A Guide to Classic Neohome Design

Don't believe me? Go ahead, bypass the lovely shining beacon of your Neohome 2.0 and find the tiny link leading you to the Classic Neohomes. If you happened to have purchased a plot of land in your earlier days, before the colorful and free Neohomes became available, you may be surprised to find that it is still there. Your land exists, but it is sadly abandoned.

Don't be ashamed- you're not alone in this situation. In my immediate neighborhood, for instance, virtually all of the plots have one room or none at all. Only one of my neighbors has more than three rooms, yet has not visited Neopia in an extraordinarily long time. By continuing up and down my street, I have found that the same pattern persists: very few people still utilize their Classic Neohomes.

And this is a pity, for one of my favorite activities on Neopets is to decorate and expand my own Neohome. It now sits at a healthy 25 rooms and is, besides my 'pets, one of my greatest accomplishments.

But don't worry! You, too, can have a Neohome that will make your friends quake with envy! With a down payment as low as 1k (1000 Neopoints), you can begin the process of constructing your Neohome today.

First, you'll need a plot of land. The prices range from 1k for a home in Neopia Central to 25k for one in Faerieland. I am very content with my home in Neopia Central, although some of the pricier lots, such as Meridell (8k) and Maraqua (11k) have also caught my eye. It's really up to how much you wish to spend initially, as a well-constructed Neohome won't have much or any of the ground floor visible anyway.

Unfortunately, one of the most off-putting aspects of the Classic Neohome is the length of time between constructions. It could take several hours just for the initial land to be purchased, and more time between rooms. But that also gives you plenty of time to work on saving more money for the next room!

Speaking of rooms, you have many options to choose from. After your land has been purchased, you may begin construction of new rooms. The materials range from Cardboard (150 NP) to Tatami (75k), varying in their color and texture.

You can catch a brief glimpse of the walls of each room once you select the material and the exits. Straw and Twigs (250 NP and 300 NP, respectively) both extend their material into the room rather messily, in my opinion. Jelly and Cloud (750 NP and 4k) also have a broken line. I find that Jelly also has the drawback of being such an explosive pink that most themes look crude against its bright exterior. Only go with Jelly if it suits the theme of your house and room.

My preferred room material- and the one that I have used in every room up to date- is Wood (500 NP) for its lovely neutral color and gorgeous flooring, as well as its low cost. Other neutrals that are sure to look stunning with any décor theme include Stone, Silver, and Transparishield (800 NP, 2500 NP, and 14500 NP). The key to choosing an appropriate material is to find a neutral shade that pairs well with any color without taking away from the overall effect. Cardboard (150 NP) may be cheap and brown, like Wood, but I find the texture of its flooring tacky and distracting. You're better off spending a bit more money and having a Neohome to be proud of.

As a side note, please remember to keep your room conventional. It's always a good idea to have a plan for the entire building in mind so you don't end up with mismatched rooms sporadically placed with no rhyme or reason. In my house, for example, the outermost spaces are Wood rooms with entrances that connect the rooms and the gardens, which form the next layer. In the very center, with all entrances open, is a lovely little family room. All of the rooms match one another from the overview, have entrances that make sense, and contribute to a well-laid out scene.

If you'd rather have an outdoor scene, gardens are much more inexpensive (100 NP) and can be furnished just like the interior rooms. The only drawback is that gardens may only be placed on the ground floor, so don't wait until your ground level is full to place a garden.

Once your room is constructed, you can begin the fun part: decorating! This is definitely my favorite part of the process, and actually one I am still working on- most of my rooms are bare or hold junk, but a few of them are quite elaborate.

Now, you might be wondering what your house and room theme might be. That's just a way to tie the house together, to make it a cohesive unit with aspects of individuality. My entire house is just that- a home for my Neopets, with each having their own room interconnected by hallways and other rooms. Each of their own rooms has its own furnishing theme pertaining to the character given to my 'pets: a purple/Darigan theme for a Darigan 'pet, a pink/Faerie theme for a Faerie Wocky, a chic black-and-white layout for an elegant Eyrie, and a rather cluttered room full of items from different cultures for an adventuresome Xweetok.

Your own theme really depends on your style and how you have styled your 'pets. Perhaps your Bori fits a snow or Terror Mountain-esque room, or you'd like to see the entire house set up as a haunted house. Whatever furnishings you choose should fit the theme in some way.

Furniture is one of the most expensive parts of the Neohome if you plan on going beyond the Orange Grundo collection. I'm usually too cheap to pay over 10k for any one item of furniture, but a select few items that really pull the room together were well worth the splurge. There are tons of furniture outlets if you'd rather avoid the Shop Wizard, each corresponding to a different land. This is also helpful if your theme revolves around a particular place, but keep in mind that the shop prices may be more than what you'd pay from the Shop Wizard.

One good way to organize what items you'd like for each room is to set up a Jellyneo wishlist and add whatever furniture items catch your eye from their item database. From there, you can narrow down your selections by looking at the item previews as shown in the Neohome- many times a simply gorgeous piece of furniture will have its stunning features blocked out by only being shown from the top. Whichever suits your theme, looks good in a Neohome, and doesn't hurt your budget is definitely a keeper!

Now you've heard about my suggestions for creating and decorating your Classic Neohome, but remember that above all, it's your Neohome! Feel free to take my ideas to heart or create an entire three-story house made completely of Jelly rooms with no exits just to spite me- it's all up to you! Go on out and let your talent shine!