Generally speaking when buying furniture, you see it at a showroom in an appropriate setting. After the furniture is delivered many people feel like they made the wrong choice. Proportion is everything. A room could be filled with beautifully expensive furniture; if the proportion is out of whack, the room will look and feel un-appealing. Usually once the delivery truck leaves your driveway, you are stuck with that furniture. The following will help you make the right choice for your room and prevent you from being stuck. The intention of new furniture is to improve a space; not “make do”.

Step 1: Determine the minimum and maximum dimensions of all the furniture pieces you intend having in the space.

• Using quarter inch graph paper. Sketch your room to scale with the correct measurements. One square on the graph paper equals 12”x12”. Your sketch should include all doors, windows, outlets and anything else that can’t be moved or covered by furniture.

Step 2: Decide what activities are taking place in the space. Place the most important piece in your sketch first and work your way around based on priority.

• *Keep traffic patterns in mind. Walkways should be at preferably 36 inches wide; 30 inches wide is the minimum width you can allow for walkways.

• Place masking tape on the floor as a foot print for the size you feel most comfortable with.

• Measure the outline of tape on the floor. This will give you the maximum dimensions for that particular piece. You know that you can’t go bigger than the max but you can go a couple inches smaller; without disrupting the proportion.

• TIP: Artwork placed above furniture can help balance height, if you are working with a high ceiling.

Step 3: Go shopping and have FUN! Bring the pictures of the room along; this will help give a better idea of your space.

The last part of the year should be called “Decorating Season”.  Fall kicks off “Decorating Season”, with Halloween and Thanksgiving. Around the corner is Christmas and before you know its New Years.

Here are some decorating tips for Thanksgiving:
1. Pumpkins make for great outdoor decorations. You can get very creative with their carving. Save one of your Halloween pumpkins by not carving it. You can carry over intact pumpkins from Halloween through Thanksgiving. Of course incorporate them in your pies and cookies as your seasonal Thanksgiving dessert!
2. A Cornucopia basket makes for a great centerpiece. Fill it with colorful fruits (apples), vegetables (squash) and gourds. This is a simple and easy way to decorate the table. You can turn any basket you already have into a fall centerpiece.
3. Another inexpensive decorating option is candles. There is an array of assortment of shapes, sizes, colors and fragrances. You’ll be spoiled with the choices in stores now. You can use multiple candles and create a centerpiece or scatter smaller candles throughout the house so that the whole house can smell like  apple cider, pumpkin spice, or cinnamon. This is an easy way to put you in the holiday mood!

4. Use colorful fall leaves to scatter on a plain table cloth or runner or borrow the kid’s school idea and iron leaves between wax paper to use for place cards. (small gourds also make great place cards)
5. Lastly add a colorful wreath to your front door. You can make them from scratch yourself or get one pre-made and add your own special touch. Add leaves, greenery, pinecones, nuts (acorns), pheasant feathers and anything else you like! Browse craft stores for inexpensive items that can be added seasonally to your wreath. Use thin wire to attach items to the wreath (wire is also ideal for easy removal). Items you add can be traded out for different holidays. For example you can add fall colored foliage for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Then remove fall items and add Christmas decorations (like plastic ornaments that can with stand the outdoor weather).

Our best advice to you is be creative and HAVE FUN! That’s what the holidays are for.

P.S. We have another idea that isn’t exactly a decorating idea, but it’s a good one. Go outside and grab a good looking branch. (that means one with multiple twigs) Then grab some construction paper and yarn or string.  At Thanksgiving dinner, have everyone write something on the construction paper that they are thankful for, read it out loud at dinner and then hang it on the tree. It’s a simple concept, but you’d be surprised at how happy others are when they hear what you are thankful for.

At Fulton Homes, we know how much effort goes into finding the perfect home. We are here to show you how to use a little bit of technology to help you find the perfect home for you.

On the Fulton Homes website, you will find a variety different tools to help in your search for the perfect home. Today, we are going to talk about the community pages.

You can search our communities to check out the different neighborhood options.

Within the community page you can:

• See maps (including interactive maps) and directions to the community
• View the sales office hours
• View homes that are available for quick move in
• Learn about the amenities of each neighborhood
• Save to your favorites
• Email the information to a friend
• Print the community information page
• Contact us to ask specific questions

If you register online, you can even win $1000 towards the purchase of a new Fulton Home!

