Author Archives: FultonHomes

Easy yet Welcoming Entryway

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entryway-webWhen people walk up to your front door, you want them to feel welcome before they even push the doorbell. On the other hand, going to an extreme with decorating your entryway can involve a lot of maintenance. Here is one example of a front entrance that provides an inviting feeling without a lot of effort on your part.

Interesting walkway: Instead of a standard concrete sidewalk, consider choosing a walkway material such as tile, stone or pavers to add interest and charm. This stone walk combines a diagonal placement with a simple border around the landscaping to make the entrance stand out. The additional stone on the wall around the front door adds to this entrance’s welcome.

Lighting: It’s easy to ignore exterior lighting, but it plays an important role in your home’s first impression. Take the time to choose lights that reflect your taste and style. Look for options that have personality and charm. This pair of coach lights suits the entrance yet have a feeling of whimsy that makes visitors take a second look. And when you turn those lights on at night, your guests know you are expecting them and looking forward to their visit.

Plants: Landscaping around your front entrance is important. Keep shrubs low so that the doorway isn’t hidden, but that touch of green adds interest. In this instance, several palms in pots add another splash of greenery and help integrate the sidewalk to the house itself. You can water these a few times a week or add a drip line to each one so that they get watered when your yard is irrigated. Then the only maintenance needed is occasional fertilizer and trimming any dead foliage off.

With just a few smart decisions, you can turn a standard entrance into something that makes a statement about how you feel about your home and the special people you invite to visit.

Think about Texture

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From the Whitewater Model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

From the Whitewater Model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

When you’re planning your home’s décor, it’s easy to focus on color. But texture can be equally important. Choosing to include many different textures in your home makes it more interesting and unique. Let’s take a look at some options for adding textural elements to your home.

Architectural features: The stone focal wall in this study takes a standard room and makes it interesting. Since this room is open to the rest of the house, this one wall adds texture throughout the living area. Notice that the stone itself is fairly neutral and light. This allows you to modify the look and colors of the room over time without limiting your options.

Flooring: The dark wood floor has a handscraped finish which adds both depth and texture. With the handscraped option, floors reflect their wood origins more clearly. Whether you want wood, tile, carpeting or any other type of flooring, take the time to consider the flooring texture as well as the color.

Plants: Large-scale plants add texture through their leaves and branches. Shop around to find just the right variety for your home. Some do well in sun and some thrive in shade. Or you can incorporate silk plants for a lower-maintenance option.

Rugs: Layered flooring is one of the best ways to incorporate different textures into your home. The hard wood covered with a soft area rug grabs the eye and adds contrast to your floor.

Accessories: Everything from boxes and books to throw pillows can pull in additional texture. Take a look around each room in your home. Could you use more reflective surfaces? How about a nubby textile such as a wool throw?

By thinking beyond color to texture, you will add interest and sophistication to your home. Take a look around with texture in mind. You may be surprised at how just a few small changes can make a big difference.

Make the Most of your Laundry Room Storage

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From the Rancho Mirage model in Oasis at Queen Creek.

From the Rancho Mirage model in Oasis at Queen Creek.

It’s easy to let your laundry room become a catch-all for those things you can’t figure out where to put. Holiday decorations, extra hangers, cleaning supplies and other odds and ends find their way into your laundry room cupboards and before you know it they’re full. Instead of this kind of unintentional use, how about turning your laundry room into a resource for specific types of storage? Here are a few suggestions.

Entertainment Central: Vases and other elements for table centerpieces and buffet decorations could find a convenient place in one or more laundry room cabinets. Add a frog, some pebbles or marbles for helping to stabilize flower arrangements and you’re ready for flower arranging or creating an interesting base for a buffet arrangement. You might add some of your favorite serving pieces and table linens for one-stop-shopping before a party.

