Critique & Advice Welcome!
I'm currently working on recreating Oscar Molin's concept of 'Mergo's Tea House' (with permission), a whimsical tea house style tavern.
Original Concept:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0l32qe
I have made it through the block-out phase, and I'm currently finalizing the tiling materials for all the architecture. I haven't done much stylized material work before, so I'm taking it slow as I work on these in Substance Designer. The material reference I'm using is a mix of Palia and Wayfinder while keeping the original concept in mind.



I'm using UE5 and lighting with Lumen, which has been a bit difficult to get right for an interior space. If anyone knows of any good breakdowns for lighting interiors with UE5 or anything that covers troubleshooting light leaking, please let me know.
Replies
- Updated the table and chair meshes and did some vertex painting
- Updated the stone tile texture you see by the door, and all wood textures
- Added a lighter wood color for contrast on the railing
- Updated materials for the bar
- Added the rugs with placeholder textures to help with color balance
- Fixed the light leaking happening around the door: The issue had to deal with UE5 prebuilt DFM not being high enough fidelity (I think), so I did the age-old fix of putting a couple of cubes behind it to help block the light where no one will ever see.
Next on the list:
- Add some vertex painting to the door
- Update the bar
- Start on the oven