Ready for a little more personality in your home office or bedroom? How about thinking outside the shelf when determining how to store books?

This zigzag approach actually holds quite a few volumes while adding a touch of design daring to your home. This style can be found on the Internet or easily built if you’re handy.

Want even more of a design feel? How about sorting the books by color on each shelf? Combining red, green, blue and black covers would increase the sculptural feel. Some designers also cover books in white or brown paper to keep them looking clean and simple. Of course, this turns them into accessories rather than functional objects.

By choosing a light color for the shelves, furniture and walls, this homeowner chose to have the furnishings almost fade into the background and the accessories and books stand out. If your accessories are more functional than attractive, using a brightly colored or black set of shelves and dresser or buffet would put the accessories in the background. This might be a better choice in a commercial application such as an office.

Shelves like these have only become possible since the development of shelf holders that become invisible once the shelves are installed. This clean approach allows the shelves themselves to become part of a clean and contemporary look.

Don’t choose the simplest or most standard options when you decorate your home. Even something as simple as a bookshelf can become a statement of your personality if you look outside the standard in your home’s design.

Does this photo appeal to you? The sight of a variety of silver picture frames or boxes creates a mood of another time. If you have a corner of your home – possibly a small side table – that would benefit from a touch of the old fashioned, look out for an old silver piece or two to set the mood.

Some large cities such as New York have stores completely devoted to old silver. The front has all the pricey products, beautifully polished and behind glass. But if you move to the back the shelves are piled high with less expensive items, often tarnished almost black.

If you’re not close to an old large city, look for silver at antique and thrift shops and antique festivals. Dusty stores with tarnished silver are your best choice for finding a bargain.

Bring a polishing cloth to enable you to look for a sterling sign. If you don’t know how to find it ask the salesperson. Every sterling piece has that symbol.

Silver plate is fine for your purpose. Use your polishing cloth to make sure it’s still thick enough to shine up without showing base metal underneath. Would you like a frame like one of these? Maybe a serving spoon or two? How about a silver plate to showcase holiday cookies? Take your time finding the right choice for you – the search is half the fun.

When you bring it home don’t make the mistake of using liquid or paste polishes – you will lose the patina that old silver carries. A polishing cloth will let the carved bits retain their darkness so that you can really appreciate the details.

You may have a modern house with tile or stone floors or a more traditional home with carpeting or wood, but in either case, one or two pieces of old silver can add sparkle and personality during the holidays or at any time.

This time of the year, many people are faced with a pile of gifts to wrap. For some, this is a fun part of the holidays. For others, it can feel like seasonal torture. Here are some tips to make wrapping gifts more enjoyable.

Use the proper tools:

Choose sturdy wrapping paper. Paper that rips easily is hard to arrange on a package without tearing it.

Scissors are fine, but you may want to grab a gift wrap cutter at your local card or discount store. These cutters, a little larger than a pen, allow you to cut your paper quickly.

Pick up a tape dispenser like the one in the photo for your wrapping efforts. Unlike the smaller, disposable home-use dispensers, this one allows you to pull and cut a piece of tape with one hand. That way you can hold the spot to be taped closed while getting the tape ready at the same time. It’s a little thing, but when you’re wrapping many gifts it makes a difference.

Choose a style:

Like your home, your wrapping paper look can be uniquely yours. If you buy a set of 3-6 rolls, they are generally color-coded to match. If you want, just select one type of wrapping paper and ribbon so that all the presents that come from you have the same look.

Keep ribbon easy:

If you buy a 1 inch or wider wired ribbon – available at very reasonable prices at many warehouse stores – you can just tie it around a package with a standard bow (like the one you use to tie sneakers) and it will look lovely. If you want, look for small decorations or inexpensive ornaments to tie in with the bow to add charm.

Just follow these suggestions and maybe your wrapping efforts will be easier this year, and remember, if you really are all thumbs about wrapping, there are always gift bags!

Like a conductor about to start a symphony, this little girl knows exactly what she expects from her stuffed animal menagerie. She also knows what she wants in a bedroom and her parents were able to meet her goals while managing to keep the space tidy and functional for her as she grows up.

