Author Archives: FultonHomes

Build your Dream Room, One Piece at a Time – Sofa

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So you have a new home with a large and inviting living room, family room, or open-concept space and you want to create the space of your dreams. Right now the room might be empty, or you may have a few pieces of unmatched or not very appealing furniture that you picked up for a song or inherited from family.

If it’s time to make that room beautiful but you’re not sure where to start, let’s take a look at your options. As the largest piece of furniture, a sofa helps define your space and provides a sound basis for developing a room to match your vision for your home. When choosing your sofa, here are some of the things to consider.

Style: Sofas can be formal, casual, classic or contemporary. Your sofa will set the style for your space, so it’s a good time to make those decisions.

Construction: Perceptions of comfort vary from one person to another. Would you like a tightly-constructed piece with springs in the cushions so that your sofa provides a lot of support, or are you drawn to a comfy down-stuffed choice that is better for sprawling than sitting? Take a look at your family’s lifestyle and be sure to try out a number of choices to see what suits you.

Size: Be careful to check to make sure a sofa fits well into your space. Too large and the room will immediately look crowded. Too small and it won’t have the presence you want.

Fabric: Issues such as the probability of spills and the amount of usage can help you define your best choices. This is one place where a good furniture salesperson can be extremely helpful.

Color: Since your new sofa will be with you for a long time, choose a color you can live with comfortably. This may be a neutral tone, or a color choice that can almost play as a neutral such as dark green or denim blue.

Whichever sofa you select, be sure to take your time and shop all of your choices Spend as much as you can easily afford. You may have this sofa for a long time so think of it as an investment in your home.

 

Brighten up a Room with Splashes of Color

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We’re lucky here in Arizona to get so much sunshine. Grey days are the exception here. But it’s easy to let our homes go grey or beige inside because of the fear of committing to colors. If you have neutral walls, sofas, flooring and chairs, you can still add bold color to your home. Here are some ideas for brightening up any room.

Rugs: No matter what your flooring choice, a rug can add color, warmth and focus. Look for color that you love that will work with your furnishings. Since rugs are not permanently attached to your home, take the opportunity to be more daring with colors.

Art: A large painting or print in vivid tones can light up a wall. You can find options at one of the art shows around town, or in a shop that sells posters and prints. If you love good photography, visit the National Geographic website and you can select a photo to enlarge among their rich collection that is ready to purchase. Or maybe you’re a good photographer yourself. Warehouse stores will enlarge any print you have and even create a version on canvas for very reasonable prices.

Throw Pillows: This simple update can connect other color splashes in your home with your furniture. They’re also easy to change out if you get tired of them. If you’re still nervous about color, buying a bright throw pillow is a great non-threatening start.

Accessories: A red glass vase or blue pottery bowl can add a colorful element to any room. Consider textiles such as a table runner or placemats in your dining room. Pick things you like but watch your tendency to go with more neutrals. Neutral accessories in a neutral room will disappear into your space.

So take a chance with color. Start with one piece, then two, and before you know it your home may be colorful as well as inviting!

Blend Antique and Contemporary Looks

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Do you have a couple of lovely older pieces of furniture you inherited from a great grandmother or received from a great aunt? Or maybe you enjoy hunting down a few unusual antique elements at shops or antique fairs. Here are a few suggestions for integrating them with your more standard pieces so that they add interest while still fitting well in your home.

Look for points of commonality. Do you have newer pieces in the same type of wood? What about the metal finishes? If an old chest has handles in antique brass, look for accessories in the same tones, or art or a mirror framed in a similar finish. Place the art above the piece, and scatter a few of the accessories on nearby pieces of furniture.

The other important factor is proportion. Make sure your antiques and contemporary furniture pieces have a similar scale wherever you place them in your home.

In this photo, the unusual antique table is paired with a very contemporary mirror. This works because it plays on several elements of commonality. The antique brass/bronze finish on the mirror coordinates well with the old brass lions heads on each corner of the table and the eagle claws clutching balls that make up its feet.

The accessories also link pieces together. The pitcher’s dry grasses create a vertical link between the table and the mirror. The turned wood bowls have a contemporary look while the three small bronze birds bring back an older feeling. Notice that the quilt, a classic older accessory, has a more contemporary feel, working well with the long glass dish sitting on it.

Another important feature is the handmade aspect of many of the accessories. The pottery pitcher, wood bowls and quilt all have an artisan feel, which complements the fine detailing on the table.

Don’t hesitate to connect your antiques with other newer pieces in your home. With just a little effort, you can create an interesting, eclectic look.

