Category Archives: Design Inspiration

Inviting Guest Bathrooms

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DSC_0111Your guest bathroom may be the smallest room in your home, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t pack a design punch. Here are some approaches to create excitement in your guest bath.

Add splash to one wall. In this bathroom, small square tiles in a mosaic pattern help the space to pop. This look would be hard to pull off in a larger room without looking busy, but a guest bath has the perfect proportions to allow you to take a chance. In addition to tile, consider a strong paint color or a large wall mural to add interest.

Bring in a stunning sink. Long ignored from a design perspective, sinks today can add style to your baths. This vessel option is deep enough to avoid splashing while making it stand out with its sleek shape and above-counter design. Choosing white for the porcelain fixtures is smart given the strong colors of the other design elements.

278Frame the mirror. Framing a bathroom mirror adds warmth. The frame allows you to carry the wood tone of the vanity up toward the ceiling and makes the space feel more like a dressing room rather than a standard utilitarian bathroom.

Use contrast. In the bath shown here to the right, the dark wood tone fits with the dark flooring and the lighter grout ties in with the white sink. Dark and light merge to create a drama that neither would be able to carry off on their own. White towels and accessories help finish the look.

Have fun with your guest bathrooms; they can contribute a lot of style in a small space. Both of these bathrooms are from the Fulton model in the Fulton Homes Legacy community.

Stylish Ceiling Fans

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Legacy Models 080Ceiling fans have always been a source of frustration to the design community. While they’re a practical alternative to standard lighting, often the look detracts from the final design of a space. This has changed recently as lighting designers have started creating ceiling fans that are unique and inviting. Let’s take a look at a couple, featured in the Legacy community models.

Most people assume that the standard ceiling fan profile of five fan blades is the only option, but this fan shows that even two blades can make an effective fan while demonstrating a unique and intriguing contemporary industrial look.

The sleek lines and hand-crafted appearance combine to make a ceiling fan that is almost a piece of sculpture hanging from the ceiling. This look would work equally well with contemporary, industrial or even rustic décor.

ceiling fans 1 croppedThe fans to the right are completely different in style, yet have a retro feel that makes them stand out. One Fulton Facebook fan suggested that they would fit well in a New York loft, and indeed they are easy to imagine in that setting.

The old-style fans in black make this an option that would also work well in a more traditional setting – adding a touch of whimsy and personality to any room. And like the fan above, this non-standard approach still functions effectively.

So before you dismiss ceiling fans as useful items that provide practicality rather than style, you may want to browse some of the newer offerings, because some of today’s ceiling fans will surprise you.

 

Closet Organizing to Start 2015 off Right

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Master closet from the Fulton Homes Legacy Community.

Master closet from the Fulton Homes Legacy Community.

Are your closets organized, making it easy to find what you want when you want it? For most of us, the answer is of course not. Why not start 2015 off by making your master closet a source of pleasure rather than frustration. Here are a few suggestions for organizing this space.

Clear the floor. Closets look worse and are harder to handle if the floor is covered with shoes and other clothing or non-clothing items. So start with your floor. If you want to have your shoes on the floor, look for a shoe-organizing unit or a small set of shelves. Tackling the rest of the clutter will seem les overwhelming once you can actually see the floor.

Get the right hangars. Often closets end up untidy because clothes slip off hangars or end up hanging by one sleeve. The new slim-line hangars hold onto clothes and take up less space in your closet. They are available in many household supply and warehouse stores as well as online. You may find you gain as much as 20 percent of your closet through using this type of hangar.

Keep your main closet area for current clothes. If you are fortunate enough to have a closet the size of this one, set up separate areas for current and out-of-season clothing. Or sort by work and casual clothes. Determine the best sorting process for your lifestyle and use that.

Take baby steps. If you don’t have the energy or time for a full closet overhaul, consider doing just one thing a week to make your closet more accessible and easier to use. Before you know it your closet can be an inviting place rather than a reminder of everything you want to accomplish.

 

Setting up a Holiday Tablescape

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Legacy Models 068How would you decorate this dining space for the holidays? Here are a few suggestions.

Choose one or two colors, a neutral, and one metallic hue: In this room, silver seems like a natural choice thanks to the chandeliers and grey tones. Silver can link everything together. For the same reason, white or ivory would complement the space. From there you could do the traditional red and green colors, or jump into something more daring like purple or even hot pink and lime green. This room can handle the brighter colors, so take advantage of that to add drama to your tablescape.

Don’t stop at the table: In this room, the trees by the wall would benefit from some mini-lights and small ornaments. Think about adding some special touches to the chandeliers. (For more ideas on that, see our last blog.) The buffet could be a source for additional decorations that complement whatever you choose to do to the table. You could even change out the throw pillows on the two sofas for some that suit your holiday look. Once again the grey palette opens up a world of possibilities.

