Tag Archives: Cottage

This lovely aurora has the aura of Christmas magic

The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are one of nature’s most beautiful miracles. Recreating it in LEGO is difficult, but I can’t think of a more marvelous idea than dragon wings. Yep, Malin Kylinger has used multiple sets of marbled dragon wings to recreate this lovely phenomena. The rest of her night sky is beautiful too, with raised diamond tiles used for stars. The scene is made complete with an adorable elf cottage, a fire, reindeer, and a decorated Christmas tree.

Aurora Borealis on the Night before Christmas

It’s that time of year where we start to see lots of great Christmas builds. Check out some past wintery creations we’ve featured, and stay tuned for more!

A very smooth Halloween cottage

Okay Halloween might be over but that is no reason not to post an amazing LEGO Halloween themed build. This creation by Jake Hansen sure is something else. It is completely studless (not counting the studs on the foliage). This makes this creation almost look like it is not made out of LEGO bricks. Not building on a base but placing each element loose on paper also helps. Jake uses some interesting techniques. There are treasure chest lids hidden in the tree trunks. The best part has to be that cute fence and the balcony made with umbrellas. There is a stash of pumpkins next to the house. If you look closely you’ll spot that the ones in the back are not orange but red. This creates more depth as they look like there’s a shadow cast upon them because they are further away. Very clever. Another clever technique has to be the tombstone made out of a 2×2 round tile with hole and bar holders with clips attached to the back of the round plate. The effect is amazing!

The Crooked Cottage

Is LEGO a cottage industry?

What do you do when you’re already a great builder, but want to challenge yourself? Do Andreas Lenander has done, and create an amazing cottage using the most questionable construction techniques you can think of. They really don’t make them like they used to.  While Andreas has drawn inspiration from other great builders including Grantmaster and Ralf Langer, each dodgy construction features updates and tweaks to make this build truly unique.

Agineus cottage

Living atop the wave-worn coastal rocks

Grant Davis never ceases to inspire with his exceptional LEGO creations. This adorable cottage is far from some craggy shack. The color combos and shape set the stage for visions of a quaint ocean hideaway. But it’s tough to decide if the best details come from the sand blue spoilers used for clapboard siding, or the magnificent rocky outcropping upon which it sits. The seamless transition from the smooth boulder foundation to the building is excellent. One can also appreciate the conical hat used as a barrel lid, and skates used as door handles.

Life On The Rocks

While you’re here you should check out some of Grant’s other work. Also, take a peek at some other excellent cottages and all sorts of landscape techniques.

Gnomeo oh Gnomeo wherefore live thou Gnomeo

Patrick Bohn always manages to put really new and really old parts in his creation. This little cute cottage is no exception of this. The older parts are the 4×4 mushroom top (2002) and the barrel in medium blue (2001). The newer parts are the stem with thorns (2021), the quarter round tiles (2017) and the rock claw plate (also 2017). The last part has been used brilliantly to mimic a straw roof. Patricks mixing of old and new elements shows how LEGO keeps evolving but still keeps in touch with their past. Special mentions go out to the cattle horn grass, the curved minifigure stand tree and the brick build wheel barrel.

A Tiny Home

A rustic cottage just in time for spring

We’ve had a couple of warm days here in New York already, which means the time for long drives on scenic country routes is here. Eero Okkonen’s LEGO cottage model is just the type of home one would encounter on such excursions.

Villa Korpkuusi

What I love most about this brick-built dwelling is its imagined silo incorporated into the home’s build; you can find such a design in the real world. Okkonen utilizes many 1×2 plates in the formation of the dome topping his silo, while the house as a whole utilizes various bricks and differing slope pieces in varying configurations. The stone foundation of the home is rendered with ingots, slopes, bricks, and round-bottomed 2x2s in light grey, which complement the popping green evergreen trees Okkonen primarily fashions out of flower stem elements. Overall this is a timely model for the shifting of seasons.

A blue cottage to stave off those COVID blues

In many parts of the world, if you’ve been following COVID safety protocols correctly, you may be itching to get out of the house right about now. Thankfully there is such a thing as contact-free check-in and this cottage may have the cure for what ails us. Is it called cabin fever when you want to leave the house to stay in a cabin? Whatever it’s called, Andrea Lattanzio’s stunning blue LEGO cottage is a sight for sore eyes. The round door and windows, the woodpile under the eave, and the weathered ramshackle texture make this a cottage I’d love to stay at for a weekend or even a month. The fall leaves, the skylights, the birdhouse, and even the mushrooms out front make for a picturesque vacation setting.

The Blue Cottage

I can even forgive the skunk for paying a visit. They don’t spray when you treat them with respect and I’m willing to respect the skunk and all the other woodland creatures for a stay in this cottage. Andrea was The Brothers Brick Builder of the Year in 2019 for good reason. Check out our archives to see what else Andrea Lattanzio has been up to.

Adorable cottage in the woods to raise velociraptors

In a cottage in the woods, there lived a… dinosaur trainer? Sure, why not. This pastoral scene by Isaac Snyder is a perfect blend of simplicity and technique from the textured foundation to the interesting use of spiky vines tree branches. I really like the mostly smooth tile roof, with just a few studs for visual interest. And take a closer look at that door, with those “espresso handles” for hinges… nice parts usage!

Alnya Cottage

A countryside cottage to call home

17th Century Europe was a period rife with change, from feudal powers to the birthing stages of parliament. It also brought with it a decline in houses constructed of wood, giving way to stone and brick-built abodes. Benjamin Calvetti has replicated this style with stunning class, and his English Cottage is jam-packed with lovely details. The continuity in stone work, from the bordering fence line to the walls of the cottage, speak more of the local quarry than they do of a random handful of LEGO bricks.

English Cottage (main)

See more pictures of this quaint cottage, including a fully furnished interior!

Adorable cottage has big heart in a small space

Medieval cottages are a favorite subject of LEGO fan builders around the world, and while we feature them often on TBB, once in a while a creation comes along that really makes an impression. At first glance, this compact cozy cottage by mamax711 may not seem that remarkable, but once you look a bit closer, there are some wonderful details worth noticing. For example, the walls are built using a number of parts not commonly associated with wall building, particularly, the tan 2×2 brackets used to trap the sideways facing plates on either side of the windows. And speaking of windows, the brown 1×2 tile with handle on top makes the perfect small window frame. The jumbled garden and roof details fit the building very well.

Medieval Times

Smoke and cloak

The two most immediately eye-catching bits on this scene are the smoke and cloaks–well, capes, actually; 8 to be exact. Kevin Peeters does a nice job incorporating them into this lovely windmill. But that’s not the only great part about this build. The cobbled-together look of the stone building and rooftops makes for a great medieval homestead.

Medieval Windmill

The foliage, including the fall-colored tree in the back are also nicely done. But my favorite part might just be the white snake element used for the wisp of smoke from the chimney, a technique we never tire of.

Medieval Windmill

If you’re a fan of the medieval theme, check out some other cool architecture, like a seaside market, floating castle, hero’s cottage, or micro kingdom.

A medieval hero’s welcome

There’s nothing like coming home to your family after a long journey. Perhaps in this case, a long quest or crusade. You know that feeling you have when you see your house after having been gone a while? This scene of a warrior being welcomed by his family, built by Tom Breugelman, is reminiscent of that feeling.

Front

Of course, the real hero of this build is that cottage. The angles and rockwork are superbly done. The architecture immediately catches the eye. And all of the colors throughout the scene come together perfectly, but especially in the cottage. Now, if you’re looking for something similar, how about a house with many faces?