ACNH island designers explain how they’re prepping for the 2.0 update

We’ve all watched Animal Crossing island tours — or maybe it’s just me who has consumed dozens of these with the frenzied hope of osmosing design skills through my eyeballs. Talented Animal Crossing – New HorizonsThe players decorate their islands top-to-bottom using custom designed furniture and terraforming equipment. I have learned a lot of tricks of the trade thanks to creators’ incredibly inventive use of accessories and furniture items and pathing tools, in ways I never would have thought to.

We are the next Animal Crossing – New HorizonsThe update Happy Home DLCRelease on November 5th has brought me back to the wormhole with these videos looking for inspiration. ACNH’s options are already intimidatingly endless, and with the addition of farming, gyroids, new furniture and fences — including froggy chair! — and new villagers, there’s even more to do. Polygon interviewed four pro island designers for their design tips, and what they’re doing to prepare for the update.

[Ed. note: These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.]

Katie, Katie on Calla Cove

When did you start seriously designing your island? Are you currently redesigning parts?

I’ve been working on my current island since July 22 when I reset my game back to the beginning, but it’s always a work in progress! Oftentimes I’ll be inspired to create something new, and it turns out completely different than what I imagined (for better or worse), so I’m always redesigning and renovating various areas. Since the in-game clock is set to the player’s respective season, the holiday events and seasonal changes always make for unique and creative challenges for decorating, as well.

How do you define your style? What design tools or items have helped you achieve this look?

A natural, organic aesthetic appeals to me. Every build should have bushes, trees, or flowers. My island is primarily focused on the beauty of the island and the raw nature Animal Crossing New Horizons gave us in our package. For this purpose, I prefer to buy a lot more items in muted or neutral colors, such as the brown street lamps, pirate barrels and hedge fencing.

Are there any tips or tricks for designers?

For inspiration, search the web! My first attempt at decorating ACNH was in 2008. I quickly went online to find inspiration from other designers and to see which styles matched my personal taste. A multitude of online players have made islands that are stunning and filled with inspiring themes. Not only can you use their islands to draw some inspiration for your own, but you might see an item used in a totally unique way, or even embrace a theme you hadn’t considered before.

Any unique tips or unexpected ways you’ve used in-game design tools or items?

I love to stop tree growth as a design tip. Different heights of trees or any other item creates depth and dimension on the island. Animal Crossing New Horizons has five stages of tree growth. They are: Nursery, Small Young, Medium Young, Large Young, Full Grown. All types of trees, even bamboo, have the same stages. Allow the tree to reach the stage you want and then place a piece or fruit right behind it. This will prevent it from ever growing further.

Have you planned for an update?

My excitement about the 2.0 update’s new farming component has been the driving force behind a lot of my preparation. By clearing out an area and creating some farming space, I’m gearing up to cultivate the tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, and carrots properly. My island definitely doesn’t shy away from agriculture since I’ve already decorated a vineyard and turned my Nook’s Cranny into a feed & seed, so I’m eager to embrace even more in-game farming!

Is there a specific part of your island that’s your favorite?

My favorite spot on the island is my villager Rowan’s yard. Even though it’s such a tiny area, something about his little basketball court makes my heart so happy. I love taking my villager’s personalities into consideration when giving them a space to live, and Rowan’s jock-like nature deserves a space where he can enjoy all things athletic!

You can follow Katie on YouTube InstagramAnd Twitter

NaydinfarCrossing

When did you start seriously designing your island? Are you currently redesigning parts?

My island was designed before the game even came out. To hold me over from the release of Zelda, I had already started designing my island. Take a deep breath of the wildsequel. I have become a bit obsessed by the Zelda series so I was tempted to recreate some of my favorites parts of BOTW, and other Zelda titles. Ocarina of time Link’s AwakeningThis would allow me to wait until the next game is released. The map was drawn ahead of the game so I could get exactly the layout that I needed. The design function allowed me to create custom clothing for my reps.

I was inspired to create an entire Lost Woods-themed Island over the summer. My original island was my first to include the Lost Woods, Castle Town and other areas. They were always my favorite, but they didn’t flow together aesthetically. The Castle Town was too blue, so I made it match the woods. I transformed slowly the entire island using a new color palette to create a maze of Evergreens and Spooky Trees.

How do you define your style? What design tools or items have helped you achieve this look?

My aesthetic is Zeldacore with a bit of forestcore/castlecore. All Zeldacore, but all the same. My favorite decorations were the creepy trees, the Moss-covered stone DIYs, and the Mushroom platforms.

Are there any tips or tricks for designers?

Your island is a constantly evolving project. You don’t have to have everything perfect all at once. You can always learn more techniques and come up with new ways to incorporate those ideas into your builds. There’s no finish line in Animal Crossing. It’s not a race and I’m glad because I don’t want it to be “over.”

Another tip: Make sure you finish your idea before you tear it down. Sometimes the build doesn’t look right until the very end when you add the last details. And you won’t know unless you complete it. Every one of us that makes a great build also had several attempts you didn’t see so don’t think it has to be perfect on the first try.

Any unique tips or unexpected ways you’ve used in-game design tools or items?

