Category Archives: Design Inspiration

Outdoor Living Space

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As we move through Arizona’s short and easy winter months – all two of them – it’s time to think about one of the best times of year here – spring. From about February until the heat finally comes upon us, we can spend serious time outside. Fulton Homes always factors appealing outdoor options into its home designs.

This patio, part of the La Quinta model at Oasis at Freeman Farms, provides a secluded space to enjoy our perfect weather. This inviting side patio shows the four F’s of working outdoor space –four smart decisions that make the space particularly appealing and effective. Take the time now to determine what you need to do to make your outdoor area ready for spring.

Function: What do you want to do with your outdoor space? Before you choose furniture and accessories, it’s smart to determine how the space will be used.

Flooring By continuing the inside tile choice outside, the space feels like a continuation of the indoor area. This makes both the indoor room and outdoor patio seem larger more integrated. Choosing tile also makes it easier to keep the patio clean and attractive.

Furnishings: Creating an outdoor space with a feel similar to indoor areas is easier than ever given the wide variety of sun and rain resistant fabrics and cushions. This patio is spacious enough to include a comfy conversation corner and a place for al-fresco dining. The consistency between the outdoor furnishings and the indoor pieces further the connection between the two areas.

Fountain: A wall-hugging fountain adds warmth to an outdoor space, both visually and aurally – with the sound of splashing water helping to reduce stress and creating an inviting ambience.

Well, alright, the fountain shouldn’t really count as the fourth F – it is optional. But if you spend some time in an outdoor space with a fountain, you may quickly determine that it is a necessity. To help you decide, we’d like to invite you to visit this outdoor area – currently on display in our La Quinta model home.

Cozy Guest Room

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With the coldest of winter weather across the country, this is a great time for family and friends to decide to visit Arizona. Our sweater weather is still warm enough for folks from the East Coast to wear shorts, and they are totally unused to sunshine.

Given this, it’s wise to plan a guest room in your home. This room in the Whitewater model in Fulton Home’s Oasis at Freeman Farms community is a good example. A few simple choices can make your spare bedroom a welcoming space that keeps your visitors comfortable. Here are a few suggestions.

Use color: Look for a coverlet and shams in bright colors and lively patterns. This choice warms up a room and provides a strong focal point. Look for bed linen sets that include a duvet, shams, a dust ruffle, sheets and pillowcases. These packages are often on sale, or available with coupons. They also come in a variety of colors and styles so you can find one that appeals to your taste. Choose art that complements the bedding so that the room feels coordinated. It’s also nice to have a mirror in the room.

Provide lighting: This room has two bedside lamps that can be turned off once your guest or guests are in bed. This is particularly important considering that your guests don’t know their way around and you don’t want them wandering in the dark. You may also want to put a nightlight in the room.

Include extras: A chest of drawers and some space in a closet make your guests feel welcome. You may also want to place basic sundries such as travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste. With just a few touches such as this, your guests will find themselves enjoying more than our warm weather and sunshine.

Kitchen Lighting Four Ways

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This kitchen, from the Whitewater model at the Fulton Homes Oasis at Freeman Farms community, offers many advantages to a cook. There’s plenty of counter space, a generous kitchen island, a gas range and stainless appliances. But one feature that any cook – casual or serious – will really appreciate is the generous lighting from four sources.

First, the space is designed to provide plenty of natural light. The window over the sink gives both visibility in the kitchen and a view of the back yard. More light comes from the sliding glass door in the dining area. This saves energy as well as making the kitchen brighter. You may find that you don’t always need additional lighting during the day.

The double light over the island provides directed lighting. This makes the island useful for chopping or baking, as well as after-school homework and snacking. Notice how the light’s style matches the chandelier over the dining table, integrating the space and adding charm as well as functionality.

General lighting comes from an abundant number of ceiling spotlights. These spots wash the kitchen in even, clear lighting. This makes the kitchen nice and bright even in the evening, with no glare or dark spots.

The final lighting source is also the most specific – task lighting running under the cabinets. This is particularly useful for smaller tasks such as reading recipes or instructions. If you have never experienced this type of task lighting, you will soon realize what a difference it can make in a kitchen.

Enjoy the flexibility and functionality of a kitchen with four types of lighting, available because at Fulton Homes, we’re proud to build a home you will enjoy and appreciate.

Make Holiday Place Settings Special Simply

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Simple things can take a holiday table out of the ordinary and make it something special. You don’t need to spend a lot of time or money to get a beautiful looking table in your home. Let’s see a few possibilities.

