Growing up, I was lucky enough to live in the neighborhood next door to m elementary school. Since I also had siblings attending the same school, we would walk to and from school most days. We would walk out of our front door, walk left down, take another left, another left after that, and then we were at the school.
I was not great with numbers when I was younger, still not, but I did remember how my house used to look. My family had a flag pole outside, a garden hose next to our front door, and we had a tree we put a gnome face on for whatever reason.
When building my home in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I decided to place similar furniture outside my virtual home as my physical home had. Since my neighbors growing up were (and still are) close family friends, I based my villager’s lawns on their homes.
While our neighborhoods may be one of the first things we remember, building your own from scratch in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be challenging. In this article, I will showcase some island neighborhoods I found online.
Selection Criteria
When scrolling through Google, Youtube, and Twitter, I picked some designs that: have a theme, creatively used furniture, or just looked good. For this article, I did mostly generic Google Searches such as “Acnh Neighborhood Ideas.” However, if you are looking for something more specific, I would try something like “Animal Crossing Winter Neighborhood,” or “Animal Crossing Beach Neighborhood Ideas.”
In each section, I will mention and link to the original creator, explain why I like the design, and explain how to obtain my favorite part of the design.
Off the bat, the design by Reddit user u/chaemma is my favorite. This design includes alot of space/astrology items, and while I do not know much about astrology, I do find it interesting. However, many of my cousins could tell you who you are compatible with in a heartbeat. Besides reminding me of my family, the design was well put together.
Twitter User @Minsleif
I saw this design by @Minsleif on Twitter, and I am a big fan of all the blue. Her waterfalls and rivers are beautiful and match the blue hydrangea bushes perfectly.
Obtaining some blue hydrangea bushes is very simple. Whenever Leif visits your island, you can purchase some for 280 bells each. Keep in mind that the bushes only bloom from December 1st to January 20th in the Southern Hemisphere and June 1st to July 2oth in the Northern Hemisphere. During anytime outside of those time frames, the bushes will not have any flowers blooming on them, but they still look nice.
Twitter User @rawancrossing
Twitter user @rawancrossing posted this small neighborhood, and I like the simplicity of the design. It gives me the impression of two friends dropping everything and moving to the woods with their families. The small bench and picnic area seem to be where they meet before they go off and do some adventuring.
From this design, my favorite item would have to be the stack of books next to the bench. You can obtain the crafting recipe for the Stack of Books from any lazy villager. Once you have the recipe, it will take five Books to craft, and you can Books from Nooks Cranny.
Twitter Users @tropikitch and @ANCHNoratastic
@tropikitch shared this screenshot done by their friend @ANCHNoratastic, and it is giving total New York vibes. This design has a lot of furniture pieces in it, but it all looks amazing, and I can not pick a favorite one. Since each yard has a different theme, it gives the impression that each villager has their hobbies. I am also in love with the color scheme and how symmetrical it looks.
While I can not pick a favorite furniture item, I like how the creator incorporated the apple trees in the design. In order to get some apple trees, all you need is an apple. Find a spot where you would like to plant one, dig a hole, bury/plant an apple, and in a couple of days, you will have an apple tree. The tree will not grow if anything is nearby, so play it safe and keep the eight adjacent tiles empty until the tree grows.
Twitter User @Autumnweeds
@Autumnweeds posted this design to Twitter, and it is the embodiment of plant life. From the different kinds of trees, saplings, flowers, leaf piles, and even weeds, all the greenery comes together to form a beautiful design.
You can not see it too much, but the Mush Parsol is my favorite part of this design. To obtain the crafting recipe for the Mush Parasol, you need to pop balloons during the mushroom season. The mushroom season takes place during fall. In the northern hemisphere, it is from November 1st to the 30th, and May 1st to 31st in the southern hemisphere.
Once you find the crafting recipe, you will need three flat mushrooms, and you can find them near trees during the mushroom season.
YouTube User Ness
Besides all of the potted plants, most of which you can find for sale at Nooks’s Cranny, I like the Swinging Bench (I got one on my island, but I prefer the dark oak customizable one). Luckily, this crafting recipe is not too hard to obtain. It is part of the Test Your DIY Skills package, and you can purchase it at Nook’s Cranny.
