Category Archives: Kitchen

Fulton Home’s Super Browse Night & Bertazzoni: Italian Passion and Precision

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Bertazzoni factory This Thursday night May 16, join us for the Fulton Homes’ Super Browse night, with two great sponsors: Bertazzoni appliances and Poco Verde Landscape.

Spend the evening at the Fulton Homes’ Design Center, explore all of the incredible home options available, and enter for a chance at an iPad Mini.

Thursday offers a great opportunity to learn more about Bertazzoni, combining a passion for cooking at its best with a strong focus on engineering excellence. The family-owned and run business started in the late 19th century and has grown steadily due to their well-designed and crafted equipment made for the serious home cook.

Paolo-Elizabetta BertazzoniPaolo Bertazzoni and his sister Elizabetta are the newest generation to take responsibility for carrying on the family tradition. Under their lead, top Milan designers were brought in to polish the look of their appliances to the height of Italian elegance and finesse.

KBIS-Best-in-ShowWith a worldwide market, Bertazzoni brought its line of kitchen appliances to the United States in 2005, and Fulton Homes is proud to include them as valued options for your kitchen.

Take the time during our Super Browse Night on Thursday from 5:00-8:00 p.m. to learn more about Bertazzoni’s exceptional line of kitchen appliances such as the award-winning segmented cooktop shown on the right. We’d like to thank Bertazzoni for sponsoring Super Browse Night this Thursday and providing the images in this post.

Daring Kitchen Tile Choices

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Peninsula 167You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a kitchen backsplash that captures attention. Take a look at this kitchen design from Fulton Home’s Woodside model in the Oasis at Freeman Farms community. One type of tile in two colors combine to create an exciting look that is different with a modern twist.

The granite chosen for this kitchen has a strong pattern with contrasting shades of gold, brown and black. Combine this with an intense tile pattern and the space would feel busy rather than interesting.

Total room design involves making choices that work well together to make a space intriguing. It’s the interaction among the various elements – cabinets, countertops, tile, flooring and lighting – that makes this kitchen stand out.

Peninsula 165Many people like to have a special look behind the range, and this kitchen creates that impact simply by changing the dark and light pattern of the long rectangular tiles. Notice in the photo to the right, the light tiles move down in a stair step design, but move in a back-and-forth direction over the range. This simple change helps create a meaningful difference in the kitchen.

The imagination of this kitchen designer didn’t stop at the backsplash. Take a look at the tile design on the island below. The same tile laid in vertical rows creates a very different look whilestill keeping everything integrated.

Peninsula 159Here’s a great look at this granite countertop. An island is a perfect place to showcase your granite choice, because the large expanse of open stone really displays the grain.

Don’t be afraid to make a daring choice for one or more of your options when designing your new home. And be sure to take advantage of the knowledge of your Fulton Design Center designer when determining which options will combine to help you create a home that demonstrates your taste and style.

Finishing Touches make Kitchen Special

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Oasis at Freeman Farms 072When designing a kitchen, you can easily get caught up in choosing just the right appliances, the perfect cabinets, and knock-out flooring. But don’t ignore the smaller decisions that can bring your kitchen from well-designed to wow! Let’s take a look at just a few of the finishing touches available at the Fulton Homes Design Center that help create a kitchen to turn heads.

Cabinet crown molding: These straightforward Shaker-style cabinets step it up with crown molding at the top. This is dentil crown molding – called that because the row of wood squares below the crown resembles teeth. This type of trim dresses the cabinets up and adds perceived value far beyond the minimal additional cost. Be sure to investigate your trim options when choosing your cabinets.

Pendant lights: These pendants have an industrial-appearing foundation with the look of matte iron, and a sharp squared-off glass shade. Add an amber tone to the glass and you have a stand-out sculptural look to these pendants. Check out the choices for pendants available at the Fulton Design Center and add that sophisticated and functional touch over your kitchen island.

Tile or stone trim: This kitchen’s backsplash is splashier thanks to the row of decorative stone running a few inches below the cabinets. Choosing to install a row of interesting tile or stone within a simpler pattern creates a much more interesting look with a minimal increase in cost. By adding a small line of the same stone as part of the tile surrounding the island, the two areas are tied together and both end up more interesting.

Each of these three choices had a minimal impact on this kitchen’s cost, but the result far exceeds the expense. So take the time to look at the details and create a truly special kitchen!