This photo shows a festive table that required very little effort. By tying the silverware with some holiday ribbon, you have an instant splash of color and charm. Throwing a few confetti stars on the plate makes the entire place setting inviting. The table decorations are also simple – greens and ornaments. By coordinating colors and style the hosts made this table ready for holiday guests.

Here’s another simple but charming place setting. The simple napkin ring is highlighted with a couple of candy canes tucked inside with the napkin, and holiday cookies add to the final look. For an inexpensive holiday tablecloth, check out the seasonal fabrics at your local sewing store. Then just buy enough to cover your table properly and hem the two edges. Let the natural selvage serve as a hem for the long sides. The snowflake tablecloth in this photo coordinates well with the cookies and small silver balls scattered on the table.

This plain white tablecloth gets its holiday cheer from poinsettia table runners down the center and crossing to make the equivalent of placemats for each place setting. Inviting gift-wrapped favors, a cluster of cinnamon sticks, and a small pair of Santa’s boots complete the look. No need for special holiday china if your table linens show the season. More wrapped gifts and gold candles complete this holiday tablescape.

You don’t have to mimic Martha Stewart to set a beautiful table this year. Just use your imagination and a few extra elements, and your table will look as inviting as the food you will be placing on it. And have a happy holiday from all of us at Fulton Homes.

Adding Natural Elements to Holiday Decorations

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Even if you prefer an artificial tree you can add natural features to your holiday celebrations. Pine cones, seed pods and nuts still in their shells bring the season to life.

You can add some character and even bling to a natural arrangement. Consider touching the edges of your pine cones with white paint to resemble snow, or add some glue and cover the tips of various natural pieces with glitter.

Holiday greens provide a nice addition to any tablescape. Local warehouse stores and groceries have bouquets of pine and holly and other greenery, and these will bring charm to any holiday decoration. Place small branches under holiday ornaments or treats to add a special touch.

Fresh pine wreaths and poinsettias can be picked up at those same stores, or take a trip to a florist for a larger selection of options. The smell of fresh pine when you walk into a home makes the holidays more vivid.

If you have pine trees or firs such as a juniper on your property, you can just trim off some smaller branches and create your own green decorations. Be careful with pine branches, cones and needles, however. Freshly-cut pieces often drip sap that can damage furniture. Place wax paper or foil under the edges so that the sap is safely captured.

Whole spices such as nutmegs, cinnamon sticks and star anise make a nice addition with both looks and scent for the holidays. Notice the clove-studded oranges above. Use a sharp knife first to make the holes in the orange, then stick whole cloves in to make a sweet-smelling decoration. In this case a bit of fake snow adds to the holiday mood. Even without our own snow here, we can conjure the memory of winter weather by bringing nature into our festivities.

Pick and Decorate a Designer Tree

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Have you always wanted your holiday tree to look as beautiful as the ones you see in stores or designer spaces? Like anything professional, choosing and decorating a tree well is a matter of following certain steps. Here are a few tips to make your tree as lovely as you want.

Tree choice: Choose a tree which has the proportions and branches to stand up to a wealth of decorations. In Arizona, the most common live holiday trees are Douglas and Noble. Douglas firs have many branches, but they can only support the lightest of ornaments. Also, they are dense, which means that all of your lights and decorations need to be on the surface. If you want to create drama, choose a Noble fir, like the second tree on the left with the pink tag on it in the photo above. This variety of tree can support heavier ornaments and allows you to see into the tree itself, providing the opportunity to layer decorations.

Lights: There are two common errors with lights: not enough and the wrong placement. To really make a tree shine, figure on about 100 lights per foot. That’s three to four times more lights than most people use, but the difference is dramatic. Next, place the lights toward the middle of the tree, not at the ends of the branches. Don’t run them in a line. Instead, place the light strings in random patterns on and between the insides of each branch. With lights set up like this, they will appear and disappear as people walk around the tree, and the brilliance will showcase the rest of the decorations.

Garlands: These are optional, but be generous with your choices. Often today, you will see designers use large pieces of artificial foliage or feathers instead of garlands. Notice how this choice works well with the tree on the right.

Ornaments: Think in terms of balance. Put larger ornaments toward the bottom and smaller ones at the top. Distribute colors and types of ornaments evenly.

Tree skirt: Instead of a standard round tree skirt, consider a length of fabric such as a white to resemble snow or dark velvet such as the one used on this tree. Just tuck the raw edges underneath and drape the fabric gracefully.

Throughout your decorating efforts, step back regularly to check the full effect. This may take more time than a standard approach, but the extra effort is worth it in the end.

Casual Dining Room

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A casual dining room is not about table shape or size or whether chairs are padded or not. It’s the style of table and chairs, lighting and accessories that define a dining room as casual or more formal.

