There are a ton of decorating options available in EverQuest II. With those options come endless ways to use them to create amazing homes in-game. We are blessed with many creative and innovative players in our community! This week: A return to Aslita's home in the South Qeynos Mage Tower on the Runnyeye server (post redecorating fun).

What was your inspiration for this home?

This was my first proper decorating project and so before I became more adventurous, I just wanted to create a nice home where my character would like to live in.

What are your favourite materials to work with in-game to create certain effects (waterfalls, stairs, grottos, aquariums, etc)?

I very much like natural materials such as wood, stone and garden type ones. I like materials that can be used to create effects that weren’t what they were originally made for. In the garden area for example I have used straw mats to look like a desert area (I made this before sandy squares were available). I also like items that stand out to make imposing or striking features, so in this house I used items like icy pillars and the LoN paintings in the entrance hall to make a grand entrance.

How long did this home take?

This home has been a work over time rather than a project and so I can’t place an amount of time on it. I add new items in when I get them if I think they will fit, and I completely redid a number of rooms when SF was released in order to use the lovely new carpenter furniture. It also took me a long time to get the amount of LoN paintings that I have which I largely did through completing scenarios or through trading. I blame this house for my addiction to decorating as what started out as just decorating my own house turned into a passion for experimenting with items. The garden area of this house is also incomplete at the moment as I pillaged it in order to have items such as plushies, trees and plants for the dimensional globe.

Did you plan it with a certain story in mind, or did it just grow out of what you had on hand or what your character would want in their home?

There was no story for this house but I did level up a carpenter deliberately in order to get access to as many items as possible.

How many items did you end up using and was it hard to keep within the limits?

This house has 548 counted items and 653 actual. In the past I have found it extremely hard to keep within the limits but I managed to reduce the item count by a lot using the new furniture from SF.

What decorating tips do you have for your fellow decorators (veteran or newbies)?

A couple really – buy an expander if you need more space. The escape key is your friend – if you accidently start to move the wrong item, hit escape and it will go back to where it was. Make friends with other decorators – use the homeshow forum a lot and also join the homeshow chat channel which is full of friendly people – use /join Antonia_Bayle.Homeshow or just /join Homeshow if already on AB. Don’t be afraid to experiment with using items in unconventional or experimental ways. Finally, a practical tip – if the house is going to hold sales crates, think carefully about where those will be. People hate hunting for a sales crate if they have only entered your house to buy something. For that reason, I always place my sales area where it can be seen from the door, even if it is through an archway in a separate room, as in this house.

What one thing would you like to be able to build in-game if you could have all the materials you wanted and item limits weren't a constraint?

I would love to be able to design a house from scratch, including size, layout etc. This would enable such creative houses to be built. For I house item I would love a water or glass tile without frames, a starry tile which looks like the sky with movement included on it such as a shooting star – like the movement on the cloudy squares and finally I would love a guestbook in which visitors could leave comments. While I am on the subject of what I would like – I would like to see the link between size of house and number of sales slots removed – as a decorator, I often pop into random houses to look around and all too often the big houses are just empty apart from sales crates. Alternatively an in-game feature where people could list their houses if they want visitors would be great.

If you change your decorations seasonally, what is your favourite time of year for decorations?

I don’t tend to make big changes seasonally but I do like to do little ones at Frostfell. I love Christmas in real life so cannot resist the Frostfell items.

Who was involved in the decorating for your home?

This house was entirely done by myself.

Please join the discussion on our Official Forums and for more decorating ideas, be sure to check out the Norrathian Homeshow!