To start, the wood floor matches the honey pine of the bed and bookshelf and desk unit. With those choices for flooring and furniture, her color and style preferences can change at a minimal cost for redecorating. Everything is light enough to be rearranged at a moment’s notice.

The windows also have wood blinds to match the flooring. At the moment, they’re not visible behind the flowered paper Japanese fans with flowers in her current favorite color: purple. Instead of the curtains that would get in the way of various favorite bears, her parents painted the window frame purple – adding an extra splash of the dark purple on the walls, creating a curtain effect.

The bedspread’s neutral charcoal can take lots of abuse and goes in the washer and dryer with no trouble. When she is ready for a change, paint and accessories can re-create the room to her liking.

If you want your children to make their own decisions for their rooms, build a good basic structure and then let them have their way. They will be happy with their choices, and when it’s time for a new look, the process will be easy and inexpensive.

Most homes move from the entryway to the living room, or possibly a great room space. This home, in contrast, sets the dining room as the center of the home, and it works well for entertaining and family time.

The stone floor runs throughout the first level of the home, providing an easy elegance to support the sturdy carved dining table and leather chairs. Rustic wood is prevalent in the space, which works well with the variegated stone.

Archways define the space while providing connections between the rooms. Color also plays an important role. Notice that the maroon stripes in the dining room area rug match the leather color on the chairs at the counter in the kitchen. Further connection comes from having those chairs in the same style as the ones in the dining room.

From an entertaining standpoint, it would be easy to use the two consoles in the dining room as buffet tables, providing plenty of space to sit in the dining room and kitchen. The open feeling and many arches encourage movement while still providing places for smaller gatherings of people.

The chandelier’s candle-like style provides the feeling of candles without any of the maintenance and wax-drip issues. This home could be dressed up for the holidays or provide a nice background for a simple family gathering. And with the dining room in the center of the home, it invites people to sit at the table and enjoy every event.

Who would have ever thought that the world’s largest crane would make an appearance in Chandler, Arizona? Just a mile from Fulton Ranch the crane (and its operators too) are hard at work on construction of the new Intel facility otherwise known as Fab 45.

Intel Corp’s $5 billion investment in a new facility not only brings thousands of factory and construction jobs to the area but also higher wage and higher skill positions. When the facility opens in 2013 the factory will be the most advanced high-volume semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world.

Since many of our homeowners are working on this project we thought you may want to see pictures of what they are creating AND of course pictures of the largest crane in the world.

Isn’t it FAB(45)ulous?

Are you having a big family gathering for Thanksgiving? Well, now is the time to lay out your plans for the day.

One way to make your holiday feel more like family time is to bring family members into the cooking process. Instead of one or two people spending all their time in the kitchen, how about involving more family members in all steps of dinner preparation?

To start, consider asking some people to bring something. It may be that Aunt Marguerite makes the best cranberry sauce, or Cousin Rita has a wonderful hand with pie pastry. Don’t hog all the glory or take on all the work.

Even if someone is not a cook, they can help. For example, this husband is doing the heavy lifting on the turkey to make basting so much easier. Chores such as setting the table, polishing the silver, or ironing napkins can be handed out to various family members.

Be sure to make any children part of the preparation as well as the festivities. Stirring dressing, reading a recipe or even chopping celery if the child is old enough makes them feel like an important part of the holiday plans. And at dinner, it gives them the opportunity to say, “I helped,” when compliments are given.

Be sure to give family members and friends who pitched in lots of credit and compliments on the big day – then they’re so much more likely to help again next year!

For most of us, this type of scene has moved onto the grey and brown that starts winter weather. For others, we only see the seasons change in photos or on television, because we live in warmer climates.

If you love this look and wish you could capture these colors year-round, you may want to consider painting a similar picture in your living or family room by using a fall color palette.

Gold, red, green and lots of browns can replicate the feel of this view. Take a look at the room in this photo. It provides the same layers of color and warmth.

The wood paneling is a far cry from what was popular in the 1950-1970’s, with framed panels and a grain that assures you that this is real wood. The lighter wood flooring helps keep the room from feeling dark despite the richly-toned walls.