There are so many other great features of our website that can help you find the perfect home. Check out these pages and then look for upcoming posts on other tools on our website designed to help you find the perfect Fulton home.

Bathrooms generally feature plenty of porcelain and tile, with a few pictures and accessories to attempt to warm up the space. But with a little thought, you can create a bathroom with an unexpected and inviting feature to take the room beyond the mundane into something special.

In this bathroom, the unexpected feature is a cozy, feminine easy chair. This simple touch changes the bathroom into a warm, old fashioned space. The modern redesign of a classic claw-foot tub also adds to the characteristic feeling that the room is part of a time long gone.

If you don’t have room for an easy chair in your bath, consider a small table or chest of drawers to hold towels or soaps. You could also hang a small quilt or tapestry rather than the more traditional prints found in bathrooms.

By adding something soft and unexpected, you have the opportunity to make your bathroom more inviting and interesting.

Specialized  bathroom furniture, safety bars and non-slip floors are available for bathrooms that can be used comfortably by people with special needs. In the past, many of these specialized products sacrificed style to functionality, but that is changing.

As baby boomers age, their physical requirements may change, but they are not willing to lose a sense of style in their homes. In this photo, this wheelchair-friendly bathroom is also attractive and interesting.

The sink has open space underneath that allows a wheelchair to slide under it, and the towel bar is an easy reach from a seated position. One cabinet is on rollers, providing the opportunity to move it to a convenient position during a bath, but position it out of the way when not needed.

The side cabinet is low enough to reach bathroom supplies, and a mirror inside the door gives a clear view from a seated position. With the standard-position mirrors and other features, this bathroom is also completely functional for someone standing.

Many people are thinking of universal design issues when redesigning older baths. Even people who have no current ambulatory issues may want to consider universal design features as part of their goal of aging in place – staying in their home as long as possible as they get older.

You can make your bathroom accessible without sacrificing style. Let us know if we can help you see the rich selection of universal design products available for today’s bathrooms.

Neutral colors are not equivalent to dull, as is the common perception. Many homes and establishments have used neutral colors with excellent results. If you have plans to color your home in neutral tones, here are some tips which should ensure an “anything-but-dull” outcome:

Knowledge is power: If it’s neutral you wish to go with, knowing the colors that you can opt for is the logical first step. The grays, whites and earth tones apart, mellowed browns, yellows, reds and greens can also lend the neutral look. Take your pick.

Textures are the key: Neutral colors tend to be subdued. Though the colors themselves lend character to the room, accessorizing to bring in the dramatic effect should be kept as simple as possible. Turn to textures to give your room the character you want. Get creative with those draperies, curtains and pillows and use colors which will complement the room without standing out too boldly.

Bringing life to neutrality: Rooms in neutral shades do not gel well with vibrant shades or artificial tints. This by no means indicates dullness. You can bring in color in the form of greenery; a potted plant here and there will add that dash of liveliness.

The minimalistic approach: Neutral colored rooms have an elegant look to them. Cluttering these rooms with accessories and furniture is a no-no. Go for simple vases or artwork which coordinate with the final look, but keep it simple. Substitute many pieces of furniture for a large one with clean, straight lines to emphasize the right feel.

Light Right: Lighting is a very important feature of neutral rooms. Use ambient lighting can really bring life to a room with neutral colors.

This week, we are highlighting some of the components that help make our homes Energy Star v3 certified. By understanding these elements, we feel that you can be a more educated home buyer or home owner.

One of the products we use that helps make your Fulton Home an Energy Star v3 Certified Home are vinyl low-e windows.

Here are the highlights about what you should know about vinyl low-e windows:

• High-performance Vinyl Windows (minimum of .35 & .25) – reduces UV rays from entering home
• Vinyl frames are low maintenance and provide good thermal insulation. (Sections may be hollow or filled with foam insulation. Wide vinyl sills may be reinforced with metal or wood.)
• Windows and skylights protect you from the elements just like a winter coat. But like a winter coat, you want the windows and skylights that make the most sense for your climate.
• While some windows and skylights are better at keeping you warm, others excel at keeping you cool.
• Performance criteria for windows and skylights are based on these climate zones and ratings certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).
• With low-e glass, special coatings reflect infrared light, keeping heat inside in the winter and outside in summer.
• The also reflect damaging unltra-violet light , which helps protect interior furnishings from fading.

We hope this helps you feel more comfortable and familiar with the Energy Star system and low-e windows!

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We hope you