Category Archives: Design Inspiration

Home Office with Style

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 001With a home office, style can be just as important or even more important than function. As an integral part of your home, office space should appeal to the same aesthetic that you use in the rest of your home. Colors, furniture, accessories and lighting need to work for your projects while still presenting the feeling you want your home to convey.

This home office, from the Fulton Homes Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing, comes into view the minute you walk into the home. If your home’s first impression occurs with your home office, more than ever you want it to represent your style.

Take a look at the different ways this home office sends a message about the homeowner. The desk has strong modern lines, and positioning it facing front makes it even more powerful. The cabinet set behind the desk allows files, papers and office supplies to stay hidden, maintaining a home-like feel even if it is a fully-functional office.

The old-fashioned leather wing chair on the left provides a touchstone of tradition, as well as providing a comfortable seat for a guest. By having this chair behind the desk rather than in the front, the homeowner can chat with a visitor and the desk is off to the side rather than serving as a barrier.

Accessories and art demonstrate a contemporary flair, and colors stay neutral with the exception of the two glass vases on the window between the home office and the living room. Low maintenance plants add a note of warmth.

Functional and livable, this home office can serve multiple purposes while helping to contribute to the comfort and style of this Fulton Home.

Smart Shower Design

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 030What do you look for in a shower? Would you like space, a certain kind of shower head, lighting, style or ease of use? Take a look at this shower, from the Fulton Homes Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing. This spacious shower seems designed to meet every desire.

Let’s start with the finish – marble rectangle tiles create a rich and inviting setting for morning or evening scrubs. The glittery mosaic of glass and metallic tiles running across at just under eye level add a welcome sparkle that works well with the brushed nickel finish on the faucets and shower heads.

The choice of clear glass for the wall and door keep the room feeling spacious, and the half-step into the shower ensures that water is under control in spite of the ease of entry. Notice the double option for your shower: a standard wall-mounted shower head combined with a convenient and flexible hand-held choice with a mounted handle that can be adjusted to a particular height. With only minimal adjustments, this shower could work well for someone with limited mobility.

By using glass block for the window, natural light comes into the room while still maintaining privacy. It’s also nice to have a towel rack handy just outside the shower while still within the framework of the shower space, keeping towels dry but providing easy access.

Notice just a couple more things – a perfect place for shampoo and soap positioned in the wall, and a small seat for convenience yet designed not to interfere with the shower itself. A lot of thought went into this shower’s design. How would it fit into your dream home?

Listelles add Personality

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Listels Design Center 027Would you enjoy the impact of a strong tile design for your kitchen backsplash or shower? If your design dreams are limited by your budget, incorporating a stripe of listelles can provide the bang for fewer bucks.

You may not be familiar with listelles, but the pre-designed and cut stone or tile patterns give you the opportunity to create an interesting and unique wall or backsplash without greatly increasing your costs for materials or installation. That’s because these pieces come pre-cut and arranged on webbing to keep them much easier to install than a design created on site.

Take a look at a few of the listelles available at the Fulton Design Center. Whether you prefer a dramatic geometric such as the choice on the lower left or something more organic such as the vine design in the top row, fourth from the left, adding one or two rows of listelles can really add a wow factor to a simple tile or stone installation.

There are two approaches to incorporating a listelle into your tile or stone design. You can start by reviewing the listelle options and then select the background tile or stone that suits your choice. Or sometimes it’s easier to start with a tile that suits your other design decisions and then visit our selection of listelles to discover just the right one to suit your taste in the rest of the room.

Your grout choice will also fill in the gaps in the listelle of your choice, helping to integrate it into the final installation. Visit the Fulton Design Center to take a closer look at our rich selection of listelles and determine the right choice for your new Fulton Home.

Hardwood Flooring

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Hardwood Design Center 058With a classic and timeless look, hardwood flooring is hard to beat. Hardwood flooring, with its long life, flexible background for any décor, and variety of tones and finishes, can work in any room in your home. At the Fulton Design Center, take the time to investigate our hardwood options for flooring.

Fulton Homes offers a choice of Shaw, Armstrong or Holland Hardwoods brands for flooring, all three with a long-term and well-deserved reputation for quality materials and construction. Hardwood flooring has been designed to last, and it has a significant impact on resale value and speed. But the main reason to select hardwood flooring comes from the elegant appearance of this choice.

