For the reason that starting of the last decade, The Sims 4 has proven a constant preoccupation with sustainable dwelling and reclaiming industrial areas.
Its most up-to-date add-on, July 2025’s Enchanted by Nature growth, is simply the newest DLC to deal with a theme that was already current within the aptly-named Eco Way of life growth pack, in addition to the Cottage Residing and Horse Ranch packs, the Tiny Residing stuff pack, and the Werewolves sport pack (that final title sounds somewhat left-field, however belief me, it suits the theme).
To be taught extra about this rising design pattern inside The Sims 4 and its participant group, I spoke to Eva Rotky, a Sims YouTuber who describes herself as “an inside designer by day and a Sims builder by night time”.
She has been gaming as a passion since childhood, nevertheless it wasn’t till the pandemic lockdowns that mates inspired her to start making YouTube movies of her Sims builds, which ultimately led to her becoming a member of the EA Creator community in 2022. “If my seven-year-old self may see or know this stuff,” she says, “She’d be like, completely not! I do not consider it!”
Eva has been a Simmer for the reason that days of the unique sport again within the early 2000s, so naturally she’s well-positioned to understand the modifications which have come to the sequence over its 25-year historical past – specifically, the growth of construct mode, one of many few options which the vast majority of gamers appear to agree has improved with each new gen of the franchise.
“I do assume that there’s a pattern for the time being exterior of The Sims to return to nature and to need to reconnect with nature,” Eva agrees. “I feel that is particularly since COVID and lockdown that individuals are cherishing nature a bit extra and eager to embrace it, not be caught in a concrete metropolis and a one-bedroom residence. I feel it is positively reflecting a pattern in society as nicely, however clearly additionally these are options within the sport that The Sims group has all the time wished to have.”
So does this prolong to simulated dwelling too? “I do not know what it’s about The Sims, however being outdoor is a lot extra enjoyable in The Sims than simply being indoors in your home,” Eva explains, including that: “One in every of my favorite issues to do in The Sims is the landscaping, and it isn’t one thing I am significantly concerned with exterior of The Sims, I do not actually know crops!”
Regardless of some Sims abilities making use of to actual life greater than others – Eva’s day job is in inside design, and she or he even mentions together with Sims builds in her portfolio when she utilized for the function she holds now – there is no denying that The Sims 4’s whimsical imaginative and prescient of the pure world has a maintain on her.
“Creating landscapes in The Sims is so satisfying, simply making a backyard or an area that appears pure with crops rising out in every single place and never completely pristine on a regular basis. In my Enchanted by Nature construct I went heavy on the landscaping, I spent most of my time on it simply within the landscaping instruments. Regardless that the construct/purchase is gorgeous, the outside was sort of the place it was at with the brand new roof colors and having the ability to place crops on roofs with the brand new base sport replace.”
Updates to The Sims 4 – whether or not free or paid – are of explicit curiosity to Eva, who makes a degree of not utilizing customized content material (CC) in her builds, and retains her use of mods to a minimal. This ensures her designs are extra accessible for gamers on console, for instance, in addition to including an additional layer of inventive problem; and it additionally signifies that Eva may be very attuned to critique of what is new in each DLC launch.
“I’ve loved it extra in recent times due to the construct/purchase and the standard of the gadgets actually altering and enhancing for my part, and there being extra of a give attention to the precise design of the gadgets that basically makes it simpler for me to make use of no CC in my builds,” she says. “It is all the time a problem and I do get pleasure from it. Typically it is somewhat irritating, however in recent times I might say it has been a lot simpler due to the actually stunning gadgets that the crew have been creating.”
This looks like a great time to deal with the elephant within the room – or ought to that be the spiral staircase very prominently not within the room? – and ask Eva what’s nonetheless on her wishlist for future updates. “My first thought was spiral staircases!” Eva confirms. “I miss these so desperately! That will be my primary wishlist merchandise. Most likely it is so small, nevertheless it makes such a distinction.”
Provided that spiral staircases nearly go with out saying, although, Eva additionally provides that: “One factor I might additionally actually love could be to have the ability to create not-full-length partitions – so you possibly can create just a few extra shapes, do half the size of the wall or one thing like that. I feel that’d be actually enjoyable!”
Eva can also be fast to level out that, regardless of not carrying its eco credentials on its sleeve fairly so blatantly as Enchanted by Nature, the earlier Sims 4 growth pack – March’s Companies & Hobbies – nonetheless quietly carries the theme.
Nordhaven – the world that shipped with the pack – attracts its major inspiration from a mix of Stockholm and Copenhagen; and whereas the identify of town could also be somewhat on-the-nose, EA deserves credit score for avoiding the plain one-note Ikea jokes in favour of a extra genuine strategy to designing a contemporary Scandinavian city atmosphere, each by way of public areas and dwelling areas.
To show the purpose, Companies & Hobbies options a few of Eva’s personal work, within the type of two pre-made heaps in Nordhaven: a neoclassical museum within the Gammelvik historic district and a transformed foundry in Iverstad, the latter styled as a previously industrial neighbourhood the place defunct manufacturing facility buildings are being repurposed as residential dwellings.
The builds are, as you would possibly anticipate, very distinct from each other, demonstrating each the breadth of Eva’s design pursuits and the flexibleness of what could be created within the sport because it stands.
“Scandinavian mid-century is sort of my bread and butter to be sincere, and industrial as nicely, so it was good to create one thing that felt so lifelike,” Eva says of her Iverstad construct. “And each time I am in [Nordhaven], I really feel like I am the place the inspiration got here from. I really feel like I am not in The Sims, I really feel like I am truly in Copenhagen or someplace, which is actually beautiful.”
All of this ties neatly into Eva’s overarching design philosophy: “I feel the stability to strike in any design is all the time to not be one-sided,” she explains. “In case you solely give attention to nature then that can include challenges and limitations. And what I like doing (additionally in actual life design) is combining pure supplies with man-made supplies. I feel that sort of mixture and distinction between the 2 is definitely the way you create one thing that is actually timeless.”
One last factor that strikes me about Eva’s Sims content material is that, whilst you would possibly anticipate her pursuits to be very grounded in aspirational design, she’s by no means afraid to let her extra whimsical facet present.
By her personal admission, her favorite amongst her personal builds just isn’t a high-end mansion however a recreation of one of many post-apocalyptic fortresses seen in The Final of Us – which is, in any case, nothing if not a defunct area being repurposed by people and reclaimed by nature on the similar time.
Whether or not it is a luxurious mansion, a zombie-proof stronghold, or a fairytale cottage, Eva recognises that the unifying theme – the one factor that maybe attracts collectively most Simmers, regardless of being an extremely various participant base – is the want achievement. “What I actually like about The Sims is that you are able to do no matter you need,” she explains. “You would possibly by no means be capable to dwell in any of those homes in actual life, however you may create your personal little actuality in The Sims and do it there.”
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