1. The more you design, the better you’ll get as a lot of it is trial and error. So keep doing it regardless of skill level — there’s one way to go and that’s up!
2. Grayscale is the best palette to use when creating designs. This makes it much easier for me to group different colors.
3. You should save often. If you make a mistake, which I often do, you have the option to exit the design and return the original edit. I will also copy the design to a new template if I’m going to attempt something I’m not sure of. At most I’ve had five templates of the same design going at once.

Due to the lack of in-game green items, I had to get creative and the Swamp Path was born — to add a deep green not found outside of the trees. Other swamp codes were available, but had a cottage-like feel. I was looking for a darker swamp that featured glowing fireflies. I make umbrella bushes and love using them to add variety in the “greens” to create depth. Two different kinds of bushes and several umbrellas created a lusher ground covering. At @acnh.Hylia on IG, my good friend also gave me great umbrella designs such as the Alligator Loki or Deku Scrubs.

Have you planned for an update?

It is exciting to see the updated items. These glowing green weeds, new vines and trees are the pieces that I needed to complete the puzzle.

I’ve prepared for the update by making sure I have Nook Miles to go to the mystery islands with Kapp’n. I’m keeping a list of the things I’d like to bring back and add to my island before releasing the DA. The biggest thing I’m doing for the update is preparing my other three islands, one has been a WIP for the past year and the other two are brand new islands I started today so I have to grind to get ready over the next two weeks. They will all be based upon Zelda. Links Awakening map, and the third I’m still deciding.

What is your favorite area you’ve designed?

Hyrule Castle has always been a favorite of mine. The Lost Woods is right behind. But recently the Korok Forest finally came together after a year of working on it and it’s become my favorite place to go, and I wish I had a Master Sword pedestal item.

As a community we will all find creative ways to get what we want in games. And seeing everyone’s creativity is my favorite part of this experience of being an Animal Crosser.

Follow Val on Instagram TwitterAnd TikTok

Lex, Lex Play

When did you start seriously designing your island? Are you currently redesigning parts?

I started focusing on the aesthetic value of my island about a month and a half after I bought the game — so around June 2020. Rivendell was my very first island. I have redesigned it several times since. Since then, I’ve designed more islands: Lórien, Lost Falls, Antillia, Zinnia, and even GG Island, GUCCI’s official island for their Gucci Guilty campaign.

How do you define your style? What design tools or items have helped you achieve this look?

Every island I create has a different aesthetic to me, so it can be anything you want. Filling every space possible, and minimizing the amount of grass is a key design decision that I make for all my islands. To achieve this, I rely on natural furniture (log stakes and the like) and plants — especially shrubs.

Are there any tips or tricks for designers?

For new players, I definitely recommend that you take your time getting to learn the game and understanding what sort of aesthetic you’d like to see on your island. It’s so easy to find inspiration by just browsing through Animal Crossing groups on Instagram or Twitter. YouTube is an excellent resource for learning about the tools available in the game as well as how you can get all of the items that are needed.

Any unique tips or unexpected ways you’ve used in-game design tools or items?

Don’t be afraid of the terraforming tools! You can always undo something if you don’t like the finished look, and adding cliffs and waterfalls around your island adds so much depth and dimension to your island design. Also, if you’re struggling to fill large spaces, do not underestimate the power of a pond.

Have you planned for an update?

For the update, I’ve set a goal to finish the island I’m working on for my channel (Zinnia). I’m fortunate to have two islands, so I plan to restart one and flatten the other, that way I keep my resources and everything I’ll need to purchase new items. While I understand that many people want to restart islands before the 2.0 update comes out, I prefer to keep my island. You’ll need those Nook Miles to take trips with Kapp’n and buy the new Nook Miles items, and you’ll want bells, too, for redesigning. Nook miles can be tedious to farm; don’t burn yourself out before the update even arrives.

What is your favorite area you’ve designed?

Out of all the islands and specific builds I’ve done, my clifftop house on Antillia remains one of my favorite builds ever.

Follow Lex on YouTube Instagram

KangGaming, Kang

When did you start seriously designing your island? Are you currently redesigning parts?

What was my original island? Since the release of the game last year! Since then, however, I’ve had two other islands I worked on and now I completely erased my original island a couple of months ago! I was ready to begin again.

How do you define your style? What design tools or items have helped you achieve this look?

I didn’t really have an aesthetic in mind, although my recent island is going for a “Farm Village” feel. Celeste was a favorite of mine on my first island. These items were used in my main bedroom as well as the outside of my home. These were the space pieces, by and large.

Are there any tips or tricks for designers?

It is best to go through each section individually. Instead of trying to do everything all at once, think of a single idea that you would like to achieve and then focus your attention on it. It can take me a while to design and decorate one place in streaming.

Any unique tips or unexpected ways you’ve used in-game design tools or items?

Because they are customizable, stalls can be used to do a lot of things.

Have you planned for an update?

So, at the moment I’m trying to raise my island to five stars. That way I don’t have to worry about progressing through the old content, instead I can focus on new things. On my Twitch, you can join me as I go through the journey. As many of the new features require bells and nook miles, it is my goal to get as many as possible. It’s also a goal to get as many DIYs from the past as possible, before they are replaced by the newer ones.

Is there a specific part of your island that’s your favorite?

On my island, I’ve got a beautiful farm/greenhouse setup. A wedding I attended on an old island required us to create a separate area for the ceremony as well as the reception. This was really memorable.

Kang is available to be followed Twitch YouTube