Clothes Management: Pins, scissors and your sewing kit can be kept in the laundry room when you need to sew a button on tighter or stitch up a hem that’s coming loose. Stain removers, wrinkle release spray and even fusible sewing tape for any quick fixes can really come in handy when that jacket and skirt that you really wanted to wear needs mending.

Roadtrip Supplies: Cool bags, paper plates, disposable silverware, condiments in little packets, favorite road games and activities can be organized in one place ready to grab when you decide to take a weekend trip. Don’t forget a map or two for the kids to use to follow along where you’re going – reducing although not eliminating the cries of “are we there yet!”

Gift Wrap Center: Wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, scissors and a nice collection of gift cards help you be ready for those last-minute gift needs. Instead of searching through the house for everything you need, keep a special set of supplies in one cabinet just for gifts.

These are four quick ideas for ways to make the most of the storage in your laundry room. What other ideas can you come up with to make your laundry room useful for more than laundry?

Make a Smooth Transition Back to School

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back to schoolWith school starting it can be hard for kids to adjust from the relaxing days of summer back into school mode. Here are a few tips to help them – and you – make the transition easier.

Pre-plan supplies: Don’t let everything go until the last minute. Shop for needed school clothes, shoes, school supplies and any technology on a schedule over several weeks. Structure special places in your home to stage school activities. Create several school outfits and hang them together in each child’s closet. Create a specific location for kids to find the pencils, pens, papers or other school supplies they may need so there’s no rushed morning searching.

Plan and negotiate lunches: Will your children be bringing their lunches to school or eating in the cafeteria? Or maybe there will be a mix during the week? Now is the time to negotiate the lunch issue so that you avoid those pre-school morning debates. Include planning a combination of wholesome foods with a few treats to make workable lunches for everyone. And while you’re at it – maybe you want to plan healthful lunches for yourself too. You can eat better and save money over eating out.

Pre-plan breakfast: Have a nice variety of easy and healthful breakfast options ready to go every morning. Hot cereal, eggs and toast, fresh fruit salad or frozen breakfast options such as whole-grain toaster waffles can combine to make a good start to the day for everyone. Plan on an extra 15-30 minutes in the morning so that no one has to rush.

Get an early start on going to bed: If your kids have gotten in the habit of going to bed late, start moving their bedtime to an earlier schedule a half-hour at a time every few days. By the time school starts, you want them to be able to wake up easily in the morning with a good night’s sleep behind them. Little ones can benefit from a standard bedtime routine with baths, books and good night kisses on a regular schedule.

Getting back into the mood for school can be tough, but as a parent taking these simple steps can make the process easier for everyone in the family.

Integrating Entertainment Technology in your Home

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Entertainment center from the Rancho Mirage model in Oasis at Queen Creek

Entertainment center from the Rancho Mirage model in Oasis at Queen Creek

Technology has certainly changed since the days when telephones and televisions were the extent of it in your home. As televisions have gotten larger and flatter, and what we can do with them has evolved, it pays to plan for the entertainment technology in your home. Here are a few ideas.

Plan for family viewing: While you may like to have a television in your bedroom or kitchen, it pays to choose one main location for your entire family to enjoy. This allows you to invest in one larger-format set with theater-quality sound for watching films or special programs. Smaller-format sets or even computers work well for everyday screen time.

Build in convenient space for accessories: DVD’s, game consoles and controls, and whatever else you need for family entertainment is more likely to be used regularly if it’s convenient. Close-by shelving and storage helps keep everything in one place and easy to access when you need it. Notice that the shelves and cabinets in this entertainment space keep equipment and supplies out of sight when not in use, a tidier and more attractive look.

Create an integrated look: The wall color, tile insert and flooring, and black finish on the cabinets make the space feel well-planned and attractive. The choice to stay with light tones and black makes this wall a focal point while it still remains consistent from a design perspective with the rest of the room. Notice how the black finish on the coffee table supports this design goal.

Integrating entertainment technology into your home requires you to consider both functionality and design. For more ideas on how to make that work in your home, we invite you to visit our models in Oasis at Queen Creek.

