Making Ex-tensions of Your Extensions

So, you’ve picked your plot, taken delivery of your shiny-yet-ridiculously-long-neomail-delivery-person-baffling neo-address and erected your cardboard walls. Congratulations, your neohome has been born! No, no, no – put that paintbrush down. Before you start flouncing around in frilly shirts and berets designing your interiors you should be thinking about your extension options. No, don’t look scared. That’s why we’re here – to make your extensions exactly that: ex-tensions! (Cheesy, but it had to be done.)

There are six basic types of extensions available to you and your neohome. These include lighting, carpet, heating, insurance, security and wallpaper and we’re here to cover the basics of just a few of these. Each type of extension has a number of different upgrades, each increasing the quality of the feature and also the price. Of course, there are pros and cons to every feature you add to your neohome depending on such factors as the furniture you own and location as well as making sure you have the correct, stylish, safe combinations of extensions available to you. So, let us help you to know your extensions inside out before you jump in the deep end.

Flooring

The first extension that needs to be addressed is flooring. It’s essential to do this BEFORE moving your furniture in unless you just want to move it out again straight after.

Your cheapest and most basic option is dirt and weeds. Perfect if you’re a keen (and I mean REALLY keen) neogardener or want to display your gnome collection off to perfection but otherwise, if you’ve got a leaky roof, you’re in trouble. Right up to the neck.

Your next upgrade option is straw. Not bad. Pretty rustic in a Meridellian kind of way if you think you can make it work. However, if your neohome is located in Maraqua, you may find your flooring soon becomes your ceiling. You have been warned.

If you’ve got the cash, your next choice is the mighty linoleum! A good choice indeed, especially if you have trouble house training those petpets or invite your neighbour with the dirt flooring over for tea.

If you’re willing to splash out on something a little nicer, then there’s our next option: wood. Nice and snug but if you plan to sit on the floor, make sure you sand it first. Ouch.

The next flooring option is a nice rug. It’d better be nice for the price you pay for it. That’s all I’ll say on the matter.

Ah, the next is possibly my favourite option. Yes, it’s imitation brick! This is just perfect for you practical jokers out there who like to confuse your guests in to thinking they’re walking on the walls. A hysterical must for any dinner party.

If none of these have taken your fancy so far then how about a nice carpet? There are two carpets available to you. The first is a quality carpet of, one must assume, high quality. But not as high as your next upgrade which is the plush carpet. For those of you with plushie pets or petpets, you need to think carefully before purchasing such a flooring for your neohome. You might as well go out and buy yourself a nice bearog skin rug to complete the picture.

Okay, not for you? You really, honestly want the best your neopoints can buy for your neohome? Okay then, your top option for neohome flooring is marble. Swish, eh? Not only does it scream “neo-wealth”, it’s also perfect for donning your socks and practising your Rinkrunner strategy.

Lighting

Lighting is incredibly important in your neohome, more so than you might think. Windows are simply not enough to sufficiently light your living space so if you’re sick of people asking you if you got dressed in the dark, take a peek at this list to decide what suits your needs.

Firstly, the cheapest option is plain and simple candles. Aside from the obvious fire hazards of combining such lighting with cardboard walls, candles can offer you that delightful dungeon-like interior that would make any Darigan pet feel at home.

If you’re not fond of cold, dingy and confined spaces then maybe the option for you would be torches. In fact, if you’re smart and living in Terror Mountain, then this is definitely what you need. Not only do they provide a delightful glow but they also provide heat allowing you to cut costs when it comes to your heating bills. Nifty, eh?

Your next choice is some stylish gaslamps. Combine with straw flooring for that instant “barn” design that’s so in this year. However, if your walls are made of cloud you could be in trouble when it comes to putting them up.

For just a few extra neopoints you can light your home with the extremely novel electric lamps! No one really knows what this “electric” is but these lights sure do make your room bright. If only we could harness this strange power to let us play those CDs from the Tyrannian Concert Hall...but what am I saying? Madness. Onwards!

Aha! For those of you who spend your weekends browsing the racks of the Uni Clothing shop in the Neopian Bazaar, maybe the option of fashion lamps appeals to you. If they do, you’re lucky since that’s the next upgrade. They may sound good to you at first but before you spend your hard earned neopoints, take into consideration the fickle world of fashion. What if your fashion lamps go *gasp* out of fashion? “Fashion lamps? Soooo last season.”

So you want the very best for your neohome, do you? You’re prepared to pay top neopoint for the most deluxe and stylish lighting fixture available to pet/owner? Ok then, if you’re sure, then chandeliers are just the thing for you. Nothing says “I’m rich!” like the warm glow glinting off of hundreds of sparkling diamonds. They’re also great for swinging from. Just make sure you place them high enough on your ceiling... Blumaroos beware!

Wallpaper

So, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty design aspects now – wallpaper. Not only does wallpaper add a certain style to a room, it also covers up those cheap building materials you chose for the walls. If you want to save neopoints in the long run, choose jelly as your building material of choice as a simple lick will render them sticky enough to hold that paper.

Your basic wallpaper option is nasty ripped wallpaper. Cheap, yes, but it is exactly what it says: nasty. If you like to live in squalor, then this is ideal and if it’s the best you can afford, I suggest digging out those nice Gruundo posters you’ve been keeping under your pillow.

Cheap blue wallpaper is your next upgrade. Much nicer than your basic option and, quite frankly, who doesn’t like blue? If you’re feeling whimsical, simply sponge on some white clouds and combine with dirt and weed flooring for an exciting pseudo al fresco living option.

If neither of these are for you, then how about some green patterned wallpaper? What can I say? It’s green and it’s patterned. Yup.

If green is not your colour or you’re fearful of being branded a Sloth Minion, then maybe you could splash out on some lovely retro wallpaper. We can only assume it’s patterned with images of Grundo’s Gym and Cerpulls and other such retro Neopian images but, man, if that’s your bag and you can dig Old Neopia, then far out!

If you’re scared by the last sentence then you’ll be pleased to hear that nice patterned wallpaper is available for you to use. It’s nice. It’s patterned. It’s wallpaper. It will match your nice rug flooring so nicely. Nice!

If you went with the linoleum floor for extra petpet “accident” protection then why not go the whole hog and treat yourself to some stainproof wallpaper? Your neohome will never fail to be spotless but one must wonder how they colour it.

Clean may be one thing but what about the ultimate in style and sophistication? It must be our final option of royal wallpaper. Fit for a queen, this wallpaper will set you back a princely sum but be assured, it is the king of wallpapers. Bow before it or be banished from its court.

Well, there you have it, your complete guild to flooring, lighting and decorating your neohome. Hopefully now you can make an informed decision about what’s right for YOUR neohome. Here’s your beret – go forth and design!