With the browns well covered, the rug and furniture bring in the gold and red so critical to the glow of autumn. Fall is not without its greens, and the trees in celadon pots and additional accessories in that specific Asian green tone bring the color in as a muted but important element.

A mushroom-toned sofa and the warm cream of the fireplace surround finish the room, with a few brass touches to show the spark that fall has when its colors are the brightest. Add a fall-colored fire in that fireplace and you can celebrate the best of autumn all winter long.

Are you building a new home, doing an extensive remodel or just updating your kitchen? Fulton Homes offers a fabulous design center to help you get it “just right”. They say a man’s home is his castle and at Fulton Homes we want to help you create your own palace, especially when it comes to one of the most used rooms in your home – the kitchen.

While many of you have already have ideas about your countertops, paint and flooringwe can help you add those few extra touches that will make your kitchen a chef’s showpiece.  They say the devil is in the details and here are a few that you may not have considered….hoods, wood, side by side refrigerators and ceiling fans. Yes, this seems like a lot of miscellaneous information but by paying attention to these details your kitchen will be a dream.

With the popularity in range hoods, some homeowners are choosing wood hoods. These hoods can be matched to selected cabinetry from both Timberlake and Karmen.  As the hood becomes a focal point in many kitchens, adding the warmth of wood makes an exciting statement.

Along with wood hoods, you may want to consider a wood panel refrigerator. Using the wood motive again and again gives the kitchen a very integrated look.  Both the GE Monogram and the GE Profile have a wood panel option. You can view these products at Envision, otherwise known as Fulton Homes Design Online™, an online portal into the Fulton Homes Design Center. Use the design checklist on the right to begin browsing products and options.

For those you who want a state of the art kitchen, GE has recently come out with a new option from Monogram that be can used as an extra refrigerator for a large kitchen or other area, as well as taking two of them and placing them side by side. The refrigerator features a top section for refrigeration, a middle section for ice and a freezer and a bottom section that is convertible to either freezer or refrigerator.  It takes about six hours to convert back, making this an extremely versatile appliance.

How about installing a water lineup for both reverse osmosis and soft water systems?  We carry both DuPure and GE as they offer an instant hot reverse osmosis system and a salt-less soft water setup.

And while you may be busy thinking about wood hoods and refrigerator paneling, water systems and state of art refrigerators, don’t forget that the kitchen is a great place for a ceiling fan. Fulton is proud to offer a large fan selection from Kitchler.

With over 30 years of homebuilding experience Fulton Homes has been helping homeowners get that “castle (or in this case) the kitchen of their dreams”. Please visit our design center to get started.

You offered and everyone accepted. You’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  Stop with the blood curdling screams. You’re not worried about the dinner; you’re worried about your dining room. Here are a few simple tips to update and restyle your home. Follow our directions and your guests will be calling you Martha.

Have a personal focal point. Your home is YOUR home. Display artwork that you love.

Paint your walls. This is the perfect time to update your color palette. Have you dreamed of a bold color accent wall? This is the time to go for it – or add some wallpaper. Wallpaper is an elegant way to change any room.

Lighting! Even if you don’t replace your light fixtures (which you could totally do!) you can also go an easier route and replace lampshades. Or skip electric lighting altogether and buy dozens of candles to light the room.

Remember your fifth wall – the ceiling. Paint the ceiling the same color as your walls, or paint it a contrasting color. Pay an artist to paint a mural or add decals to add another dimension to your room.

Seating – Add slipcovers to your dining room chairs. This is an economical way to change the feel of your dining room for each season of the year. Don’t feel like new slipcovers? Decorate chair backs with garland or ribbon. Add new and decorative throw pillows on your sofas and armchairs. Tapestry, hound’s-tooth and plaid are all good options.

Replace your area rugs. Pick rugs that are warm and rich in color. Remember that area rugs can be used to define a room or separate a space.

Don’t forget your powder room. Plush towels in seasonal colors and scented soaps are nice. Or go big and hang a chandelier, paint the ceiling gold or add a velvet curtain.

Our designers are full of great holiday decorating ideas. Just ask!