Welcome to the Second Spaces Then & Now series! Those of us who have been in SL for a while know how far design has come over the years. It's a lot of fun to look back and see what SL looked like in 2005, 2006...and to appreciate the improvements and advancements since then. This series will be a fun look at some of SL's best designers to see how they've grown over the years. I also hope this might inspire those who are interested in starting their own designs - everyone has to start somewhere!
[ba] Barnesworth Anubis
Then: Valencia House
Now: Willamette House
The Valencia is circa 2005, from Barnes' second line of houses. Really, I think the design was quite advanced for the times...the textures are really what dates the Valencia for me. Take a look at the Willamette, which Barnes says he based on the Valencia, and you'll see the rich textures and details that [ba] is known for today. I giggled at the Valencia door, which is why I included the pic of me standing next to it -- check out the size of that door handle! :) Below are more pictures of the Willamette - you'll see the fireplace and chimney detail, and again, the rich, more refined textures that are so distinctive in Barnes' creations.
Then: Circular Stair House and Tilt-roof Design
Barnes was having such a great time looking for old designs to send me that he just kept sending and sending! I can now start a [ba] retro village - and don't think I wouldn't! The buildings above are more circa 2004/2005 designs - and, I'll just say it: the Circular Stair house reminds me of a plastic hamster cage. Add a wheel and it would be perfect! ;) The Tilt-roof Design does strike me as a predecessor to some of Barnes' most popular and most often used prefab shops from around 2007 - which I happen to have in my inventory and have used on several occasions. :)
Now: Howe Efficiency House
There are those rich textures again. :) The Howe Efficiency house is one that I see used around the grid very often -- it's a great starter house - not too big, not too small, and packed with style and details.
Barnes and I had a great chat while he was looking through his inventory, and I asked him for words of wisdom to pass on to those just getting started:
Barnesworth Anubis: umm, basically just keep at it, and always try to do as much from scratch as you can, you would be surprised what a difference it makes vrs reusing old textures and pieces of other builds (although im guilty of both) - whenever i start from scratch things come out way better
You can see more of [ba] here, here, and of course, at Barnes' shop, here. I've got some more things to show you from Barnes' furniture line, so look for that in our next installment of Then & Now!