Category Archives: Kitchen

Balancing Cabinetry and Appliances in your Kitchen

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Models 061This kitchen, from the Fulton model at Legacy, shows two ways of approaching appliances in your kitchen: showcasing them like this Bertazzoni range and hood, or reducing their impact by blending them in with the cabinetry. You can see this with the built-in refrigerator to the right.

In this example, both design choices work. The drama and color of the oven creates a focal point in the kitchen. The generous size of the space allows this dramatic piece to shine without overwhelming the room. On the other hand, if the refrigerator had a stainless skin, it would be a distracting influence. Its size would draw the eye away from the strengths of this kitchen – the range and the island.

Transitional design allows you to take advantage of many choices combined into one integrated whole. In this case the moderately-traditional cabinets take a back seat to a strongly-contemporary island and a retro-style range. Smartly, the dark red of the range is allowed to stand alone rather than having the color echo throughout the kitchen. If you wanted to carry the color further, a few accessories would provide all the impact you need.

Notice the stainless microwave to the right. That could have been installed in black, but there are enough stainless accents throughout the kitchen to make this work. The small size ensures that this appliance does not become a distraction. However, cabinet pulls are dark rather than stainless. Design is always about balancing strong features with others that fall into the background.

For a better look at this kitchen as well as two others with interesting style and design elements, visit Fulton Homes Legacy in Gilbert and wander through our three new model homes.

 

A showstopper in your kitchen: Bertazzoni

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Legacy Models 027 (1)You want to be the star in your own kitchen, and a star benefits from having other performers that will show you at your best.

Well, here’s a co-star that will enable you to shine. Bertazzoni’s 48-inch gas range and oven combination is a stand-out in any kitchen. Bertazzoni has been making quality cooking products in Italy for over 135 years.

The heritage style shown was inspired by the original wood-burning stoves Bertazzoni built in the late eighteen hundreds. Look for Antonio Bertazzoni’s signature carved into the stainless above the oven, showing the pride of a family known for quality since his father Francesco built the first Bertazzoni wood-burning stoves and made them popular throughout Italy.

The amazing range and hood come in this glorious red as well as a luscious cream and classic black. Whichever you choose, this will make your kitchen into the showstopper you dream about.

And the beauty is designed to last. Because of their durable double-layer coating that uses the latest processes developed for the automobile industry, you will find the finish to be acid and temperature resistant, giving you a luster that will hold up over time.

This product is also more than just a pretty face. Its performance will help you create the gourmet meals you want with plenty of space on its six-burner range complete with griddle and double oven. Bertazzoni’s exclusive dual valve burners in brass provide high-efficiency, from a delicate low simmer to full power (750 –18,000 BTU). The power burner delivers best-in-class heat-up times.

Pots are placed closer to the flame, reaching the boiling point more quickly and reducing gas consumption during the cooking process. The one-touch, child safety ignition system lets you light and adjust burners with one hand. The safety system automatically stops the gas flow if the flame goes out, even when electrical power is cut

Bertazzoni’s one-piece worktop molding is best-in-class. With sealed burners, no sharp angles or dirt traps, cleaning is fast and easy. Heavy-duty cast iron grates allow easy movement of any kind of pot.

To see this stellar example of a kitchen appliance in person, visit the Fulton Design Center or check out the Fulton model home at Legacy. You’ll be glad you did.

 

The O’Connor: Entertaining from the Kitchen

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Models 081If you enjoy cooking for friends and family, this kitchen could make your dreams come true. With plenty of space for helpers and gawkers, you can prep, heat and dish up to your appreciative audience.

The Viking range and hood provide a close-to-professional cooking space with four gas burners and a center section that can serve as a grill or griddle, you have the capability and BTUs to fix a gourmet meal.

In the meantime, set up a buffet of appetizers to keep your guests happy until dinner. The generously-sized island has the perfect shape to share prep space with munchies. Two sinks provide flexibility to have helpers assigned to different responsibilities.

This kitchen is remarkably functional, but just as important, it shows style and flair. The rich dark color of the cabinets work well against stainless appliances, and the backsplash tiles become even more intriguing by also showing up above the cabinet lines. With two ovens, hot appetizers can bake while the meal does. And notice the pantry through the door in the back – ready to store all of your serving dishes until it’s time to plate.

The refrigerator/freezer is oversize, but with the doors matching the cabinetry, it is still a subtle look. Contemporary countertops and stainless handles work well with the stand-out industrial-style pendant lights over the island. Overall, this kitchen is designed to capture attention and serve as the center of your entertainment events.

Want a closer look? Visit Legacy and see what the O’Connor has to offer.

The Basha Backsplash that makes a Splash

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Models 093How daring do you want to be with your backsplash? More than a protection against food splatters, a backsplash provides the best opportunity to make your kitchen stand out from the standard.

Take a look at this choice. The small ovals in various metallic tones create an overall dramatic presence, lifting this kitchen to another level of style and design.

The cream cabinets could lend themselves to a traditional, even basic look. But with the addition of the dark countertops and the shiny-yet-dark backsplash, everything links into an effective space that stands out from the ordinary.

