Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have showcased their immense creativity in their island and home designs, with creations that look like works of art. The place players are most likely to express themselves, however, is inside their own home. Interior design in Animal Crossing can be a fun and rewarding experience, as players can design their dream house, customized exactly to their liking. With so many different furniture items to find, purchase, and craft, players have the power to make their home their own.
Not everyone has an eye for interior design, however, and many players will end up with more random furniture and items than they reasonably could include in their home. These kinds of players can benefit from finding inspiration and example rooms from the wider Animal Crossing: New Horizons community. For anyone just starting out, here are some interior design ideas and tips to turn any drab tent into a dream home.
Choose Themes and Colors for the Home in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
As with any design, players should begin their interior design for Animal Crossing: New Horizons with themes and color schemes in mind. The whole home does not need to adhere to the same theme or color scheme. Instead, players can select a different theme and color for each room if they would prefer.
When thinking about a theme, try to picture the use of each room. For example, an office or study that will be used for work or creativity might warrant a lunar, wizard, or library theme. A living room that will be used for fun and relaxation could warrant a gaming and arcade or zen theme.
Players should try to select a color scheme that matches the theme, rather than trying to match a theme to a chosen color scheme. It helps to select one primary color and one or two accent colors to start with unless the player feels comfortable with creating more complicated swatches. Players should consider the mood of their rooms and the colors that they associate with those moods. For example, blue might be good for a bedroom, because it is calming. Because blue goes well with orange, players may include a few orange-shaded accents. It is always a good idea to experiment with color and to pull colors from furniture items to create cohesiveness in the design.
Players will have six rooms in their Animal Crossing: New Horizons homes, so there is a lot of space to work with.
Match Furniture and Items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Many items available to buy and craft in Animal Crossing: New Horizons appear as part of a larger matching set. Players can use this to their advantage to choose furniture items meant to go together and based around a theme. For example, if players want a vintage feel to their bedroom, they may consider using the entire Antique furniture set rather than just one or two pieces.
Even though some items are not part of an official set, players can find things that go together. For example, the palm tree lamp could still go well with the beach chair and the rattan furniture to create a tropical-themed room. Players want to try and make sure the furniture in a single room or area matches, even if it doesn’t match the rest of the house.
Use Rugs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
It may not seem like much, but area rugs can tie an entire room together and act as a sort of container for all the items in the space. Rugs come in three sizes in the game and can be used in larger rooms to denote different spaces with different functions. An example of this might be a TV and gaming area in a living room with a study or office space on the other side.
Players should select rugs in sizes that are proportionate to the furniture in the space. They should also try to match the theme and color of the rest of the room or area.
Lay Out the Room’s Decor Appropriately in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
It may help to plan the layout of each room and the entire home before starting to decorate. Like in real life, starting out with an idea in mind can prevent designing from feeling too overwhelming. Players should consider what they want each room to become. They may also want to establish “zones,” distinguished by rugs, to break up larger spaces.
Players should avoid setting up all their furniture against the wall. It may seem like this will create more space in the room, but it ends up looking unrealistic and wasting space that could be better used for more appropriate and visually interesting design. It’s okay to put a sofa in the middle of the living room with the TV set. Players can use a good rug to set that space apart as their entertainment “zone” and include other furniture and items to complete the space.
Consider larger rooms like studio apartments. Each zone can have a different purpose and feel both individual and part of the whole.
Avoid Clutter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Players can sometimes get a few too many items than they know what to do with. The answer, however, is not to try and cram it into a space in the home. Instead, players will want to focus on eliminating clutter and give the space a little more visual minimalism. For example, though it may be tempting to set up four dining chairs around a round table, players may consider a diner booth with a square table to tidy up the space and prevent too many chairs from looking visually noisy.
Items that don’t fit a theme or that players aren’t sure what to do with might be better suited for a resident villager’s home or for any of the outdoor spaces on the island. There is no reason to try and keep things in the house that just aren’t working or don’t have a place.
Players can also change their decorations often to make sure they can display all the interesting and unique items they have without trying to display them all at once. Consider swapping decor seasonally to avoid feeling like items are growing stale or the home is getting too cluttered.
The player’s home in Animal Crossing: New Horizons should make them happy and be a reflection of who they are. For that reason, they should feel empowered to make it entirely their own.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for the Nintendo Switch.
