My Lego project this year has been parting together the first three sets from the modular building series. I used parts from my own collection in combination with bricklink orders, and while there are a few part substitutions for cost reasons, I wanted to keep things as faithful to the originals as possible. Some of the notable changes are: CC) old style 1x2x3 panels with solid studs and 2x2 jumpers for most of the light bley turntables; MS) old style white hoses for balconies (I think these look a bit nicer too) and basic 1x4x3 windows instead of train windows; GG) the sand green walls redesigned to avoid 1x8s.

My custom interiors use only parts that were accessible in 2007/08 to keep a consistent style going. It was also a really fun challenge. I hope you like seeing what I came up with.

Cafe Corner

After parting together the Cafe Corner, it has undoubtedly become one of my favorites of the modular building series. The warm colors on the upper floors are handsome and thoughtfully blocked out, and the dark blue on the ground floor is a fantastic idea. It being a hotel and cafe is also very inviting imagery, and I was inspired to turn it into a European-style hostel with a ground floor cafe and bakery.

The ground floor cafe and bakery has a few seats and tables as well as plenty of open space for customers to stand. It's all a bit kitschy, especially the floor design I chose, but also pretty in-keeping with design sensibilities from this era of Lego in my opinion.

  

I put the kitchen area in front of the set's blue wall to keep things visually sectioned-off. The coffee machine was a build I had a lot of fun coming up with. There is also a key on the wall, which is meant to represent keys to the door of the stairwell leading up to the hostel— I figure this counter is the one-stop-shop for everything in the building.

The first floor of the hostel features three bunk-beds with storage drawers underneath for each guest, a bathroom, and some stained glass, which continues the old-world feel of the brown interior and lattice windows.

  

The upper floor has more comfortable accommodations with three larger beds, a desk and chair and a dresser.

 

Market Street

I was really, really surprised how much I ended up loving Market Street. This set is typically found at the bottom of people's rankings of the modular buildings, but it's safely near the top of mine. Sure, it's a hair more than half a modular; but it was priced accordingly, and who doesn't like a little height variation in their layout? Besides, the open-air market space would be a terrific addition to any urban area. The ability to configure the square floors in different directions is a bit unnecessary for display, sure, but it's undeniably in the spirit of Lego. And medium blue, gosh, what a pretty color.

I decided to make mine into a science museum with its medium of engagement being its library. This is a museum you could spend all day at, combing through their collection of books on the scientific topic and deepen your understanding. Much of my inspiration here came from a place I visited in Amsterdam called "embassy of the free mind".

The guy in the blazer is the owner of the museum and has immense passion for the topic, demonstrated by the piles and piles of books scattered everywhere. To him, though, it's organized chaos.

I tried something different with the technic bookshelf, I think it turned out pretty cool!

 

The second floor features walls of infographics, important objects on display, and general outlines of the topic. Inside the clear case is a sextant element; maybe this is some sort of astronomy museum?

  

I made the absolute most of the available space on the third floor to place several columns of bookshelves, a plant, and a statue of a foundational scientist in the field. The outdoor area under the awning is kept the same from the original set—a fantastic place to pass the time and read!

 

Lastly, here's what I've done with the market space and the back side. I guess we know where the plant in the 2x2 yellow cylinder out front is grown!

 

Green Grocer

Green Grocer is a fantastic, inventive modular building and fits beautifully with the previous two. Many of the window and door elements we take for granted today were released in 2008 with this set and the Town Plan. But in my opinion the sand green groove bricks, creating a powerhouse of detail, are this set's real showstopper. It's a shame they're not more readily available.

I've kept the ground floor the same from the original model. That tile design—so charming!

I made the rest of the building into a spacious two-story apartment. The rug and the grandfather clock have been moved to this floor from the upper floor where they were placed in the original set, I think they give the space a lot of character.

The chairs are a variation of a design I came up with for my Hobbiton MOC a long time ago, and they work well here I think, the upside down grey turntable playing nicely off the grey floor. I'm also quite proud of the sink, which I got to fit almost perfectly in the bay window, and the SNOT refrigerator using mailboxes and brackets partially locked into the wall and partially acting as storage shelves. 

 

Upstairs is a bedroom with a reading nook and a full bathroom. The bed frame is a somewhat complex build featuring hammers, continuing the set's motif of using that piece for detail.

I made no changes to the rooftop patio on the original set, it's perfect as is!

 

 

Thanks for looking at what I had to share! Let me know what you think 

That's very nice interior you've put in all three of them. Very cleverly thought for each one to be in the context of each respective building. 

2 hours ago, Kivi said:

That's very nice interior you've put in all three of them. Very cleverly thought for each one to be in the context of each respective building. 

Thank you!

That's some amazing work. The interiors really compliment the sets.

Looks good, nice job!. I have done about the same but I like tiled floors.

 

Edited July 20, 20231 yr by Berthil

A lovely design, I do appreciate that your interiors are (more or less ) in line with the time period of 2007 and 2008. Good job! 

 

@Berthil yer designs are also lovely! I like the modern take on the interiors. 

5 hours ago, Berthil said:

Looks good, nice job!. I have done about the same but I like tiled floors.

 

Thanks so much for sharing! You have a lot of really good ideas. I particularly like the brown cabinet build in CC and the compartments next to the refrigerator in GG. The laundry area looks great too. And yes, I can tell that you like tiles 

7 hours ago, wolfmanone73 said:

That's some amazing work. The interiors really compliment the sets.

 

1 hour ago, Jack Sassy said:

A lovely design, I do appreciate that your interiors are (more or less ) in line with the time period of 2007 and 2008. Good job! 

Thanks guys