Colors Set a Mood

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How do you decide what colors to use in your home? You may have a favorite color that you want to incorporate into your home, or you could prefer to stick with neutrals, but color choices are more complex than that. Colors affect our emotions, and the right choices can make your home more inviting and comfortable. Here are some of the basics of how color affects us.

Red: This is an energizing color. It’s a great color to associate with food and entertaining. It’s flattering to people’s complexions and encourages interaction. That’s why it’s a particularly effective color in dining rooms.

Yellow: This color makes people’s complexions look sallow, so it’s a bad choice for bathrooms. It is an optimistic color, however, and helps build self-confidence. That makes it a good choice for many other rooms. Its energizing nature, though, means that it’s a mistake in bedrooms and a really bad choice for nurseries unless you want your baby to be up all night.

Blue: The most relaxing color of the spectrum, this color is an effective choice for bedrooms. This also means that it’s a bad choice for dining rooms, unless you want quiet and boring dinner parties.

Green: As a natural tone, it’s a stress-reducer that can help people keep their emotions balanced. It’s a good relationship color, which makes it great for living spaces.

Orange: A stimulating color, it’s best used sparingly in a home. It creates a lively mood. This makes it a good choice for restaurants because it will stimulate conversation and enjoyment.

Purple: This is actually a good color for quiet thinking – it can help create insights.

When you plan the colors in your home, you may want to consider what you want to accomplish in terms of mood, and let your colors reflect those choices.

Mix and Match Art for an Inviting Display

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Are you facing a large empty wall and trying to decide how to dress it with art? One common choice is to find a generous-sized piece of art to absorb the space. This can add drama to a room and provide a burst of color.

Tapestries, quilts and other wall hangings also make an effective large-format choice. If you want an old-world look, you could visit a local architectural salvage store to explore the possibilities there. Many carry everything from stone carvings to retrieved gates and other wrought iron pieces that work well on a wall.

If you would rather showcase a selection of smaller pieces, here are a few suggestions for you.

  • Select a variety of sizes so that you create an interesting display.
  • Consider adding one or two shelves to set images on for a different look.
  • Don’t feel obliged to have all the frames match; a combination can be very inviting.
  • Don’t limit yourself to photos or paintings; look for embossed art pieces, plates or other items with some dimension to add personality.

To set up a display using a number of pieces, start by making a plan on paper and then try the arrangement on the floor before putting in any nails. If you’re still not sure of your plan, cut rectangles out of wrapping paper to match the sizes of your art and masking tape your plan on the wall. That will give you a more visual understanding of your arrangement.

Replace the rectangles with the art, checking to see that your nails coordinate with the hanging hooks or wire on the back. Start with the largest piece and work out from there.

This process can be time-consuming, but when you’re done you’ll have a lovely and personalized display.

Dress Your Home for Fall

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It’s hard to believe that autumn is upon us when we’re still dealing with triple-digit temperatures. But you can start bringing the season into your home. To get into the mood, select colors, shapes, products and even foods that create the feeling of fall.

Start with the produce department of your grocery or warehouse store. Look for pumpkins, winter squash and gourds or decorative Indian corn. Set up a display in your foyer or on your buffet. Or if you want to go simpler, just put a large basket or pottery bowl on your dining room table filled with apples and pears – fall fruit.

You can introduce the season to your home right at your front door with a fall wreath or hanging. Many stores have ready-made door decorations, or you can create your own easily. Stop by your local hobby store and select a grapevine or other wreath shape in fall tones. Look for garlands of fall leaves in silk, and wrap it around the wreath. Finish with a bow of wire-edged ribbon in fall colors.

Another simple door option involves selecting three complementary ears of Indian corn and tie them at the top with ribbon or raffia. Hang and your home announces the season to everyone who enters.

If you make a trip north to see the colors, bring some old books with you and press the best of the leaves you discover. Add some pine cones and branches and you have a ready-made centerpiece. For other decorations, press the leaves and scatter them on side tables and in bowls.

Even with our hot summer temperatures, your home can carry the feelings – if not the temperatures – of fall.

Make the Most of your Closets

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When people use their closet space, it’s common to focus on the linear space, but to use a closet to its full potential, it’s smart to take advantage of the vertical space also. The simplest approach involves putting in double hanging rods so that you have extra room for shirts, skirts and pants draped on hangers.

Thanks to today’s closet organizing options, you don’t have to limit your thinking. Fulton Homes selected Rubbermaid® options for closet organizing. For some examples, visit the Fulton website or the Fulton Homes Design Center for ideas to make your closets more functional and organized.

One of the smartest places to create space and organization is on a closet floor. Often that ends up as wasted space, or just a place to throw shoes in a heap. Instead you can use that space to set shoes in order, provide a hamper for dirty laundry or add a set of drawers.

