUT they can be a bit primmy and some of the more ‘old-skool’ designs that are to be found for sale on the grid can look pretty naff. Organica provides however, with a rather wonderful array of hanging and potted plants especially created for the Home Show. I especially liked the ‘Hanging Ivy Planters’ and the ‘Hanging Bamboo Herb Planter’.

The Bamboo Herb Planter has found a place in my home in front of my writing desk,as you can see above, and it looks great against the window. It also offers up a little privacy against the neighbourhood too. Incidentally, the plants that it features are rosemary and sage and it has just 1 LI, which is very tidy indeed. (I imagine in real life it would smell amazing too!)

ZINNIAS is always a huge favourite of mine, purely because of the zinging colours and patterns that Zinnia Karu deploys so effortlessly into her designs. Her work mixes Mexican and South American styling with modern shapes and patterns to great effect. If you’re looking for something extraordinary, check out the Quetzalcoatl wall shelf, which will really brighten up a dingy corner , it features a pot-plant and maracas, everything perfect in detail and aspect. I am totally love with the chilli pepper tree so much that yes, it’s in my virtual home. The fabulous ‘Sol’ Patio Sofa looks just as good indoors as it does out, and check out the Neo-Urban fire bowl. I’m also using this at home to brighten up some decking and chairs and it makes for a beautiful evening outdoor ambiance.

The ‘Sydney’ sofa at MUDHONEY is beautifully constructed and textured and is exactly the kind of sofa I would love to sink into in real life. It just looks so bloody comfy, and is textured beautifully. The animations are excellent as always too, and there are singles and couples poses to enjoy. The Addison Chandelier complements it perfectly and is a brilliant modern take on the traditional Chandelier shape. I loved it so much I found a home for it in my kitchen (trust me, it really works!)

MICHIGAN’S SHACK has every gamer’s fantasy catered to with a fabulous retro gaming sofa, arcade cab, table and wall art. (This is the kind of furniture I’m sure my beloved would love in real life. In fact, he has 24 arcade machines already so I sort of wish he had those in Second Life and this furniture in his real one instead!)

My winner though has to be BAZAR. Yes, I know it seems like this blog has become the unofficial Bazar fan-club, but in all seriousness the work created by Ria Bazar Mavendorf is just astounding to me, and that is why I keep featuring it. That’s all there is to it, I’m a fan and her work really excites me. Ria has some new releases to be found at the home show which really are astonishing, I couldn’t love them more if I tried!

The ‘Toronto’ sets feature natural wooden furniture coupled with modern prints and accessories to create a contemporary look for the home. Each piece is lovingly crafted and menus for texture change options (light, dark or natural wooden finishes) and animations are utilised to the full. Zinnias_002 At the Home Show 2013 you’ll see the Toronto bedroom, Study and Arts and Crafts room displays are waiting for you to wander around and experience them to the full. All of the items are beautifully presented, and on the walls you’ll see a listing of the land impact for each item. Rest assured that every single piece is bloody wonderful and unique in its own way. For example, the Arts and Crafts room features a drawing table, pots of paint, a designer’s mannequin and canvases primed and ready for you to create upon. If you need some ideas you’ll find prints from Leonardo Da Vinci and other resource materials on the shelving unit ready to inspire you.

When you’ve finished your crafting for the day it’s time to retire to your Toronto bedroom. This is stylish and functional with quirky elements like the bedside cabinet which features suitcases incorporated into the design, so clever and really effective! The bed features a four poster frame and a colourful choice of bedding options. There’s a clothing rail and vanity table to complete, with decorative pieces like artworks, vases and a stylish mirror.

If you can’t sleep then time to hop off to the study for some late-night blogging. The Toronto Study features all the essential elements that you need, and more besides. Desk, shelving and seating all tied in with the Toronto theme and embellished with great extras such as a working clock, plants, cabinets and PC. All of these gorgeous sets work beautifully together of course, because they all adhere to the same theme, but elements of each one can be used anywhere in your home to great success.

It’s at this point in the proceedings that I’d like to point you in the direction of my FLICKR account, where I have a set featuring some of the home show items that I’ve mentioned, and more besides. You’ll see work from Bazar, Mudhoney, Trompe L’oil, Zinnias and more besides, and I hope you enjoy taking a look at my virtual abode. I love it, it makes me really happy I must say!

Finally, I’ve said many, many times before on these pages what really gives your virtual home that realistic touch are the knick-knacks, so keep your eyes peeled because you’ll find an epic selection dotted around The Home Show. I really adore the DIGS ‘Ferryside Driftwood Décor ‘wall hanging and the matching tray décor too. There are some fab gacha prizes to be won at NOBLE, and look out for the seashell bottles, lamps and other assorted oceanic goodies which are ideal for jazzing up the bathroom at home. CULPRIT screams colour, and has some dazzling drawer units, shelves and photo frames that would be suited to a colourful, kawaii style home, or even a virtual toddler’s playroom.

There is a lot to see and enjoy at the event and it’s not too busy now because of some other events that you may have heard of are currently attracting a lot of attention in-world. (Like Food Fair for example, that’s another Culprit build too. Oh, and let’s not forget Hair Fair and Shoe fair and ALL THE F*CKING FAIRS!! Ahem!)

If you’d like to know more, take a gander at the official blog which features lots of information about the event, including maps. I’ll see you there, I’ll probably be asleep on the Mudhoney sofa again..hmm, so comfy!