Category Archives: Uncategorized

Choosing your Fulton Home gas fireplace

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Gas Fireplace Design Center 040As the temperatures hover around freezing at night, this time of the year begs for a fireplace. With the Fulton Homes gas fireplace option, you receive the charm and warmth of a fireplace without the headaches of buying wood, cleaning out ashes, and managing the burning process. You also have the advantage of having a fire even on smokeless days in the Phoenix area when the weather begs for one.

A fireplace provides a natural focal point to a living or family room. People are automatically drawn to a hearth, just as fireplaces in years past provided the center of a home for families to gather together for warmth in the days before central heating.

Today’s fireplaces can bow to tradition or make a more modern statement, keeping in tune with your personal style. Let’s take a look at what makes this fireplace special.

Stonework: Using stone or tile to outline your fireplace and define your mantel makes your fireplace uniquely yours. The choice of the tile design for the mantel can be paired with the same look in your kitchen backsplash to help link your kitchen with your great room space. Notice how the stone shines in the light – the fireplace’s flames will be mirrored on that inviting hearth.

Shelving: Adding the matching shelves on either side of the fireplace itself enlarges the influence of this focal point in your home while allowing you to showcase some treasured accessories. The mantel also provides enough depth to provide the opportunity to display select items that fit your fireplace’s profile.

Lighting: Candle sconces to either side of the mounted television and lights shining down on the shelves provide a nice ambient brightness without overwhelming the space. Once again, the sconces can be selected to match your kitchen and dining light fixtures, helping to integrate the style in every part of your home.

Whether warming your home in winter or adding charm to your family room in the summer, a gas fireplace is a simple way to help create a welcoming feel to your home for family and friends.

Choosing the front door for your Fulton Home

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Door DisplayDesign Center 046We all know the saying, “It’s the first impression that counts,” and Fulton Homes is giving you the opportunity to create a terrific first impression for visitors to your home. With an amazing variety of styles, wood tones or even color, the Fulton Design Center can create the entry look you dream about.

Do you want a traditional door with the strong detailing that comes through as a powerful entrance with an established presence? Take a look at the door to the right in the photo above. With its deeply-grooved panels and oak grain, this door looks as though it’s been around for generations. The old-fashioned brass door handle also conveys this feeling.

Maybe you’re looking for something a little more rustic. Take a look at the door in the center of the photo. The sturdy wrought-iron door handle with its squared-off style fits a more hand-hewn rustic mood.

Then take a look at the lighter-hued door between the other two. With its bead board styling and curved top, this door suits a more casual country feeling. The soft wheat color fits the style, creating an inviting feeling before people even step inside the house.

Your front door introduces visitors to your home. Fulton Homes understands the importance of that first impression, and your selection options for your home’s entry door demonstrate that. When you take the time to find just the right look for your style, your front door will say “Welcome” to every friend and family member.

Choosing the Kitchen Faucet for your Fulton Home

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Fuacets Design Center 022We use faucets every day but don’t really think about them. However, when you walk into the Fulton Design Center to select your kitchen faucet, it pays to consider what you want in terms of both function and style.

Take a look at the faucet selected for the kitchen above. It’s a simple style that would work well in a traditional and a more eclectic kitchen design. The polished nickel finish works beautifully with the stainless appliances while showing fewer water spots than chrome.

Notice the high profile of this faucet. This provides room underneath to easily fill large pots and pitchers. The handle is ergonomically sound. The lever style makes it easy to control with one hand. It also has a pull down sprayer that’s incorporated into the faucet itself rather than set separately. Many of today’s faucets are designed this way.

Some faucets offer water patterns that range from a standard flow to a strong spray designed for rinsing fruits, vegetables or dishes. Many cooks find that they really appreciate the spray option. While you’re selecting your kitchen faucet, you may want to add one or more built-in soap dispensers. It’s tidy and convenient to have easy built-in access to both hand and dish soap without having to pull a container out from under the sink.

Finally, if you’re creating a kitchen with an old-fashioned country look, be sure to take a peek at the pump-style kitchen faucet. It has all the functionality of the modern faucet, while showing a style and finish that makes it feel like it came from your great-grandparents’ time.

You’ll enjoy checking out all of the choices available to you for your kitchen faucet in your new Fulton Home.

Create a Holiday Light Plan

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22814191_SDo you like putting lights on your home for the holidays? Here are a few ideas for making a plan to create a lovely light display.

Measure your home. To ensure that you get enough lights to cover your roof line or porch or to go around your front windows, measure before you go shopping. When you buy your lights, look at the length of each strand rather than the number of lights. Double check to see how many light strands you can link safely.

