This section is designed to give you some ideas for decorating your living space in your Minecraft world. Many recipes for functional items are already in the game, but what about fun, decorative items?
Like anything else in Minecraft, what you create is limited only by your imagination. Here, you’ll find a few ideas to help you get started. With the right materials, you can make everything from a nice kitchen to a bathroom (complete with running water), or even a realistic forge.
Common Materials
Creating furniture doesn’t require complicated materials. Mostly, you need simple blocks (of anything) and the means to make Signs, Levers, Trapdoors, Tripwires, and Pistons. Some recipes call for something specific: a block of Wool in a certain color, or a chunk of Netherrack, or a Dispenser. The real challenge is using ordinary things in unusual ways. For example, Trapdoors can be used in more ways than just outside, over pits; instead, try one on a wall next to a window as a shutter.
Ideas by Room
Living Room
Sofas
One of the simplest ways to make a sofa is to place two or more Slabs together to form the seat. Place two Signs on the far ends of the Slabs to create the sofa’s arms.
This type of sofa looks like a bench if you use Wood Slabs. If you like, you can use a wide Picture as the sofa’s back.
You can make another common sofa using sets of Stairs. Put two Stair pieces beside each other and cap off the ends with Signs. Because Stairs can be made with Wood, Stone, Bricks, Nether Brick, Sandstone, and Quartz, you can choose from a wide range of sofa colors.
If you want a thicker sofa, create two Slabs as the seat and then surround the Slabs with blocks as the arms and back. You can make some very nice sofas this way using blocks of colored Wool.
Chairs
You can make a chair the same way as a sofa, except that the “seat” is only one square wide. So, use one Slab or one Stair piece instead of two, as described for the sofas.
Dining Room
Tables
You can make a small table using a Fence Post and a Pressure Plate. All you have to do is place the Fence Post on the ground (it looks nice near a wall), and then put a Pressure Plate on top of the post as the table’s surface.
You can make larger tables using Pistons, provided you don’t completely dig out an underground basement for your house. Dig two blocks down and place a Redstone Torch at the bottom to power the Piston. Then put the Piston on top of the Torch, which causes the Piston to extend. Because you can put any number of Pistons next to each other with this method, you can make your table as wide or long as you like.
Kitchen
Sink
You can construct an easy sink using one Cauldron and one Tripwire Hook. The Cauldron forms most of the sink, and a Tripwire Hook against the wall above the Cauldron makes a faucet. If you want your sink to be filled with water, pour a Bucket of Water into the Cauldron.
Cabinets
To make cabinets, put any number of blocks against a wall. Iron blocks look nice for this, because they really stand out against Wood or Stone walls. Make cabinet doors by placing Trapdoors on the cabinets’ front sides, facing you. If you use Bookshelves instead of blocks, it gives the illusion of having food or dinnerware within the cabinet.
Bathroom
Toilets
Toilets are slightly more complicated than some other pieces of furniture. Most toilets are made in rooms with Slab floors, so they don’t seem quite as large or unsightly. You need two spaces to make a nice toilet. The first space is filled by a Cauldron (you can fill it with water by using a Bucket). Behind the Cauldron, stack two large blocks. Put a Button on one side of the upper block as a flusher.
A Trapdoor over the Cauldron as a lid completes the toilet.
Showers and Bathtubs
Pick a corner and create the shower’s base with Slabs. Then place a Piston in the ceiling or wall and a water source behind it. Fill in the space marked out by the Slabs with Glass blocks or Glass Panes. A Lever linked with the Piston lets you turn the water on or off.
Bedroom
Dressers
Make a nice dresser by stacking two large Chests on top of each other. Another dresser uses four Stair pieces, two Trapdoors, and two Doors. Place two Stairs facing each other, so they form a “V.” Stack two more Stairs directly on top of the first set, forming a hole in the center topped by another open “V.” The Trapdoors then go on top of the dresser. Set the two Doors against the front of the Stairs, making a fully opening dresser.
Beds
Minecraft already has a recipe for a functional Bed, but you can do more with it to make it yours. To make a four-poster Bed, craft two Beds with the standard recipe. Make a headboard and footboard with a layer of blocks at the top and bottom. If you wish, you can use Wool blocks (dyed or natural) to complement the crafted Beds’ red color; Glowstone blocks also create a nice effect. If you don’t like the look of full blocks around the Bed, try Slabs (but leave full blocks on the corners). By stacking Fences on top of the corner blocks, you can make the bedposts.
To create a canopy over a four-poster Bed, outline the area with either Fences or Gates to make a lattice. Using more Fences, connect the ceiling lattice to the bedframe. You can then fill in the rest of the area within the ceiling space with additional blocks of your choice.
Other
Fireplaces
Who doesn’t love fire? Fireplaces are easy to build and are very dramatic. First, you need a place where you can dig down at least two squares. Put a block of Netherrack in the hole at the bottom. If you want a larger fire in your fireplace, make the “pit” larger.
Next, construct the fireplace’s chimney with blocks of material, the most obvious being Stone or Brick. If you want your fireplace to narrow into a chimney, use Stairs to slim the larger section into a smaller column. Light the Netherrack using Flint and Tinder, and the fire will burn continuously. For decoration, add a Glass Pane or Iron Bar frontpiece.
Note that fireplaces contain actual fire. If you don’t surround your fireplace with a 3x3x9 area of nonflammable materials, adjacent objects run the risk of catching fire. You can accidentally set fire to your home or furniture if you don’t make nearby walls, floors, and furniture out of Stone or Brick.