Build your own Cottagecore Doorway in The Sims 4!

Making the Cottagecore Doorway of your Dreams with this Sims 4 Tutorial

September 6, 2023

4 min read

As the saying goes: “When a door closes, a window opens”… right?

Despite the wide selection of doors in the Sims 4, there’s still some need for doorways with *that* cottagecore vibe. It should be the kind of doorway that whenever your Sim enters the house, they’re transported to a fairy-like room filled with plants and cozy nooks.

The Sims 4: Horse Ranch Shuttered Window

Nope, it’s not an item from Cottage Living. It’s just the Hay There! Shuttered Window from The Sims 4 Horse Ranch. Read on to learn how to transform it into a doorway for your next build!

Before doing any building, make sure that the bb.moveobjects cheat is turned on.

The Sims 4 Cottagecore Doorway Build Tip — The final result of The Sims 4 Cottagecore Doorway!

Choose your Building Skill level

Easy Method: Layering

The fastest way to build this is to size up the window and put an archway on top of it. To do this, increase the window size by clicking the ‘]’ key.

The Sims 4 Cottagecore Doorway Placement

Grab this medium-height archway from Cats and Dogs in a matching color since its cutout has the right proportions for this window. Cover the top part with this hanging plant curtain from Blooming Rooms Kit.

Arch-E Support Doorway — Tip: If the menu for medium-height doorways and windows is disabled since you’re building on small height, add an extra floor wherever on your lot and select medium height for that floor. Once you got your desired items from the build menu, delete the extra floor if you don’t need it anymore. (Same thing works for tall-height doors and windows!)

Fine Vine Curtains in The Sims 4 — Tip: If the menu for medium-height doorways and windows is disabled since you’re building on small height, add an extra floor wherever on your lot and select medium height for that floor. Once you got your desired items from the build menu, delete the extra floor if you don’t need it anymore. (Same thing works for tall-height doors and windows!)

And that’s basically it! BUT…

There’s this black shadow that appears on the inside of the room that came from the outline of the original-sized window. Don’t worry because it doesn’t show up on the exterior.

But if that bothers you or if you built this doorway indoors, read through the next part and hone your building skills with this hack.

Expert Method: Basement Hack

The following steps may be tedious but this will get rid of that weird black outline on your doorway. This alternative involves building a wall in the basement or on the lower floor directly underneath the wall you’re working on. Fret not since you can delete it afterward.

Now grab your window, size it up with the ‘]’ key, and place it on that wall below. Put it in the topmost part of that wall. If it still doesn’t reach your desired height on the floor above, raise the item with Ctrl+9.

Once satisfied with its placement, delete the wall below by holding Ctrl while tracing the wall. Be careful not to just click and delete the wall as that will also remove your window!

Now on the main floor that you’re working on, place this medium height archway from Cats and Dogs in a similar swatch with the window. Again, cover the top part with this plant curtain if you like.

And now you have a nice entryway without any weird shadows.

Note: Since the window is in a different room, its lighting will be different (outdoor lighting). If you need it to have indoor lighting, create a room on the lower level around the window and add lights inside that room.

Try it with other items!

This doorway trick works with any window in the Sims 4, even with windows with complicated shapes. Check out this open shutter window from Jungle Adventure paired with a Base Game archway.

The Sims 4 Doorway Entrance: Other Examples

Even a closed window can work as a doorway since it won’t block your Sims’ path. It looks weird (because of some clipping issues), but this Island Living window framed with a Base Game archway can work on certain builds.