Three Oaks

For the past couple months, sim designers Jac Mornington and Romy Mornington (Eara Rosea) have been quietly enjoying their privacy on Three Oaks, a serene wintery land they created for themselves. But now that spring is on the horizon, they've decided to open the doors to visitors for a couple weeks. After that time, they'll either close the sim or convert it into something new, so explorers have a limited window of time to enjoy this delightful island.

The setting is rural, with hazy views that sweep from one side of Three Oaks to the other. A stone-lined county lane wraps around much of the interior of the space, home to a venerable manor house, stately gardens and a meandering stream. Outside the lane are situated a couple of ice-covered ponds, plus farmlands, livestock and a stable.

As Jac and I conversed, he shared with me a beautiful physical world photograph of Little Langdale, a valley in the Lake District of northwestern England, and the connection was immediately apparent. "One of the inspiration photos I used," he explained. "That is what is most fun about the places that Romy and I make — the research that goes into it, and then trying to make it here." Shown in these images are the sim's default environmental settings, which embrace the land perfectly, but photographers will no doubt enjoy experimenting with others.