Take a look at the two dining rooms to the left. Both circular tables seat six comfortably. The dining chairs are padded and both have a chandelier hanging overhead. Let’s compare the two rooms to define casual dining spaces.

Table style: The formal table has a wood top and legs, with a top that needs to be protected from heat and water. The casual table allows both warm foods and wet glasses on it without damage. Notice that the chairs are also wipe-off in the casual room.

Lighting: Both of these rooms have plenty of natural light. The formal dining room has its chandelier hanging lower, making for a more intimate dining experience. The sconces on the back wall provide additional lighting if needed when you use the buffet. The style is also dressy, with a graceful and involved shape and candle-shaped light bulbs. Take a look at the casual chandelier. It is set higher to brighten the entire room rather than just the table and the little shades create a more casual feeling. Its lines are also much simpler.

Accessories: The large mirror, floor-to-ceiling curtains and the items on the windowsill all add to the formality and style of the dining room. In the casual room, accessories are much more limited. This may be because of the position of the room as part of the traffic pattern of the home, and a casual dining space may be used in many ways such as a place to pay bills or do homework. This makes it inconvenient to deal with too many accessories.

When deciding whether to have a formal or casual dining space, make plans based on the type and amount of use it will have, and then decorate it to suit your functional requirements. And remember, with a few candles and fresh flowers, you can make even the most casual dining room something special.

Classic Dining Room

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Well, most of us do not have a dining room that will support a dinner party with 14 guests the way this one does, but the things that make this room work can be used in a dining room serving eight or even four people. Let’s look at the consistent features that every classic dining room should contain.

Space: Make sure every guest has two to two-and-a-half feet of linear space at the table. This oval table provides an additional advantage – it gives the people at either end extra leg space. Also plan on at least two feet of area rug beyond the edges of the table so that people don’t end up bumping off the edge every time they push their chairs back. Did you notice the padded chairs? Just like our contemporary dining room in Monday’s blog, the comfort of your guests is important if you want people to linger to chat after meals during your dinner parties.

Lighting: A chandelier’s height should be about 30 inches above the dining table’s surface, but you may hang it higher to make sure it lights the whole table. With a table this long, two chandeliers would also work, but the wall sconces and mirrors will help keep the room well-lit. Notice the medallion on the ceiling. This makes the light hold a stronger place in the room and works well with the rich display of crown molding on the edges. A medallion is a simple, inexpensive and effective way to emphasize your chandelier or any light fixture.

Tablescape: The crystal in the center of this table echoes the items in the cabinets along the wall as well as the mirrors and windows, keeping everything integrated. Be sure to keep anything in the center area of your table low enough for people to talk across.

Your dining room may not have the size and majesty of this one, but following the same rules for good dining allow you to make dinner parties at your home just as enjoyable.

Contemporary Dining Room

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Contemporary doesn’t mean cold, as this image shows. The colors, furnishings and accessories all combine to create an inviting space for dinner parties and family meals. Let’s take a look at what makes this room work so well.

Color: The dark brown tones, combined with cream and grey, transition well with the stainless steel appliances from the kitchen while creating a warm space for eating. These colors are neutral enough to allow the homeowners to set the table to suit their mood or the season.

Furnishings: The box-like table says contemporary very well, and the wall-mounted buffet and shelf support the clean lines while staying low maintenance. Large rectangular tiles also suit the modern feel. Notice the chairs, however. Although contemporary in style, the padded seats and backs make for comfortable seating, encouraging people to linger after meals for conversation. When choosing dining room chairs, always factor in comfort before style.

Accessories: The choices made are all modern and some are almost sculptural. The bell artwork makes best connecting piece with the bells echoing stainless tones and the background connecting with the dining room tones.

Altogether, this dining room features the best in contemporary design while still remaining warm and welcoming.

Special Bedroom: Charming

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It’s difficult, and expensive, to find this type of unusual embroidered linens if you would like to produce a look similar to this bed. But a few handmade pieces can add immediate charm to your bedroom.

Visit a few antique stores to capture some vintage linen at a reasonable price. You may also have some luck at odd-lot stores such as Tuesday Morning.

Recreating the shabby-chic look of the bed requires some focused shopping for a simple four-poster in dark wood tones. If you paint it with a paint/primer combination that will work on the stained wood, then sand the edges to bring out the dark color underneath, you can easily get a similar effect.

This room is about layering textures until you reach the point where the space has an inviting, cushy feel. There is a sense of gentle abundance about this room, and it is pretty feminine. Notice the ruffled shade on the lamp and the few dark colors introduced by the artwork in the background. Sticking with white and off-white helps the space feel soft and integrated. With a few choice purchases, you can give any bedroom the same gentle charm you see here.