Let Lighting Create Style

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Kitchen from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

Kitchen from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek Community

Because of its position just above eye level, pendant lighting tends to capture the eye. This is even more true when they are lit. So be sure to pay close attention to your options when selecting pendants. Here are some factors to consider when making your decision.

Style: Are you a staunch design traditionalist? If you want to create a traditional feel, be sure to stick with standard shapes and only choose light colors such as white or amber. On the other hand, if you like the old-style farmhouse look, consider the old-fashioned schoolhouse lighting. And if you want to be more cutting-edge, take a look at these light fixtures from Kichler. While they are effective task lights over the island, they also cause guests to take notice with their daring design.

Finish: What metal have you chosen for your kitchen faucets and pulls? You may want to stay consistent with your lighting, particularly when going for a traditional look. If your style is more eclectic, you can mix it up a bit.

Coordinating pieces: Do you want to link your pendants with other lighting fixtures in your home? If so, be sure to take a look at all the coordinating lights in the package. On the other hand, as long as you don’t go too far, different choices can work well together. Be sure to take the time to see how your lighting coordinates from room to room.

Light level: Will these pendant lights be primarily decorative or will they need to double as task lighting? Make sure the size of your pendants and the level they hang at meet your specific lighting needs for your island. After all, style may be important but light comes first!

For more ideas of what’s available in pendant lighting for your Fulton Home kitchen, take a look at the options offered at the Fulton Design Center and visit our models at Oasis at Queen Creek. You’ll see these lights and many other intriguing choices for your island.

When Your Son Leaves for College

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From the Rancho Mirage model at Oasis at Queen Creek

From the Rancho Mirage model at Oasis at Queen Creek

It’s complicated but fun getting your daughter ready to go away to college, but it’s trickier with a son. While your daughter is likely to enjoy planning her dorm room’s décor, most boys, particularly in high school, have no interest in anything related to decorating, and wouldn’t admit it if they had.

So what do you do to make sure he’s ready without adding to the trauma of leaving home and living on his own for the first time ever? Here are a few suggestions to make it easier for both of you.

Focus on the basics: These include warm bedding, clean clothes, hygiene and first aid supplies, as well as adequate lighting and storage. Chances are you’ve taken care of all these things over the years, so it’s quite possible that your son won’t realize what he needs until he needs it. It’s your job to get him ready, and to educate him on what you’ve been taking care of for him.

Bedding: Look for sheet sets. Most dorm rooms offer long single beds, so look for that size when shopping. Places such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target are gearing up for the go-to-college set, so you should have a good selection of options available. If your son is going to school in an area that experiences cold winters, be sure to include a blanket as well as a warm bedspread. There are no guarantees that dorms are warm.

Laundry: If your son is not familiar with doing laundry, take the time for a basic tutorial. Pack laundry detergent and plan for at least a month’s worth of underwear, because no college kid does laundry more often than that. Be sure to include a laundry bag rather than a basket – a bag is easier to store and haul around.

First aid: Include band aids and any over-the-counter items that your son is used to having on hand. Find an easy container to hold it all in one place.

Lighting: Many dorms have fair lighting, but a lamp with task lighting is a useful accessory. Look for something simple and light enough to move around as needed.

Storage: Dorm closets are small, so consider some under-bed storage for extra sweaters, etc.

Don’t worry about music and other technology. Your son will probably be on top of that too. And don’t make gender assumptions. You may have a boy that really cares about what that bedspread looks like, or a daughter who just doesn’t care. Either way, follow these guidelines to ensure that your child, whether male or female, is ready to make that leap away from home.

Introducing Slate – GE’s New Appliance Finish

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Rancho-Mirage-kitchen-webFor the last decade and more, stainless steel has been the preferred finish for kitchen appliances. Other choices have appeared, but none with the staying power of stainless.

