So we’ve all been enjoying the new Dine Out game pack, right? I know I have! What I’ve decided to do is start a series of builds that all implement a different style and aesthetic to help get your creative juices flowing! The first thing I decided to build is an Asian-inspired restaurant with outdoor dining set within Japanese style gardens.
Preparation
When planning to build a restaurant with a particular theme or aesthetic, the first thing to do is pull out the items from build mode that compliment the build. For this particular build, we’re going Asian, so pull out any and all items you feel fit this particular theme.
Next, make a wall and decide on a colour/texture palette to go on the exterior of the restaurant. This is a great way to figure out if everything works together.
First Steps
- Decide on a floor plan. Having a simple and well laid out seating plan is the key. This is important as you want the restaurant to flow nicely in gameplay and have all the different aspects working correctly. I found that having the Move Objects cheat off throughout the build will help with this!
- Place the host station. Keep it at the entrance for the best gameplay as it keeps the waiting area separate from the main restaurant and won’t cause any obstruction to your wait staff serving out the delicious food!
- Build the kitchen. This will help you decide on where you have the seating. You can have a closed off private kitchen, a kitchen with a serving hatch or even an open air kitchen in the actual restaurant, making use of half walls or dividers. For this build, I went for a kitchen with a chef serving hatch as the restaurant was outside. I kept the inside mostly neutral with not a lot of Asian influence.
- Place tables and chairs. Don’t go overboard! Start small and manageable until you have the resources to expand your business. Most of the tables will be left unused if you place too much seating.
Build Your Restaurant’s Style
I started to add in the Asian aesthetic I wanted. I started by researching lots of different styles of Asian architecture. I didn’t want the restaurant to reflect a specific Asian culture, I wanted to blend my personal favourite aspects of all of them from the Japanese style gardens to the Thai-inspired entrance building. Â I went for a subtle color palette rather than the usual red, black and gold people tend to lean towards when building Asian.
For the main building that houses the kitchen, toilets and bar area were kept small and in the same traditional Thai style as the entrance tower. Using the roof tool to slightly concave the roof will help give it a more Asian feel. I then added a ton of roof decor in a gold color to add to the aesthetic of the build.
Next, I started to add in lots of Asian decorative objects including the lotus flower shaped plant, the bamboo plants, and the cherry blossom trees throughout all the landscaping. I also used the water with the petals on to make it look like the blossoms had fallen. The Koi fish fountains are perfect for highlighting a Japanese feel in the pond area, and also look great with sized-up glass candle orbs to represent water lanterns.
For the outdoor lighting, I used the glass orbs from Dine Out for the main source. However, I also used the paper lantern ceiling lighting too for the cherry blossom swatch. These ceiling lights give off an amazing amount of light, so you don’t have to use too many of them either!
Lastly, I added the final touches. This included clutter items within the kitchen area, patio heaters to keep your Sim’s warm in the evening, all of the table decorations like flowers and menus, and decorated with various wall objects. From cherry blossom canvases under the serving hatch, to branch lights on the dividers circling the restaurant, my build reached its final stage.
In Conclusion
Implementing all of these different aspects should help you start to see the Asian aesthetic come through. But the most important thing about this guide is to let your imagination run wild! See if you can come up with some Asian influences in your own style. I would love to see what you come up with! Happy Building!
