Category Archives: Design Inspiration

A Splash of Red

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kitchen-whitewater-webWith this combination of dark cabinets and dark wood flooring, this luscious kitchen could easily feel like too much brown. But a wise choice of countertops and pops of red turn it into a cozy and inviting space. Let’s take a look at the smart decisions that make up this kitchen, from the Whitewater model in the Oasis at Queen Creek community.

Light walls and countertops: You don’t often see dark wood on dark wood in a kitchen. Of course today’s wood flooring finishes make wood workable for kitchens and even bathrooms, but it still seems like a design risk. Bringing in lighter tones with the countertops and soft beige walls provide the needed contrast. The backsplash also uses light tiles to showcase the dark wood cabinetry.

Stainless appliances: A little bling brightens up any room, and using appliances with a stainless finish breaks up the wood, while the reflective surfaces contribute to the overall glow.

Architectural details: The carved pillars at the outer corners of the island combined with crown molding and the door/drawer styles break up the wood look, adding shadows and highlights to the cabinets. In addition, the handscraped wood flooring provides its own three-dimensional element. Altogether these features add the interest needed to keep the space from feeling simply wood-on-wood in design.

Pops of color: The red leather seats set off the island, and this color is echoed in various accessories scattered through the kitchen. Red’s strong bright presence lights up the room.

Natural light: This kitchen can carry off the two dark woods thanks to the natural light that pours into the space. And in the evening, multiple lighting sources keep the kitchen light and bright.

Is this the kitchen for you? Why not visit our models in Oasis at Queen Creek and see for yourself!

The Pleasure of Reading in Bed

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Master Bedroom photo from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek community.

Master Bedroom photo from the Rancho Mirage model in the Oasis at Queen Creek community.

When you’re planning your bedroom, consider creating a space for reading in bed. For many people, spending time reading is a good way to get relaxed enough to fall asleep, and it’s so much nicer if all you have to do is turn off your light, put down your book and lie down.

To start, look for a padded headboard or one sloped for leaning against. This headboard adds drama to the master bedroom while the padded insert creates a good start to a comfy place to read.

Include some large pillows on your bed. These add style to your bedroom and provide the perfect elements to make a cozy place to curl up over a good book.

Think about lighting also. The matching lights on the nightstands give each person a direct light source for reading. The overhead light would also work, and with a remote to turn it off you don’t have to get out of bed when you’re ready to fall asleep.

If you are a regular bed reader but your partner would prefer to just fall asleep, consider investing in a tablet. You can read e-books on a back-lit surface without a light that might bother your partner at night. And if you are looking for your next book, library e-books are available 24-7 online.

While you’re planning your perfect reading spot, think also about how your bedroom will look. This combination of grey and navy is crisp and sophisticated. And the tray provides a perfect spot for a late-night cup of tea or a snack.

Make your bedroom work for you, in function as well as looks, and it can become your haven at the end of the day.

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.

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.

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.

Design Your Dream Master Bath

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bath_montage_blogHave you ever thought about what you really want in your master bathroom? How about natural light while still maintaining privacy? This bathroom accomplishes that with the trio of square windows near the ceiling over the shower.

Would you like a bathroom that doesn’t feel cramped? The nice amount of square footage and open entrance gives you plenty of space. Using flooring on the diagonal adds to the sense of abundant room.

What about a roomy shower? Take a look at this option with room to move around and a subtle built-in niche that’s perfect for shampoo and body wash.

How about a mirror over the vanity that doesn’t look institutional? Take a look at how framing the mirror in the photo above adds an appealing finishing touch to the vanity area.

Would you like a spot to sit in the morning to apply make-up, or just to relax for a minute while chatting with your spouse before breakfast? This bath has just the place for a comfy chair by the mirror.

And what about style? Have you thought about the colors and finishes you would like in your master bath? What about the soft gold and rust tones of this space? Or maybe you’d rather have gentle green colors. With all of the Fulton Design Center options, it’s your choice.

While we’re at it, let’s add plenty of vanity storage, a double vanity/sink so you don’t have to share, and plenty of good and attractive lighting.

Is this your dream master bath? Want a closer look? Then how about visiting Oasis at Queen Creek Station to see it for yourself?

Recreate this Charming Chest

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whitewater-bedroom-1-webThoughtful touches can turn a child’s bedroom into something special, even on a budget. This chest, seen in the Whitewater model at the Oasis at Queen Creek community, has a charm that is easy to recreate.

You can find a simple chest like this one at an unfinished furniture store or thrift shop. If the piece is unfinished, be sure to prime it before painting. If it is finished, wash it and sand lightly before painting.

Now is the time to decide if you want the piece to have a flat or glossy finish. Select the right paint for your decision. You can also shop for scrap paper or wrapping paper in designs and colors that work well together. Your final purchase is a jar of decoupage medium such as Mod Podge. Be sure to choose a finish that matches your paint choice.

Start with a couple of coats of white paint. You can eliminate brush strokes and speed up the process by using spray paint. Just be sure to work outside or in a well-ventilated area.

Spray using multiple thin coats following the instructions on the can. Remove the drawers and paint separately, inside and out. Spray paint dries quickly, but you may want to wait a minute or two between coats, so you are not spraying wet paint on wet paint.

When you’re done, decoupage the papers on the front of each drawer, cutting to size before with scissors or after with a very sharp knife. Add a couple of extra coats of decoupage medium to each to protect the papers.

Finish with white knobs or choose knobs that coordinate well with the papers. Then just enjoy your handiwork! For a closer look at this chest, we invite you to visit our models at Oasis at Queen Creek.