The space above your clothing racks can also become more functional through the use of dividers and other organization tools. Rubbermaid® closet options vary with your needs and help your closets look more appealing and hold more without becoming scary disasters. This can be especially helpful with adolescents, who are often not enthusiastic about keeping their closets in shape.

For smaller children, combine drawers and lower shelves and hanging areas set so they can easily reach to hang up and put away their own clothes. You can use the space above their heads for out-of-season clothing or other storage. Also consider adding some hooks to enable the smallest child to hang up sweaters and other clothing easily.

If you take the time to think about what you and your family need in closet storage, your storage spaces will be much more functional. For additional suggestions, talk to your designer at the Fulton Homes Design Center.

Choose the Right Area Rug

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With flooring such as wood or tile, area rugs help soften key areas and create a design focus in a room. Even carpeting can benefit from a rug to highlight a conversation area.

The Fulton Homes Design Center offers a generous selection of area rugs from Feizy, a company with 35 years in the business. Feizy Rugs is renowned for producing the highest quality hand knotted, hand tufted and power loomed rugs in the marketplace today.

This area rug section provides photos of full rugs plus samples that allow you to view the colors and experience the rich feel of these choices.

If you would like to add an area rug to your home, select your permanent flooring first, bringing a sample with you to determine the right rug choice. Rugs range from Oriental style, more traditional patterns and contemporary options.

For a dining room rug, be sure to select one that extends at least two feet past the edges of your dining room table on all sides. This allows your guests to push their chairs back without ending up off the carpet.

Living room rugs can sit inside the sofa and chairs or you can select one large enough to contain all of the living room furniture on it. This way it becomes an island in the space. Be careful to avoid a rug that leaves some furniture half-on and half-off, creating a makeshift look.

If your home is open-concept, area rugs can define specific areas in your space, and add a splash of color or pattern that finishes your home’s design. Take the time to consider an area rug or two to add interest and style to your living space.

Fulton Builds Energy Star Homes

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Fulton’s Energy Star approach to homebuilding for all of its homes ensures that your home will save you energy costs, be more comfortable, and reduce your family’s exposure to harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Our Energy Star Certified Homes surpass all of the current Energy Star Requirements. Some of the steps we take with your home include:

  • Low VOC carpeting and interior paints to minimize the off-gassing these products can release when new.
  • A Lousiana Pacific Tech Shield Radiant Barrier under your roof to deflect the sun’s heat away from your attic.
  • High-performance Vinyl Windows designed to reduce both heat and UV rays from entering your home.
  • A 14 SEER Carrier Air Conditioner which provides energy efficient cooling. It also comes with a 10-year warranty if you register it online.
  • Merv 6 Return Air Filters to help your A/C unit run more smoothly.
  • Outside Air Exchange Fan to provide the precise air exchange required to keep your indoor air fresh while still allowing you to benefit from the tight construction required to keep energy costs low.
  • Drywall Caulking at Top Plate which further seals and insulates your home.
  • Minimum 10% Bulbs to be CFL – longer lasting and saves electricity.
  • Foam Seal on All Exterior Doors – a common place to waste energy – to reduce your air leakage.
  • Gas Water Heater with a .58 to .62 Efficiency Rating which will save on your water heating costs.

As part of earning the Energy Star Certification, a third-party inspection firm performs exhaustive tests on all Fulton homes. We’re happy to share more information about the energy saving features in our homes. You’re welcome to visit our website or one of our exciting Valley Communities.

 

Pavers Make Outdoor Space Special

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When you visit the Fulton Homes Design Center, be sure to visit this courtyard, set off to the right when you face the front door. This space was designed to allow you to see the four varieties of pavers available to Fulton Home Owners for use in their outside spaces.

Positioning these pavers on the ground outside allows owners to see the pavers in daylight, set the way they would look in a home. Would you like to make your sidewalk or outdoor patio something special? Fulton Homes offers the option to use pavers to add extra style and personality to your outdoor space.

The pavers are made of concrete, designed to mimic stone. They fit together to create almost a cobblestone effect, adding drama to your home. As you can see from the photo, they work well against either standard concrete or gravel. We recommend selecting your pavers and your gravel in colors that complement each other.

Pavers provide an old-world look and add a feeling of elegance. At the same time their concrete construction makes them a low-maintenance choice. Just a quick rinse with the hose keeps them looking good.

Talk to your Fulton Homes designer about various ways to introduce pavers into your home’s exterior. We also have a number of photos to demonstrate how pavers can enhance your outdoor space. With a little imagination and some planning, you can create a finished look that will be perfect for family use or entertaining.