Many of today’s hardwood finishes tolerate more wear due to modern coatings. But hardwood flooring gains personality with wear. If you’ve ever visited a historic home, you may have noticed that those hardwood floors can last through generations of use, and a few scratches and dents don’t detract from the way this flooring creates an environment of tradition.

With hardwood flooring, changes in décor are easier, as wood makes a perfect background for any combination of colors and style. Hardwood provides the perfect background for area rugs, adding an additional layer to your home’s design.

Hardwood flooring isn’t for everyone. When you’re ready to choose flooring for your new Fulton Home, talk to your designer at the Fulton Design Center to determine if hardwood is a good choice for you and your family.

As you will find out when you talk to others who have chosen hardwood flooring, it’s an option you won’t regret. To see the full range of Fulton Homes’ hardwood flooring, visit the Fulton Design Center on one of our browse nights: the first and third Thursday evening of every month.

Painted Kitchen Cabinets

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Design Center 003There’s a fresh clean look about painted cabinets in a kitchen. They bring light into a space yet still work well with black or stainless appliances. With the black countertops shown here combined with the black and white marble backsplash, this kitchen has the perfect combination of traditional and modern.

design center 002003Painted cabinets today take advantage of some of the options you see with stained cabinets such as glazes to create a more three-dimensional appearance. Take a look at the finish on these cabinets, from one of the kitchen vignettes at the Fulton Design Center.

The detailed trim on the cabinet doors combined with a rich crown molding option offer the perfect surfaces to showcase the dark glaze on these off-white cabinets. The rubbed bronze knobs and pulls suit this inviting style.

If you are considering hardwood flooring in your kitchen, or laminate or tile with a hardwood look, painted cabinets bring a positive contrast between the cabinets and flooring. Adding the dark countertops provides a strong delineation and keeps the kitchen looking interesting.

Old farmhouse kitchens often sported painted cabinets because it was easy to keep them clean and a new surface was only a can of paint away. But with today’s cabinet finishes, a quick wipe with a damp cloth will keep this kitchen sparkling.

With painted cabinets your color and décor options are almost unlimited. Bring in bright jewel tones, earthy colors or pastels and this kitchen provides the perfect background. Enjoy the beauty and flexibility of painted cabinets in your new Fulton Home. For more ideas visit the Fulton Design Center or the Fulton Homes Design Online center at https://edc.envisionoptions.com/welcome/browser.aspx?oid=506&iid=8007295&type=brw&src=edc&toid=505.

Little Touches Make Kitchen Pop

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 009A smart, functional kitchen can also be lovely. This room, from the Fulton Homes Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing, demonstrates some of the best features a kitchen can offer when the goal is to combine practicality with style.

Let’s start with the cabinets. While glass-fronted doors add appeal to a space, many cooks worry that their cabinets are often just not tidy enough to make glass work for them. By choosing only one cabinet door – the angled one – for a glass front, this kitchen owner can place just the right dishes and bowls in this space to create the impression that every cabinet is this inviting.

Take a look at the type of glass on this cabinet. The vertical lines provide some shielding from seeing exactly what the inside holds and at the same time contribute another design element. Also, this type of glass is less likely to show fingerprints.

The glossy backsplash adds another pop of texture to this kitchen. While the tile and sealed grout make for an easy clean-up of any splashes, the grey, white and light coral tones provide a subtle element of color to the space.

Notice also the high-profile faucet. The clean look and strong curve provides another positive design element, while the skilled kitchen chef recognizes the height advantage when filling large pots. This oversize sink is ready for any culinary adventure.

Finally, the comfortable island invites family and friends to spend time in the kitchen talking to the cook after school or during parties. Overall this kitchen provides high style in its finishes yet still remains functional and welcoming for everyone.

Dining Area Works

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 015If you’ve experienced dining at a circular table, you know how the space encourages conversation while providing an inviting central area for flowers, a centerpiece, or bowls of good food. The table in this dining room – from the Fulton Homes Corsica model in Ironwood Crossing – also works well in the space. When you have a square shaped dining area a circular table takes advantage of the entire space while still leaving breathing room for wanderers.

This table seats six comfortably and could handle up to eight with just a little squeezing. If you want to try this circle shape, look for a pedestal table that allows you the most flexibility in seating – there are no table legs to interfere with your guests.

