Half-timbered Tudor architecture is a favorite subject for LEGO castle builders. Peter Botcher has become adept at the style while making his mark by adding a pitch black sense of humor and goth gloom to his works (he even made his own tombstone out of LEGO). For his latest cottage, Peter impresses with use of color, especially the mossy brickwork and the splash of magenta vines against the black roof. He finds creative variations for the timber on the facade, including tail pieces and corner tiles. The model is titled “Nobody’s Home,” but the smoke coming from that spooky chimney, adorned with unholy accoutrements, suggests otherwise. Enter at your own risk!
Tag Archives: Cottage
A half-timbered, full-hearted fairy house
There’s beauty in clutter. Unconstrained by the LEGO Group’s internal design standards, builders like Satnis creations push the limits of construction into a mix of architecture and collage. Satnis’ Fairy House is a colorful, traditional cottage design packed to the rafters with clever and unconventional parts usage. Wands and tubes are wedged into place for the half-timbered effect. Shutters hang on by tension alone. Rocks and foliage are created from surprising elements placed so meticulously that I suspect tweezers were involved. Satnis uses controlled chaos to create an utterly charming and cozy cottagecore masterpiece. I love it.
A cup of gnomish creativity
It’s not too often that the LEGO bricks line up in a way that we can do a theme day here at TBB. But when two great builders push the limits on a certain hard-to-use part, it’s tough not to write them up together. We already saw Nate’s spaceship earlier today, and now we’re treated to this delightful gnome-built cottage by Maxx Davidson, both built around this human-sized LEGO mug. Fitting with the Iron Forge challenge to use as many LEGO liquid containers as possible, the creation also features mug-turbaned gnomes with Minecraft Shulker faces, and some lovely window awnings made from latte cups.
A LEGO cottage in candy colors
With some of the most inventive LEGO part usage I’ve seen in a while, Daniel Cloward has assembled quite the bright-colored cottage. His ingenious roof technique utilizes a lattice of rounded tiles held within the clips of this part. Add that to the paintbrushes as door hinges, hot dogs in the round window frame, and minifig headwear as rocks on the front lawn, and the build is bursting at the seams with exquisite part usage. But the cherry on this NPU cake has got to be the inclusion of Clikits in the cobbled walls of the structure.
This one-color cottage is a real “passion project”
In an effort to improve my LEGO building game while I continue my endless sort, I’ve been doing some deep dives recently into color. And right on the heels of finishing The Secret Lives of Color (by Kassia St. Clair and a very good read), I spy this beautiful cottage scene by the one and only Ralf Langar. The build speaks to the importance of the color red, and how we interpret it in our lives. While it can be the color of leaves, as in his darling ruby tree here, it also can symbolize such energizing things as life, heat, and love. Of course, as Ralf knows, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing: what once was love can quickly turn into passion, danger, war, and even blood. And a cottage with red-splattered windows doesn’t bode well for its occupants….
A cottage and a Vespa to call your own
I don’t know why but I’ve had a thing for little abodes lately. This LEGO cottage built by Erek Weidner is a little slice of perfection. You have an apple tree, a wee French Bulldog, a shiny red Vespa, and a tiny cottage to call your own. The butterflies, ladybugs, and squirrels are just icing on the cozy perfection cake. What else do you need, really? I imagine a good strong Wi-Fi connection would make this place perfect. The lawn is a little bit unruly but I think the sheep will have that settled pretty soon.
Under the moon in love!
Like so many other things, LEGO can look completely different in the light of a full moon. As we follow our darling couple into a second build by Jaap Bijl, we see a great transformation! And not just in the beau, but also in the cottage and surrounding forest. Warm tones have been replaced with icy blue and steel colors. The forest of deep green is now a black mass, thick with leaves made from minifigure flippers. Intricate metalwork has replaced the turquoise detailing, utilizing other minifig accessories most expertly. The weathervane is particularly wonderful, as are the spoons for door handles. And the pink spire is no more, replaced with an equally-astounding purple structure built around a large wheel. And yet, even amid all this change, it’s clear that the love between the duo remains as strong as ever. That smile tells us that she’s prepared to accept him, fleas and all!
Over the moon in love!
Oh, to be young and in love and made of LEGO bricks! This colorful creation by Mbricks is the apple of my eye, for sure! The adorable cottage stands out brilliantly against the dark green of its forest background with highlights in brilliant turquoise and pink. The build is brimming with so many curves and soft edges that it almost feels like a warm hug. Layer after layer of pink roof tiles sit atop a gloriously-erected spire. The technique here is quite smart, with expert use of the 2×2 macaroni tile to construct its eaves. I hope the future is bright for this cute couple, but only time will tell how things turn out…
Falun in love with this Falu red cottage
Builder Sarah Beyer presents a lovely modern LEGO cottage on a peaceful island. The cottage utilizes the shaping of the island rather well with its tiers. There’s a balcony and deck to enjoy the sights from, and plenty of plant life to keep a gardener happy. The cottage itself features multi-colored additions that frame the Falu red central portion of the building. This color of paint originates from Falun, Sweden and is most famous for appearing on cottage and other pastoral buildings like barns. Ever wonder why barns are typically red? This is why! This color can be found on many cottages in and around Sweden, and this LEGO one is fine addition to the Falu red legacy. The cottage has a sharp and clean design, and were it real I’d love to visit! Of course, to take a small tour, head over to Sarah’s feed to see the detailed interior.
A day in the life of a lovely forest village
Stories lurk around every corner of this LEGO forest village from builder Hanwasyellowfirst. To the residents, this is just another beautiful day. The buildings and homes orbit around the central rocky spire, one to each level. First, there’s the pleasant two story home with a tree and birdhouse beside it. I really like the use of the slopes on the roofing to form those alternating waves. I also like the use of the white snake piece for the stylized chimney smoke! The second building rests on a terrace where the fisherman waits for a bit on the line. The grey plate across the roof speaks to a history with weathering. The home has stood for some time. The final building stands atop the rocky spire, quite literally towering over the rest of the village. Its resident watches as a traveler below is warmly greeted and welcomed. No doubt the traveler will explore the many details to admire in this village.
A charmed LEGO cottage
A quaint little stone cabin in the woods is overgrown with vines and flowers. Far from a creepy, stereotypical witch’s home, this project by builder Castor Troy, in collaboration with builder Max Brich, was focused on giving witches a better image. The creatures of the forest seem to love gathering around this witch’s delightful cottage. The builders sought after a more rehabilitated, benevolent witch, emphasizing the magical relationship with nature and their healing abilities, instead of reinforcing negative stereotypes. Wooden accents define the edges of the stonework wall using brown hinges and a little bit of LEGO geometry. Angled roofs snugly cover the home, as a cobbled chimney rises up next to a lovely A-frame roof as tall as the tree next door.
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The river bends towards this little round house
Builder Auctobre has crafted a delightful vignette of a fisherman returning home with his daily catch. The beauty in this build is how everything seems to twist and curve in some way; from the roof of the cottage to the trunk of the neighboring tree, and even the small dock. It’s a combination of techniques that make the scene feel organic and alive.