Reddit User u/aurehwa
After scrolling through Youtube, I decided to try my luck with Reddit and found this elaborate design by user u/aurehwa. From this design, I like how to laid out and how the creator filled the space with furniture items. The straight path splits left and right, and the creator filled that space with a beautiful water display.
From this design, I am a big fan of all the hedges (I used many hedges on my island as well). To craft some hedges, you will need 10 Clumps of Weeds, five Tree Branches, and two Stones. You can get the crafting recipe from Leif, but you need to purchase something from his cart three different times.
Reddit User u/chaemma
This one goes out to my kings and queen into astrology and space. I came across this design by u/chaemma on Reddit, and I love all the space-related items included.
While the custom moon paths are adorable, I am more of a fan of the Crescent-Moon Chair and the Nova Lights. Both crafting recipes you can get from Celeste. Celeste is a red owl who usually visits your island the same day you have a meteor shower.
In order to craft the Crescent-Moon Chair, you will need seven Star Fragments and one Large Star Fragment. To craft the Nova Lights, you will need five Star Fragments.
Reddit User u/shamaela
Continuing on the Reddit train, I am in love with this design by user u/shamaela. The terrain work in this design is phenomenal. I envy anyone who has the patience and ability to create a mountain with waterfalls and have it look good.
Following the white and blue theme the creator has going on, I love the white Streetlamps in this design. You will need to use your Nook Miles instead of your Bells to get ahold of some Streetlamps. You can pick some up at the Nook Stop. However, they will only come in one color. If you do not have the color you would like, there are two to get the one you would like. You can make friends with someone. Or you can customize them with Cyrus.
Twitter User @blackbear_acnh
Since you are creating neighborhoods on the islands, you might as well incorporate the beach in some of your work. This design by @blackbear_anch on Twitter does an amazing job of that. The light blue and white colors remind me of a classic sailor uniform. This design also includes many beach-themed items, the anchor, rows of fish drying, and a lighthouse.
Speaking of the Lighthouse, you can get purchase one from the Nook Stop for a whopping 5,000 Nook Miles.
Twitter User @marianaavilal
While you see one of the screenshots above, I encourage you to check out the Twitter post becuase I like what this creator did. Similar to what I did with my own island, I made every one of my villager’s houses a yard with a different theme. Some of those themes are fitness, music, fashion, and cooking.
After everything was said and done, I placed each next to each other to make it look like a small neighborhood.
With lilies being my favorite flower in the games, I love the Lily Record Player. You can get the crafting recipe from any cranky villager, and it will take three pieces of Wood, three Iron Nuggets, and one White Lily to craft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: You Mentioned Lazy Villagers in the Article. What Exactly does that Mean?
Question: How are Some of These Creators Making their Own Rivers and Waterfalls?
Question: It Seems I can get Bushed and Hedges from Leif, but who is Leif?
Question: How can I get More Nook Miles?
Every day, you will get five tasks that offer you twice as many Nook Miles for completing. When I was farming Nook Miles, I would complete these five tasks, log out of Animal Crossing, change my Nintendo Switches internal date, relog into Animal Crossing, and complete the new tasks.
Conclusion
Building your neighborhood in Animal Crossing is going to be a daunting task. It is going to take some time, but I like to watch YouTube videos or listen to music while I farm materials, craft furniture pieces, make some custom designs, or while I terraform.
While all of these designs are well put together, I hope you use them as inspiration for your own island. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to replicate any of these designs, I feel putting your own twist on them will yield a result more to your liking.
I wish you luck in creating your Animal Crossing Neighborhoods, and I hope to feature one of your designs in the future part two of this article.
Continue reading:
Enter Here for Animal Crossing Entrance Ideas
Animal Crossing Test Your Skills DIY Guide
Animal Crossing Roof Colors Guide
- Animal Crossing Neighborhood Ideas - September 6, 2022
- Enter Here for Animal Crossing Entrance Ideas - August 18, 2022
- Animal Crossing Living Room Ideas - June 8, 2022