Airie's Guide to Cobbling (Housing)

What Is Cobbling?

Cobbling is repurposing and reimagining furnishings — using a combination of furnishings to create original structures, features, furnishings, or retexturising an existing home. The process may be perceived as painting with furnishings.

Cobbling Tips

Whereas the cobbling process varies between persons and projects, the general planning, thinking, and building process is as follows:

⦁ Determine a general theme and feature(s) to cobble at a particular home.

⦁ Search for images that provide inspiration.

⦁ Search for furnishings that may be relevant to the build and create a list with references with links to images or websites, including consideration of texture, size, colour, and radius and direction of lighting. ESO Fashion, ESO Hub, and UESP are some of the most referenced websites.

⦁ Contemplate the possibility of creating the desired build to liking with available furnishings — new furnishings are added from time to time which may be more appropriate for the build.

⦁ Assess the area for an approximate size of a cobble in terms of space, including base platform size and height.

⦁ If needed, extend the base platform size to accommodate a build or limit the size of the cobble to the intended building area.

⦁ Allocate an approximate number of furnishings to the structure(s) or feature(s), i.e., 25 for base platform, 375 for structure, 250 for details, and 50 for finishing touches for a 700-item home.

⦁ Select furnishings that may be coherent with each other based on 6) and not necessarily by its original style.

⦁ Consider the availability of the furnishings and possibility of obtaining the desired number.

⦁ Connect with guildies whom may have access to more furnishing plans and consider joining a housing guild.

⦁ Find alternative furnishings as needed.

⦁ Use PTS for experimental building to assess furnishings and limit the use of currency on live.

⦁ Rotate furnishings to study each side which may inspire potential use of each furnishing. The ESO homestead system enables designers to use any furnishing partially by placing items into each other or into structures without any collision and this is the basis of cobbling.

⦁ Build the base platform, if applicable, to guide the building size of structure(s) or feature(s).

⦁ Build the structure, if applicable, beginning with more sizable furnishings to create the desired building space — using original structural pieces and/or other furnishings, i.e., tables, counters, bookshelves, wardrobes, and trunks.

⦁ Create the desired layout, if applicable, separating spaces for specific purposes.

⦁ Acquire more understanding of potential furnishing use from existing cobbles from others, i.e., home touring via Essential Housing Community, forums, or cobbling channels at atelier airie 

⦁ Connect with other housing designers for suggestions and recommendations.

⦁ See each furnishing in terms of its style, texture, size, colour, etc., and not of its originally intended purpose as the use of each furnishing is entirely up to imagination.

⦁ Be flexible with the allocated slots depending on personal style — limit the size of the build, number of features, and/or details as needed.

⦁ Create one feature as the primary focal point with complimenting balancing features on the side as secondary focal points, if applicable.

⦁ Balance vivid colours with neutral colours or use lightning to highlight particular areas to create depths even at a distance.

⦁ Experiment for accidental discoveries.

⦁ Use Essential Housing Tools (EHT), if available, to save work in progress. EHT has a function to export and import a script enabling designers to relocate a cobble to other homes.

⦁ Be mindful of bright lighting or furnishings becoming the primary focal point(s) if not intended.

⦁ Rest and return to the build with fresh eyes especially when creating a substantial build.

⦁ Observe the build throughout the day / night cycle when adding finishing touches.

The upcoming articles will have a step-by-step guide to some of the builds including items used and references.

Small Cobble Examples

okonomiyaki at Dawnshadow

dress at Alinor Crest Townhouse

dress at Alinor Crest Townhouse

espresso machine at Stillwaters Retreat

fireplace at Stillwaters Retreat 

stove and oven at Moon-Sugar Meadow

Medium Cobble Examples

carriage at Cyrodilic Jungle Home

approximately 200 items!

carousel at Stillwaters Retreat

approximately 200 items.

Large Cobble Examples

Antiquarian’s Alpine Gallery Amusement Park

approximately 450 furnishings for the ferris wheel and 150 furnishings for a ticket booth, carousel, and teacup ride. 

Enchanted Snow Globe Train

approximately 500 items for the train and 100 for a ticket booth and the train track details. 

Dawnshadow Japanese Festival

approximately 350 furnishings for the festival float, 150 items for the okonomiyaki house, and 100 items for a purin cart and yukata store. 

Moon-Sugar Meadow Modernity

approximately 400 items for the structure, 200 items for the zen garden and details, and 100 items for the bathhouse.