Keep your centerpiece low or set between chairs: You want to make sure everyone at the table can see everyone else, so plan a centerpiece that allows that. This long rectangular table gives you the opportunity to create a landscape of flowers, greens, ornaments, candles and other accessories. By using the buffet to hold serving dishes you have more room for decorations on the table itself.

Consider the chairs: These contemporary chairs with neutral grey upholstery provide the perfect space for a final holiday touch. It’s easy to tie some wide ribbon around the chair backs with a nice bow at the back of each one. Costco offers great prices on wire-edged holiday ribbon in two and three-inch widths. Choose one that works well for your holiday plan, and you will have plenty to use throughout your home.

Your final touch? Add the food – tables always look better with something to eat nearby!

 

Decorating lighting fixtures for the Holidays

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Legacy Models 069With lush lighting fixtures such as these two from the O’Connor model at Legacy, it’s tempting to make them part of the season by adding a holiday touch. Here are a few suggestions to make these lights reflect the holidays.

Holiday greens: Look for a garland that matches the style of your holiday decorations. You could choose real greens such as the red cedar garland available at Trader Joe’s this time of year, or just pick up some of their two-color holly. Use fishing line or ribbons to attach it under the lights of the chandeliers above.  For the photo below, drape the greens along the cross-beams above the lights.

Legacy Models 073Ribbons: You could tie some lovely red, green, gold or blue ribbons around the shades on the chandelier above to create an understated but festive touch. To contribute a bit more drama, tie a few to the loops under the lights and let them hang down to the table, maybe even puddling on the table itself or stopping just above your centerpiece to connect your lighting to your holiday tablescape. Ribbon loops could run across the crosspieces of the more contemporary light fixture below also.

LED lights. Add lights to your lighting with some of the new battery-powered LED lights in white, colors or even multicolored options. Hide the battery pack within some greenery and let the mini-lights swirl and drape around the structure of each chandelier.

Ornaments: One simple but effective approach would be to choose some favorite ornaments and hang them from the supports of each chandelier. Once again this addition is understated but would pull your lighting into the season. Why not bring the holiday to your home’s lighting, allowing it to shine with the rest of your home.

Decorating your Home for the Holidays: Living and Family Rooms

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   DSC_0139When you have a generously-sized living room and a large family room such as in this home, the O’Connor model from Legacy, how do you bring in the holiday spirit without looking skimpy or overwhelming your home with cheer? Here are a few approaches for decorating both rooms while maintaining the style of your home.

Choose one room as holiday central for your home. This involves the tree you will be unwrapping presents under, the location for family holiday meals and any other traditions that suit the season. You can still decorate other rooms in your home but this gives you the flexibility to be understated in all but one area.

Replace current accessories with holiday elements rather than just adding them in. If you keep your home’s current décor in place while adding holiday pieces, your home can look too cluttered to be festive. Instead, pack away some or all of your everyday vases and other accessories to leave room for holiday items.

Add greenery. This is particularly effective in more formal contemporary spaces such as the living room above. Many stores sell fresh greens at this time of year. You can combine several types of greenery to make a splash For example, this living room could stay as-is and still feel like the holidays simply by adding pine and two-color holly around the silver candleholders on the coffee table and on the side tables. Add a few holiday ornaments to the tree on the right and this room is finished in an elegant and effective way. You might want to take advantage of the new battery-powered LED lights to add a spark to the greens.

Models 085This family room can support a large tree. You might one consider 8-9 feet in height to take advantage of the ceiling. The area to the right of the television provides a natural spot for a tree. Remember that you want to provide plenty of seating nearby. Don’t hesitate to rearrange the furniture to make the space work better with a tree. For example, you could move the checked chair on the right closer to the sofa and move the entire seating arrangement a bit to the right which would allow the tree to become the focal point of the room for the holiday season.

Whatever you decide, have fun with your decorations and they will help you set the stage for a lovely holiday.

 

The Value of Built-in Cabinets

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Models 082People recognize the value of built-in cabinets in a kitchen, but there are so many other places in your home where built-in cabinetry can make your life easier and your home more beautiful too. Consider these possibilities.

Dining or breakfast room: What better place to store serving pieces and entertainment items than right where you need them. Rather than taking up space in your kitchen, let another room in your home be of help. And a well-designed choice of cabinets including features such as glass-fronted doors and special lighting can make a bare wall into a design feature while providing extra storage. Take a look at how the space above has been transformed by adding the right type of built-in.