Mix of Colors Pop in Kitchen

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Did you ever wonder why some spaces just seem more colorful than others? Well, one reason is the result of using complementary colors in a room. Complementary colors sit on opposite sides of the color wheel.

The primary complementary colors are orange and blue, yellow and purple, and red and green. If you put bright versions of these color pairs next to each other they will actually seem to vibrate. However, you may not want to use the strongest versions of those colors. Instead, choose a slightly different, lighter or darker shade to take advantage of the contrast without creating too much of a color conflict.

This kitchen, from the Fulton Homes Rancho Mirage model at Oasis at Freeman Farms, uses a coral shade of red and a few yellow-green hues combined to add color to the space. Although the fundamentals in this room – cabinets, flooring, countertops and appliances – are neutral, the careful addition of colorful accessories makes the room feel full of color.

This design concept continues onto the great room sofa visible in the foreground. Once again the larger piece – the sofa – is neutral but brightened by two throw pillows which echo the coral and green colors visible in the kitchen. The fun thing about this approach to color is that it’s easy to change out your choices without spending a lot of money. Paint, pillows and accessories could be adjusted with the seasons or even your mood.

Do you want more color in your home? Don’t let your current neutral decor keep you from adding pops of whatever colors take your fancy.

Triangular Kitchen Island has Multiple Uses

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While most kitchen islands are rectangular, sometimes another shape provides additional functionality. Take a look at this island in the La Quinta model at Oasis at Freeman Farms. The modified triangle shape has several functional advantages.

Kitchen triangle: The classic shape for the most functional kitchen space is a working triangle, with oven, stove, refrigerator and sink in easy reach of each other. The trimmed edge of this island on the kitchen side creates an actual open triangle for cooking. The extra space makes this tidy kitchen feel more spacious, especially if two or more cooks are working together.

Eating space: The cropped edge on the great room side of the island provides room to spread for three and can hold up to five people comfortably, as you can see in the photo above. This space works well for quick breakfasts with someone playing short-order-cook at the stove or for homework with a parent’s help while they fix dinner. Remove the chairs and the island creates a perfect stage for party appetizers.

Cleaning with a view: After dinner at the dining table, dishes can be brought to the island and placed in the dishwasher while the cleaning crew chats with the rest of the family or guests. With the sink/dishwasher area set up in the island, post-meal clean up clean-up doesn’t isolate the tidying team.

Well-lit: The pendant lights provide additional spot lighting for any tasks completed on the island, while adding a contemporary element of style to the space. Between the lights and the island itself, the kitchen area is clearly defined without being separated from the rest of the home’s living area.

Thoughtful design makes this great-room kitchen functional and fun, with an island shape made for functionality, whether as part of a simple family dinner or entertaining a group of friends.

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.

November is Good Nutrition Month

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Wouldn’t you know it, the day after Halloween is the start of Good Nutrition Month! Here are a few suggestions to use your Fulton Homes kitchen to promote good eating for you and your family.

Ration Halloween candy: Of course chances are your little ones ate too much candy yesterday – and maybe you helped yourself to a bit more than you should have, too! Now that you’ve all had that indulgent experience, let your children know that this happens only once a year. Negotiate a specific number of pieces of candy every day. Here’s a hint – you start the negotiations at one piece and they will feel good if they can get you up to three, which is about where you want them to be anyway.

Use your kitchen space to drive your family to good snacks: Set up a shelf in the refrigerator with washed carrots and dip, sliced apples and cheese, peanut butter and other healthy choices. Let your kids know that those snacks are legal without getting permission. Place some whole-grain crackers on the counter or kitchen table along with bananas and other snacks that don’t need refrigeration. Make healthful snacks easy to access and junk food hard to find or simply nonexistent in your kitchen. Soon your family will automatically reach for the good stuff that’s in sight.

Get help with meal-planning and cooking. Make it fun for everyone and cook with the kids! Use your kitchen counter or island to plan and track meals for the week or even the month. Assign coupon searches to one child and grocery ads to another, with the promise that they will receive the savings as an addition to their allowances. Or you could have a contest with the one who saves the family the most money getting to choose a favorite meal for the next week. Print a copy of the food pyramid and have your whole family use it to plan meals that are well-balanced.

