I can usually build fairly well, but my builds seem to keep coming out like large boxes. Could anyone share some useful tips of how to make a build look less boxy? Of course, I don’t have a large variety if things to work with, but I can still get my hands on a few things to build with.
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I use a lot of chisels.
I’ve been doing a lot of tree themed builds lately, which has me in the habit of doing very not-square stuff. I enjoy the bevel chisel a lot.
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When you don’t want it to look [boxy] …
… then you have to chisel it,
If its still looking a bit [squaris] after that …
… chisel it more 
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I play for a long time and still build large boxes.
Regards,
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Build larger, in layers, don’t use big walls of the same materials, and … maximize your use of the various chisels 
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What do you mean by, “in layers?”
Dont be afraid to lay out a 1 block high base of the building before the walls even go up, then avoid square floor plans. I do this using basic blocks or gleam so that i can tear stuff down if i dont like how it feels.
Also there is no shame in stealing ideas from minecraft, there are a lot of good floor plans out there just throw “minecraft floorplan” in google and boom
This is like where you build a frame for the house out of machined iron and then put refined stone on parts of it and mix in marble or mosaic so that the entire wall of a structure isnt made of out the same material.
It helps to pretend you are building the house instead of sticking blocks together. Maybe develop a internal rule book like “for this build all blocks that run horizontally will be made out of wood and all blocks running vertically will be made of stone” and then just go from there.
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Best advice I can give is to walk through the universe and take a close look at the builds that make you say “wow”. Other people’s work is a great source of inspiration.
I always love visiting H.S.E. Kindred Bay on Sorissi. But there are so many great builders out there to draw from.
You could also look at images of real life places/buildings and try to recreate those.
Biggest general building tip: Make your walls, ceilings, and floors, 2-3 blocks thick to allow for chiseling.
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omg so much this, what ever size you “think” you need i would even go out to just say multiply it by 2 or even 3.
If the hallway is 2 wide make it 4, if you think of making the workshop a 2x2 plot make it 4x4 or even 6x6 because honestly its easier to make a space smaller but a lot hard to make a small space fit more in it.
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what @xyberviri said 
also if you make your walls etc 3 thick you can incorporate gleam. There are ways to make the light shine through with anyone who ever sees the gleam blocks.
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Heck id even go so far to say add a 1 block wide crawl space between all your walls and 2 block high one between your floors. 
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@OnlyOneShinobi thanks on behalf of HSE! 
@TMinus Docker and I love show and tell. If you come to the HSE Guild HQ planet between like midnight and 8:00 UTC there’s a solid chance you will see one of us.
These guys nailed it regarding layers. The first thing I usually point out about my builds is that you rarely see an unchiseled block on the front layer. Like almost never. Interestingly enough, even with that same principles in mind, there are seemingly infinite build styles. That means there is plenty to take inspiration from without feeling like you’re “stealing” a feature (and I also don’t know anyone that minds seeing their creative ideas adapted to other builds).
I think my greatest talent in game is keeping my designs within the realm of reality. My goal with every build, and every block I place, is to make it look like something you’d see in real life, whether it’s a Mediterranean house, NYC skyscraper, capitol building/palace, or just an industrial era workshop. That means my exterior walls are flatter and more monochromatic but with the full spectrum of textures to break up monotony. In that sense, lighting becomes one of the most important aspects to give a false sense of color variety, and I know all there is to know about manipulating hidden lighting… Learn how to manipulate water flow and you’ll understand that it works exactly the same.
So yea- I’m always happy to share tips and show the inner workings of my builds. I actually just did something really cool with lighting on my HSE guild hall build that no one will ever know was a trick because it looks more realistic than the natural flow of lighting would allow. Come let me show off
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I can imagine what people expect when they see my icon typing for 20 minutes smh
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I tend to use bevel more than any other chisel set available, square chisels tend to lay around a long time with me
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Having recently returned to the game first thing I did with setting up proper base of operations was brush up on hidden gleam skill makes a light coloured really pop at night sometimes
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For me what helped is just practice. My old builds are reclaimed now, but there was definitely evidence of a learned progression. I know my early builds were boxy, but that was because I was thinking more in 2 dimensions, rather than 3. I chisel nearly everything now. I also have learned to think in layers more and in greater detail. Be creative with blocks and how you use them. Don’t let your skill keep you from trying new things because what ever you try you can undo and try something else. Also, worry less about size and prestige and more about how it looks… for inspiration, I look at Pinterest. I also see places in real life I take pieces from.
There are way better builders out there than I am, but this has been my personal experience.
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I like to make most of my builds like 3/4 underground. This way I mainly only need to focus on internal decorating without having to worry about how the outside will look as much. Build into a hillside or cliff face!
Also, yes, chiselling is always the answer
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Just copy minecraft. Grian’s got great building tutorials (wow that’s a mouthful to read). Find out how you can replicate them in boundless. In boundless you have vertical slabs and concrete stairs so its even easier.
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One of my biggest builds last time round was a Minecraft mansion build with a few little chisel tweaks to give it the boundless touch. I started out very boxy and looking back on that compared to my newest build can tell building lessons were learned through a lot practice