Now that my build has progressed to the point where I can make adjustments to the living room, I have been spending most of my time building the living room furniture.
Furniture building can be a very simple or very complex process depending on what you need done. There are simple and obvious ways to create couches and chairs, coffee tables and dining room tables, even shelves and cabinets. Then there are complex ways to do the very same things.
Deciding which route (simple or complex) to go, I feel, is the challenge. The important thing is to not sacrifice scale for detail. An ornate piece of furniture won't sit well in a living room filled with other furniture much bigger or smaller than it.
Another thing I've learnt to do is to use color as texture. Little breaks in the color scheme can give the impression of texture, so you don't have to worry as much about complex curves or complicated detailing.
And like a good on screen adaptation of a book, you need to know where to take creative liberties based on the medium. In other words, don't be so caught up in staying "true to the original" that you end up with something less than desirable.
I've also found that you have to be constantly willing to evaluate and change as you build. Compare the antique wooden safe above (brown and gold on the left) to two other versions of it pictured in other pictures in this post. I've yet to decide what I like best, or that I've even found one that will be in my final version.
What I do know is that I shouldn't consider anything done just because I've built it. Unlike other "true" arts, LEGO is a medium that allows for decisions to be reversed. I'm never locked into doing something a certain way, and I certainly don't need to start from scratch if I've made a mistake. As someone who learns a lot through trial and error, this is something that highlights why I loved as a child, and have come to love as an adult, this great hobby.