Consider the impact of the island contrasting with the back wall of cabinets. A dark cabinet finish connects to the wall while the choice of light granite on the countertop warms and links the two with strong gold veining. This grabs the backsplash and pulls the two areas together.

Another exciting feature about this choice is having the backsplash tile reach above the cabinets to the ceiling, turning from the traditional approach to something more contemporary and fresh. This tile actually frames the cabinetry. The stainless stove top and hood also contribute perfectly to the space.

This kitchen demonstrates what can happen when designers’ takes a risk, creating a space that makes you sit up and take notice. Would you be willing to make this kind of design leap with your own home? To get a better idea of whether a kitchen like this one fits your profile, we invite you to see it in person in Fulton Home’s Basha model at Legacy.

 

Kitchens made for Entertaining

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002 super browseDoes your kitchen become the central location for every party you host? Then why not create a kitchen made for entertaining in your next home? This kitchen, from the Fulton Design Center, demonstrates how a kitchen can come alive during a party.

Use your island as buffet central: With its close proximity to the oven and fridge, you can easily refresh the food as needed. Take advantage of this to provide special piping hot appetizers fresh from the oven and even offer a hot drink such as mulled cider on the stovetop for winter events.

Add height to your buffet display: The open flat counterspace that your island provides makes for a great functional kitchen but it diminishes the punch of a buffet. Find ways to include height to make the display more interesting. Place some food on pedestal stands, and include candles and fresh flowers. Setting up the buffet this way also encourages guests to serve themselves on the side away from the kitchen. This keeps them out from underfoot while you’re working.

003 super browseSet up a drinks area: You can use a corner of the island, as shown in the photo to the right, also from the Fulton Design Center. Provide cups and cocktail napkins and place sodas and other drinks in the refrigerator for easy access, or keep wine chilled in an ice-bucket on one section of the counter.

Plan your lighting: This allows you to create several moods in different parts of your home. Want the kitchen to be the light and bright area? Turn on all of your kitchen lights. On the other hand if you want people to linger around the buffet but not in the main kitchen space, use only the pendant lights and keep all the other kitchen lighting off for the duration of the party. You can turn them back on when it’s time for clean-up.

Check out these and other kitchen vignettes at the Fulton Homes Design Center. Our open browse nights happen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. For more information visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center

The Right Kitchen for You

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Design Center 009Tell me about the right kitchen for you. Will it be contemporary and dramatic like the one above? Are you drawn to this dark cabinetry and crisp light granite? Would you enjoy pendant lights over your island similar to the ones in the photo above or would you rather have the shaded lights in the photo below?

When you walk into the Fulton Design Center, check out the kitchen vignettes including the originals of these photos. But don’t just look. Pop open drawers and cabinets, turn knobs on appliances, walk around the islands and look up at the lights. Fulton’s vignettes are designed to give you a good idea of the features and style you want in your own home.

Design Center 016From a functional standpoint, would you like bookshelves built into your island to hold favorite cookbooks? Or maybe you prefer the opportunity to provide kitchen seating for quick breakfasts or as a place for the kids to do homework nearby while you fix dinner.

While you’re at it, take a look at how the different styles of granite work in each kitchen. With a Fulton Home, granite is standard so you don’t have to worry about budget issues to get this appealing stone look.

Would you like a stainless refrigerator or do you prefer a facing to match your cabinets? And speaking of cabinets, be sure to get the feel for your options for wood, finish and style. The Fulton Design Center offers a rich selection for your perfect kitchen, all with a focus on beauty and quality of construction.

Are you ready to create the right kitchen for you? Then visit us at the Fulton Design Center and let us help you make your kitchen dreams come true!

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.

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.

Transitional Design – Kitchen

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Corsica Model at Ironwood Crossing 012Transitional design combines the sleek feel of contemporary style with some more traditional elements to maintain warmth in the space. If you’re torn between a traditional look and one that reflects your modern taste, a transitional kitchen may be your perfect choice.

This kitchen, from Fulton Home’s Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing, offers the best of both worlds. Traditional dark cabinet tones in a sleeker look set the pace. The shaker style doors and clean nickel pulls contrast with the moderate but present crown molding. One glass-fronted cabinet corners the kitchen, giving the opportunity to break the cabinet sequence and add an additional design element.

The island is strictly contemporary, with a clean solid surface countertop also running down the sides, coordinating with the bar-height grey chairs in a modern shape and style. Notice the large rectangular tiles on the front of the island. These carry the modern feel to the next step.

Rectangular grey subway tiles – broken in this backsplash with an inviting grey and cream listelle that creates stripes – complement the island and help the kitchen feel integrated. Stainless appliances and brushed nickel finishes on the faucet and fixtures continue the transitional approach.

Finally, notice the pendant lights over the island. The modern nickel finish coordinates with the more traditional shade shape to complete the transitional look. And don’t be fooled by the hardwood on that floor – that’s tile shaped and toned to appear like hardwood flooring. You can have the warmth of a wood look along with the low maintenance of tile.

Are you drawn to a transitional kitchen? Then why not wander over to Ironwood Crossing to see this latest model from Fulton Homes? It’s filled with great design and decorating ideas!