Store News for July

Four pieces of store news to share with you at the moment.

Firstly, two of my favourite stores have undergone major adjustments.

Sky Everett’s store, L’Utopie, has had the more radical rebuild. Whereas before it was located in one large building, on two floors (with a pretty stunning central staircase), nowthe store has been divided into a series of single storey buildings, contructed around an elegant central square. Different areas are prominently named, so that you can easily find lounge furniture, dining rooms or bathrooms – and you can also check out special area, such as Sky’s sumptuous Moroccan pieces.

The openness of the design makes it very appealing – rather than having to penetrate deep within the store to find what you want, there’s a sense that it is all more immediately available. And elements of the design are fascinating – with the columns, she has taken the idea of the ionic capital with its rams’ horns, and seemingly juxtaposed it with the rams horn instruments of Ancient cultures. It makes for a fascinating design.

And, of course, where Sky always scores highly is in her superb use of textures (indeed, the article on her use of textures is still one of the most widely read on this blog), and this redesign is no exception. Even before you enter the stores, the quiet elegance of the setting is established by the rich marbles used in the pillars, which capture the light of different times of day quite wonderfully.

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In other news, there are major changes on Sofia Standish’s shared island, where Sofia’s Furniture is located. In a general shake-up, the island has changed its name (from Tristan Peak to Serafina Island, and Sofia’s furniture store has relocated to the noth-east of the island. You will still be about to buy buildings by Marcus Tristan on the island as well, and Sofia’s builds will be presented in a new way.

Her current designs are still under wraps, but I can tell you that she is working on a lovely house build at the moment. More news to come in this soon!

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Also, Something Fishy, the store that I wrote about the other day, has a web-site which I omitted to tell you about. It’s at: www.somethingfishyinsl.com/, and contains information about all the fish and equipment that the store sells.

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And finally, a new store sim is opening on Monday. Its name is Nomine, and although its actual content is not the usual Prim Perfect fare, the build, by a designer recently returned to SL, is just lovely – and I’ll be telling you about it next week.