Choose a color scheme. Do you want multi-colored lights everywhere? Or would all white or all blue lights suit your style better? Homes with different groupings of colors also look appealing. Make a plan while looking at your house rather than while standing in the store.

Start simple. You don’t have to completely decorate the house the first year. Start with outlining the roof and then light your trees or bushes over the upcoming years. Even a few lights make a nice show on a house.

Look for LED lights. LED lights burn cooler and are safer. You can link more of them together, making your options more flexible. And although they are pricier to buy, they are also less expensive to run, allowing you to decorate without a blow to your utility bill for the month.

Set your lights on a timer. With an inexpensive timer such as those designed to make your home look lived in when you’re out of town, you can set your lights to go on at dusk and turn off at an appropriate time such as 10 or 11 p.m. That way once your lights are up you don’t have to remember them every night. You have enough to think about during the holidays.

Step out to the street and enjoy. You worked hard to make your home look festive; take a minute to appreciate your efforts.

Planning your Holiday Shopping

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16854718_SIf you are one of those people who already finished your holiday shopping, then this blog is not for you. However, if you still have the bulk of it to finish, here are a few suggestions to help you get through the next few weeks.

Set a budget first. It’s tempting to go shopping and be casual about your spending, but by going over your planned spending amount for even a few gifts, you can end up with a larger bill at the end of the holiday than you expect.

Make a list, check it twice. Did you get Uncle Fred a pair of slippers last year? Have you picked up something for every niece and nephew? Track your gift buying so you know how much you have left to do this year.

Wrap as you go. Piles of unwrapped holiday gifts look like clutter in your home. Wrap them and you have a bunch of holiday decorations instead. If you have a tree, set them underneath. If not, choose a side table or corner as the present destination. Your life will also be easier if you don’t have a lot of gifts to wrap at the last minute.

Look for re-gift opportunities. That set of bath salts from Aunt Sophie that you have no use for may be perfect for your friend who loves baths. Re-gifting is fine as long as the gift is something the receiver would like to have.

Have fun. Don’t let the stress of the holiday stop you from enjoying the process. Take time to listen to the holiday music and admire the decorations. Pick gift wrap that you like so wrapping is a pleasure. Take a break and grab a hot chocolate. Yes, you may have a lot to do, but take a few moments to make this year’s holiday shopping special for you.

Children and Thanksgiving

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23849264_SThanksgiving is a family holiday and you can make sure everyone enjoys themselves by getting people involved.

Even small children can play a part when preparing for Thanksgiving. Start with simple tasks and build to more complex roles as your children get older and more able to contribute. Here are a few ideas.

Youngest children: Even a toddler can draw a Thanksgiving picture to put on the front door to welcome guests. Any crafts created in preschool or grade school can grace a table or buffet. Assign simple duties such as helping to set the table to make them feel a part of the day.

Grade-school children: How about assigning each child a side dish to help create? Go over the menu and ask which dish sounds like the most fun to make. You may want to pull in an adult who is not the primary chef in the house to help make the dish – giving them a chance to bond and contribute to the holiday. Children at this age could also be responsible for setting the table and creating a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

High school children: By this age, a teen can take over one or more dishes for the Thanksgiving table. You might want to have them help plan the menu – adding appetizers or a special dessert to go along with the pumpkin pie. If there will be younger children attending, ask your teenager to come up with activities to keep the small fry entertained and out of trouble before, during and after the meal.

Take the time when at the table to ask everyone what they are thankful for from the past year. You might want to discuss the topic in advance with younger children so that they have a chance to think about their answers.

Finally, involve the children in the clean-up. The more hands to help, the faster your whole family can relax and digest that incredible dinner!

Exploring the Fulton Design Center: Kitchen Counters

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Design Center 018In our last Fulton Design Center blog, we recommended starting your kitchen design plan by choosing your cabinets. The next decision is countertops. Do you want granite? The look and feel of real stone is dramatic, and it seems that everyone’s dream kitchen includes granite countertops.

Fulton offers a wealth of granite choices, along with the option to pick out your slab, which helps to ensure that you are happy with your selection. Certainly granite adds to a kitchen. Take a look at the strong personality of the granite in this kitchen. It picks up the warm tones from the cabinets but also adds some cooler colors to connect the cabinets with the stainless appliances. This countertop choice truly pulls the kitchen together.Granite Design Center 015

Large slabs of the most popular granite options allow you to really see and appreciate impact of each stone. And with today’s sealed granite, it no longer requires the repeated treatment that was common not so many years ago.

Although you may be captured by this countertop option, take the time to look at some of the other choices. Quartz and other countertop materials may suit your taste more than granite. It pays to at least consider other countertops.