DSC_0049 (1)Laundry room: A well-designed laundry room can provide more than clean clothes. Use laundry built-in cabinets to hold cleaning supplies, craft tools, table linens or holiday decorations. The bins shown in the photo to the right could serve as a family “lost and found” with every family member assigned their own place to put anything left around the house.

DSC_0185 (1)Hallway: If you have halls that are wide enough or that have a natural niche, consider adding built-in cabinets. You will have extra storage, something we all can use, and create a space with personality rather than an empty area.

With built-in cabinets, you can customize their size and design to capitalize on all of the space and make maximum use of it. Take a walk through your home. You may be surprised at all the places that could benefit from built-ins.

 

Bathrooms with Upscale Style

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basha bath 3If you want to give your home’s bathrooms an air of upscale style, it all comes down to your design decisions. Just a few changes from the standard approach can turn any bathroom into something that will catch the eye. Here are a few suggestions to make your bath stand out.

basha bath 2Lighting: Possibly the most important factor in bathroom design, lighting adds a decorative element and also has a direct impact on how the mirror reflects your face and the room itself. Notice how the dappled pendants soften the light in this bathroom. A choice like this one creates amber light and shadows – making the bathroom stand out even without any other special design elements. The oversized curved light in the second bathroom makes the lighting evenly distributed and the translucent shading softens it.

 Tile: The backsplash mosaic in the first bathroom adds personality as well as providing a focal point. With just a small profile, this tile allows visitors to enjoy the look while using the sink and mirror. The curved edge tile in the second backroom mirrors the curves of the light while bringing a deep contrast that works well with the painted and glazed cabinets.

Faucets and towel bars: Both of these bathrooms have oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, providing a warm and effective transitional look. Because these bathrooms are from the same model, the Basha at Legacy, the cabinet and faucet choices are the same, creating a consistent look throughout the house. But by choosing different tile, light fixtures and sinks, the bathrooms are completely different in style and feel.

As one of the smallest rooms in your home, the bathroom provides the perfect palette for adding style without adding a lot to your budget. For more great ideas to make your bathrooms exceptional, visit Legacy and check out the bathrooms in all of our models.

 

Decorating the Exterior of your Home for the Holidays

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Models 070With the expansive exteriors of Fulton Home’s new Legacy community, the traditional wreath on the door may get lost. Here are a few suggestions to create a festive exterior for your new Legacy home.

Start decorating before you get to the door. You could place wreaths on the front of the matching columns to start setting the mood right away. The symmetrical arrangement supports carrying a doubled theme from the front pillars right to the front door.

Models 090Go big. Look for oversized wreaths and decorations. Before you shop, measure your front door and decide what size range would work best.

Go for multiples. One option is to purchase a number of large poinsettias from Costco or a similar retailer and place two on either side of each stair. You would create a sea of red holiday charm all the way to your door. If you would rather use smaller plants, you could line the walls with them or even place them in the planters shown in the top photo.

Consider luminaria. For a spark of charm consider lining your walkway and walls with many luminarias – a common holiday decorating choice in the Southwest. These simple decorations – just brown paper bags partially filled with sand with a lighted candle inside – could be used to outline the dramatic arrangement of the landscape and walls surrounding the front of your Legacy home.

No matter what decorating choice you make, your home will be lovely and ready to entertain family and friends this holiday season. For more on the Fulton Homes Legacy community, visit us online at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/our-communities/freeman-farms/legacy.

 

Design Center Kitchen a Study in Texture

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Bertazonni KitchenWhen designing and decorating a room, people often think in terms of color and contrast, but there’s another factor that can create interest – texture. This kitchen demonstrates how texture can make a space exciting. Let’s take a look at all the texture decisions that make this kitchen appealing.

Stainless and wood: One of the most popular contrasts in today’s kitchens comes from two common texture choices – shiny stainless appliances and soft wood cabinetry. In this vignette having the refrigerator provided with cabinet doors – as the largest appliance – creates a softer textural mood than you would have with a stainless refrigerator.

Cabinet finishes: The primary cabinets have a soft gentle glaze, giving them variety while allowing them to serve as a color base for the kitchen. On the other hand, the island cabinets show a more rustic texture that helps this element to stand out from the rest of the space.

Countertops: The countertops against the wall have a soft look with rounded edges and minimal contrast. On the island, strongly variegated granite adds an extra design element to this kitchen. Picture the island with the same soft counters as the rest of the kitchen – without that additional feature, the island would not have the impact it shows now.

Island columns: By choosing the braided texture on the island columns, you add the feel of rich old-world finishing. Once again, this choice brings the island to the forefront of this kitchen vignette.

The designer’s decision to use texture rather than tone to create interest in this kitchen helps to create a space that is cohesive, lower contrast, yet still interesting. That’s the power of texture.