Just built my first homestead and I have no idea what I'm doing with the layout

[RiftenWanderer]

I finally bit the bullet and bought land for Heljarchen Hall on my current playthrough. Got it all built out - main house, storage wing, the works - and now I'm staring at it like... okay, what do I actually put where?

Like, I know you can customize the rooms but I genuinely don't know if there's a "correct" way to do this. Do people usually make one room a bedroom and dump everything else in storage? Or do you actually use the other rooms for different stuff? I've got a steward now (Ysolda, seemed nice enough) but I'm not sure if that changes anything about how the house functions.

Also is it weird that I'm overthinking the aesthetic? I don't have mods so I'm stuck with whatever furniture the game gives me, but it all feels so sparse. My house looks like I just moved in and haven't unpacked yet.

 

[NordOfSolitude]

ngl the sparse feeling is just how Hearthfire is - you're not overthinking it, that's genuinely a limitation of the DLC. Even fully decorated the houses feel kinda bare compared to places like Proudspire Manor or Breezehome.

For layout, there's no "correct" way but I'd say most people do bedroom in one wing, alchemy/enchanting lab in another if you're into crafting, and just dump excess loot in the storage room. The steward doesn't really change how the house functions - Ysolda will just sit around and occasionally comment on things. Some people roleplay having her use a bedroom but mechanically it doesn't matter.

Heljarchen's layout is honestly pretty awkward compared to the other two homesteads imo. You've got that weird distance between the main house and the wings. I ended up just accepting it'd never feel as cozy as a regular player home and used it mostly as a crafting base + storage. If you're not doing heavy alchemy or smithing, honestly just pick whatever feels right and don't stress it too much.