The round presentation from the room’s chandelier provides the perfect lighting for the table. Choosing a light fixture with upward-facing shades provides a generous amount of light while avoiding glare. Add a dimmer to allow for darker, more intimate gatherings, possibly with added candlelight.

The built-ins offer another lovely feature in this space. Notice how the upper cabinets frame the window with glass doors that reflect all of the light in this room. The countertop provides the perfect spot to serve a buffet, and you could use the cabinets to store serving dishes as well as table linens. The electric outlet right at countertop level supports heated dishes or after-dinner coffee.

Positioning right next to the kitchen makes it easy to make and serve everything from a quick family lunch to a gorgeous dinner party. The two windows add light to daytime gatherings and ambience in the evening. How would this dining space work for you and your family? Visit our Corsica model to see it in person.

Sleek Entertainment Center

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 014Do you like the idea of an entertainment center, but haven’t seen the right look for your home yet? Well, check out this one from the Fulton Homes Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossings. The cabinet style and finish coordinate with the kitchen while the more substantial floating shelves create a look that’s perfect for any living space.

You can use the door-fronted cabinets to hold DVDs, cable boxes, game equipment or anything else that supports your entertainment viewing. Out of sight when not in use but available easily when wanted, this space works for the busiest families.

The shelves could hold books with the help of bookends, or favorite accessories. Shelf size can be set to fit even the largest HDTV and the floating shelves’ absence of hanging brackets keeps the look sleek and contemporary – a fitting complement to the television itself.

To encourage the sense that this space is different from the rest of the room, a dark maroon accent color pulls all of the elements together. The brushed nickel pulls – matching those in the kitchen – combine with sparkly silver accessories to bring a welcome touch of brightness to the arrangement.

If you had a wall like this in your living or family room, how would you decorate and accessorize it? For more ideas, visit Ironwood Crossing and check out this model. Or visit the Fulton Design Center on one of our browse evenings – the first and third Thursdays of the month from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Designed for Entertaining – Living Space

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 007If you enjoy entertaining friends and family in your home, why not consider including a space made for entertaining? This room, from the Fulton Homes Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing, is ready for any gathering.

Whether it’s just you and your daughter after dinner or a troop of teenagers visiting on a weekend afternoon, a pool table adds personality and entertainment to any group. The sleek lines of this table combine with a maroon cover to fit perfectly in this grey-toned room. People of all ages enjoy playing pool, and this table creates an inviting mood in this room.

The table in the corner is bar-height, making it easy to watch the game while enjoying a drink and snacks. This is also a great spot for some appetizers or snacks to make the party more fun. The sleek shelves on the wall bring more personality into the room while using no floor space.

Take a look at the flooring. With the look of hardwood, this rectangular mimics the classic approach while providing the convenience and ease of maintenance of tile. The whitewashed tone fits perfectly into the grey, black and maroon colors of this room.

Notice also the different style of ceiling fan. The retro stainless fans gain a modern look when built into a ceiling fan this way. All of the design elements in this room combine to make a space that shows a unique sense of style – and a confidence that allows the designer to take chances.

Transitional Design – Bedrooms

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 028If you love contemporary design but still want a bedroom that is as warm and inviting as a traditional one, consider a transitional look. This combines the clean lines and colors of modern taste along with some traditional elements to maintain a warmer feel throughout your home. Let’s take a look at this transitional bedroom, from the Fulton Homes Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing.

First, the cool colors in the bedding reflect a contemporary sensibility. Black, grey and purple combine to make a bed that challenges standard color choices. Notice the rich selection of textures to add interest, with the velvet square pillows, wool bed headboard and cotton twill bedspread.

The shape of the headboard emulates traditional wing chair corners, but squared off to modernize the look. This headboard with its padding also makes the bed into a comfy spot for reading.

Matching lamps and nightstands demonstrates a classic traditional look, but the sleek lamp design and pure cylindrical shades provide the modern perspective.  The art is minimal and contemporary in flavor, but still follows the traditional symmetrical approach experienced with the nightstands and lamps.

With minimal accessories and simple window treatments in a contemporary fabric, this bedroom combines the best of traditional and modern to create a transitional space that is clean and still inviting.

Does the transitional style appeal to you? Then you may want to visit our Corsica model to see more ideas for designing and decorating the home of your dreams.