At the same time there are disadvantages to stainless. It’s a magnet for fingerprints, which requires daily wiping if there are children in your home. The bright shiny surface looks good against dark wood cabinetry but isn’t quite as effective with painted or light cabinets.

Now GE Appliances has introduced Slate. This darker look combines a charcoal tone with a matte finish that hides fingerprints and smudges. It also works exceptionally well with a kitchen that has grey colors. This cooler tone has grown in appeal lately.

Slate doesn’t demand the attention that stainless does. If you want your open-concept home to include a kitchen that incorporates itself into the rest of the space, Slate is more low-key.

Most important of all, so far this new appliance finish seems to have staying power. Introduced in 2012, the response has been so positive that GE continues to expand its Slate line. With its sophisticated look and feel – including just enough bling with glossy handles – Slate creates a feeling of cutting-edge style.

Thanks to its cool tones, Slate can also be used in a mix-and-match approach with stainless if you want. For a close-up look at GE’s new appliance finish in this kitchen, we invite you to check it out in our Oasis at Queen Creek community, where we showcase this and many other kitchen ideas designed with you in mind.

Sofa Alternative

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family room la quinta webThe standard approach to seating in a family room is a sofa with one or two chairs, or maybe a sectional with one additional chair. But how about considering this arrangement from the La Quinta model at Oasis at Queen Creek? Four chairs with an ottoman in the center offers a number of advantages.

Reflecting its space: If you have a square space, a sofa and chair combination doesn’t take full advantage of the area, instead ending up more as a rectangle. This four-chair approach reflects the available space and actually takes advantage of it by supporting the symmetrical structure.

Everyone has a seat: Rather than having to share, every person gets a comfy chair to sit in as they choose. The ottoman is big enough for everyone to share it without getting in each other’s way.

Arranged for conversation: With a sofa, some people end up sitting next to each other, making it awkward to hold a conversation. This four-chair set-up creates an environment where everyone can converse comfortably with everyone else.

Additional seating as needed: The ottoman could also be used as seating, and the space between each chair provides plenty of room to pull up extra chairs and join the conversation.

Color and pattern coordination: By including throw pillows on each chair of the same fabric as the ottoman, this grouping feels totally integrated. The rug, picking up one of the patterned fabric’s colors, wraps up the space.

If you’re planning a living or family room seating arrangement, consider the possibility of using four chairs for a fresh and appealing look that functions as well or better than the standard sofa seating option.

Pink can be Sophisticated

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girl's_bedroom_montageFor most of us, when we hear that a girl’s bedroom has pink in the color scheme, it sounds cute and pretty, but not very sophisticated. But don’t limit your thinking. With the right accents and style, pink will surprise you. Let’s take a look at how this girl’s bedroom makes that happen.

The right accent colors: One quick and powerful way to add sophistication to any room is by throwing black into the mix. Used judiciously, black makes other colors pop and grounds the space. By mixing a light ballet-pink and black together, the final feel is daring and interesting, and definitely more than cute.

Using metallics: The bold gold on the bedding and poster make everything in the room pop. This is a risky choice and you can’t have a sophisticated look without taking some risks.

Mature fabric choices: It’s easy to go with a juvenile fabric when working with pink, but these fabrics pull you away from that. Adult patterns and moods in the fabric help make this room more grown-up.

Unusual artwork: The Wizard of Oz theme on the poster over the bed says it’s a children’s room, but the retro illustration combined with images from the book itself in the background make this poster worth more than a glance. Really, this piece feels like the inspiration for the entire room.

Eclectic furniture choices: The vanity has an old-fashioned style but the white paint makes it feel up to date. The small chest gets its personality with the different designs on each drawer, which are echoed in the canvas above. Once again a risky mix-and-match mood adds a chic feeling to the space.

Altogether, this room works for a young girl, yet opens up a glimpse of what kind of grown up she will eventually become. Visit Oasis at Queen Creek for a closer look.