Build-and-buy mode is The Sims 4 at its best. Even if you haven’t installed custom content or expansion packs, the game provides a great selection of design tools, allowing you to create a picture-perfect home. Unfortunately, these tools aren’t always intuitive, especially when it comes to kitchen cabinets.
If you look at pre-made kitchens in The Sims 4, you’ll notice half cabinets, rounded counters, and other design features. However, you may not be able to find where these features are in your game. The culprit is something called “Auto Counters,” a supposedly useful design tool that is automatically turned on.
As the name suggests, “Auto Counters” is designed to automate elements of counter placement. If you try to place a counter in a corner, for example, the game will automatically place a corner piece. This can be useful, but it gives you less flexibility and freedom when you’re creating a kitchen design.
If you turn that option off, you’ll be able to click on a counter and select the exact piece that you want to place. You’ll find standard counters, corner pieces, and smaller counter pieces that can be used if you don’t have quite enough room for everything you want to place.
Even though it’s called “Auto Counters,” turning off this setting will also give you plenty of options for kitchen cabinets. In addition to standard cabinets, there are end pieces, corner pieces, half cabinets, and full-size cabinets that extend all the way down to your countertops.
You can also use these settings to build a large kitchen island with rounded counters. Just select a kitchen island and snap together the appropriate pieces to build an eat-in kitchen.
These tools are incredibly easy to use, but they’re also easy to miss when “Auto Counters” is turned on. If you take advantage of these tools, and take the time to place a few clutter items, it can go a long way towards making a Sims kitchen feel lived in.