One final tip when making your selection: remember to create contrast in your kitchen. If your cabinets are dark, a lighter countertop can build a well-defined distinction between various aspects of your kitchen. Decide if you want your counters to add a strong personality or subtly blend into the background.

Will your kitchen be an adventure or a refuge? Your countertop choice helps contribute to the mood and feel of your final kitchen design.

Exploring the Fulton Design Center: Kitchen Start-up

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Bertazonni KitchenReady to plan your kitchen? The Fulton Design Center offers such a variety of styles and options that it may be challenging to narrow down your choices. These suggestions may help you with the process.

Choose your overall style: Do you love the richness of the traditional Tuscan look? Features such as the carved columns on the island above can help recreate that mood. If you lean toward a simpler option, take a look at the Shaker-style cabinets and start from there. However, do not feel obliged to be entirely consistent with your style choices. Take a look at the lighting in this kitchen. The contemporary pendants have a strong impact and help sharpen the more traditional look of this space.

Choose your cabinets: As you can see from the photo above, cabinetry makes the biggest design statement in this room. Your choice of cabinets affects every other decision you make, so make your cabinet choice the foundation of your kitchen’s design.Cabinet Display Design Center 034

The Fulton Design Center has a rich selection of styles and finishes, with sample doors that you can take throughout the Center to coordinate your total space.

Consider cabinet style and tone: You have two important choices with your cabinets. The first – style – provides the framework for the entire kitchen design. The second choice – cabinet tone – affects every other option you select.

A dark cabinet choice may lead to a lighter countertop and flooring selection. Painted cabinets can create a farmhouse feeling and a bright kitchen space. Light cabinets have a younger, more contemporary style, particularly when paired with a dark countertop and exciting backsplash.

So when you make that first decision – your cabinets –you’re well on your way to creating the perfect kitchen for you and your family.

Design Center Magic

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DC SignAre you a fan of HGTV? Do you pause to leaf through home magazines whenever you see them? Are you fascinated by the Pinterest boards that focus on home design or great kitchens? If any or  all of these describe you, then the Fulton Design Center is your version of a trip to Disneyland.

When you select your new Fulton Home, the focus is on square footage, the number of bedrooms, closet size and in general how well the home will function for you and your family. Those are all very important issues. If you think of your home choice as the entrée of a lovely meal, your design center experience is the dessert!

Before your appointment, be sure to visit the Fulton Design Center during one of the browse nights. With designers there to help direct you to the various options available, this provides a no-pressure introduction to the Center. Also check out the online option information on Fulton’s website for a preview of coming attractions.

Visiting the Fulton Design Center for the first time can almost overwhelm you with the variety of choices for every room in your new home. But with the help of your designer, you will soon start envisioning the home you want. Like the Design Center’s motto: “dream and create,” you can create just the right look for your home and have your design dreams come true.

From countertops to carpeting, appliances to area rugs, the Fulton Design Center provides the grown-up version of Disney’s world, where all of your wishes can come true. Enjoy the ride.

Patterns: How to Incorporate Florals in Your Home

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15359994_SPatterns are a major trend in fashion and interior decorating.  Floral patterns are back in and hitting the scene full on when it comes to home décor and design.  This particular pattern might remind you of floral patterns from your mom or grandma that just may seem dated.  You can add floral accent pillows, floral vases, and even bring in florals with actual flower arrangements to keep your home looking and smelling fresh. Here are a few ways to incorporate today’s floral trends at home.

15285253_SIf the image above made you rethink using florals in your home, there are other options.  You could take the pattern above and place it in a frame to hang as a piece of art on the wall.  The image to the right, uses the pattern more subtly.  Using a black and white color palette keeps the room looking neutral and classic. The floral accents are able to stand out, but are less invasive to the eye.  Using accent pillows is a great way to test out if you’ll enjoy using floral patterns throughout your home

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since they can easily be traded out.  It would also be fun if you traded these black andwhite floral pillows for pastel floral pillows during the springtime.  The candles on the shelf are a similar style and, again, are easy pieces to move in and out of the room.  Duvet covers are another great source if you want to experiment with subtle or bold floral patterns in your bedroom.  The duvets will most likely make your bed become the focal point of the room.

18969410_SIf you already know you’re in love with adding floral patterns in your home, maybe try to incorporate them with more long-term methods like purchasing a floral patterned accent chair like the one to the right.  The chair becomes the focal point of this seating area.  Decorating around it is easy with a simple side table, mirror, and lighting.

You could also make an accent wall with floral wallpaper or floral stencils.  However you choose to add florals into your home, they’ll be sure to add more depth and interest to your design.  Whether it’s through accents, major pieces of furniture, or small décor pieces we hope you enjoy the floral pattern as much as we do!