The holidays have started and it’s easy to get into bad food habits with entertaining and attending parties. You can create the opportunity to keep yourself and your family on a good nutrition path for the rest of the year and into the next!

Choosing the Right Cabinets

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Cabinet choice has the strongest impact on the look of your kitchen. It’s worthwhile to spend some time before you choose your cabinets looking at kitchen photos on a website such as Home and Garden Television’s to see how different cabinet styles and finishes affect the look of the final kitchen. We have several kitchen vignettes in our Design Center and sample kitchens in the models. These can all help you determine what you want your kitchen to look like.

Here are a few tips when you’re choosing your cabinets. This photo is from our Design Center, showing some of the cabinet options available to you.

Cabinet style affects the feel of your kitchen: If you want a more traditional kitchen, choose a cabinet with a more patterned door. The door at the top left in the photo above is a good example of a more traditional look. Take a look at the doors showing on the second rows of the next two displays. Those are also good choices for a more traditional appearance.

If you’re looking for a country feel, consider cabinet styles such as the one fronting the second row in the first display cabinet. The bead-board style in the center reflects a country mood. The painted cabinet door in the top row of the second display also provides a country look with a touch of shabby chic thanks to the style of the finish.

For a modern kitchen, choose as simple a cabinet as possible. You may want to consider a door with no molding or a Shaker style with a very simple look.

When you’re selecting your finish, remember that darker cabinets tend to create a formal look and lighter wood has a casual feel. Also some stains, such as cherry, will change color slightly over time. Remember too that your cabinet choice will have an impact on every other kitchen decision, so if you want a dark countertop or floor you may want to think twice about dark cabinets.

Be sure to experiment with cabinet choices, countertops and flooring together, to find the right combination. Our designers can help create the perfect kitchen for you.

Choosing Faucets

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Many people think all faucets are a lot alike. But once you really review your options you may be surprised at the differences. Here are a couple of things to consider when you’re making kitchen and bath faucet selections.

To begin, think about functionality. Do you want a kitchen faucet with a pull-out sprayer to rinse out your sink or fill large pots? You may also want enough height to fill tall containers. What about extras such as a built-in soap dispenser?

It’s a good idea to take the time to feel the handles to see if they fit well in your hands as you turn them on and off. Would you rather have a one-handled faucet that moves to set the temperature or two handles?

Have you decided on your finish? If you are selecting stainless appliances, you’ll want to choose a finish that works well with them. Also, think about matching the style of your faucet to your kitchen. With a modern kitchen look for one with clean lines, while a traditional or country-style kitchen allows you to choose a more old-fashioned style.

In the bath, take the time to learn how the shower head and faucet and options work to make sure you choose something that you will be comfortable using every day. Once again, coordinate your faucet with your chosen bath design and towel racks. A bath is a great place to experiment. How about trying a different finish to step up the style?

Yes, all faucets give you hot and cold water when you turn them on, but it’s worthwhile to consider both function and fashion when you make your final choices.

 

Put some Bling in your Kitchen

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Beautiful cabinets and stainless steel appliances combined with granite countertops add to a lovely kitchen space. However, what if you want something unusual and uniquely yours?

How about building some bling into your backsplash? This kitchen provides just one example of what’s possible when you take some chances and add some tiles with personality and shine.

The space behind your range naturally shapes an opportunity to create art in your kitchen. The image-shaped rectangle benefits from some creativity. In this case, small metallic tiles provide an eye-catching display. Adding a few tiles at the corners of the 12-inch stone squares carries the theme throughout the rest of the backsplash.

Carefully-placed lighting catches the brilliance of the simple mosaic with long thin glass pieces acting as a frame. For a minimal cost, this kitchen has moved from nice to stand-out with the kind of wow factor that is irresistible in a new home.

Be sure to add accessories that complement your backsplash choice to integrate it with the rest of the room. Notice the appealing bowl to the right in gold and copper metallic tones. The variety of colors in these tiles open up the kitchen to almost any metallic choice. They connect to the stainless as well as the warmer shades in the granite and cabinets. When you choose your backsplash option, look for versatility as well as personality so that you can make adjustments to your kitchen’s look more easily.

It’s worth taking some extra time and spending a bit more to create a backsplash that will set your kitchen up to be remembered. Enjoy finding just the right choice for you and your home.