Ceiling Makes Room Special

ceiling-design-makes-room-specialwWhen planning a home’s décor, most of us start with the flooring, then move on color choices. We may select a daring paint option for a room like the almost-black on this bedroom’s left wall. Window coverings often come next, followed by larger, then smaller pieces of furniture. We finish up with accessories and art.

But one thing we generally don’t do is worth the extra step. Before the flooring, the paint and the furniture, take a minute to look up. What does your ceiling have to offer in a room? If you’re stuck with one of those popcorn ceilings from a few decades ago, it may be time to hire someone to redo it. That will add value and selling your home will be easier if you lose that dated look. However, what about having a ceiling that makes the room something special?

This master bedroom gains luxury and style before you even notice the walls, floor or furniture with its dramatic coffered ceiling. The molding running along the inside adds interest and a bit of traditional flavor to a non-traditional approach. The lights and ceiling fan create shadows that make the entire ceiling intriguing. The white molding works well with the dark ceiling color to create contrast and keep the room feeling cozy and inviting.

When you’re planning a new home, think about every surface. Adding molding, wainscoting, lighting and ceiling architecture becomes the gift that keeps on giving – making your home a special one-of-a-kind place for you and your family.

Fly the Flag and help Wounded Warriors

fulton-flag-photo-webFulton Homes has partnered with KSLX, 100.7 for its third annual “Fly the Flag for Veteran’s Day” campaign. From now until Veteran’s Day – November 11 – any visitor to a Fulton Homes’ community who tours one of the new model homes has the opportunity to buy a full-size American flag kit for only $10.  Fulton Homes will match any $10 donation offered up a maximum of $25,000, with 100 percent of these donations going to the Wounded Warriors Project. Fulton Homes wants to encourage everyone to display a flag on Veteran’s Day and make a difference in the lives of veterans too.

“Fulton Homes honors all of our military personnel who defend our country and protect our freedoms,” Doug Fulton, Fulton Homes CEO, explained. “Displaying our flag on Veteran’s Day is a way we can honor and support our troops and show our gratitude, and the donations collected will support those who have been wounded while in service. We are indebted to our veterans and their families for the sacrifices they make to keep us safer.”

The Wounded Warrior Project provides programs and services to meet the needs of injured service men and women and works to provide more awareness of the needs of those veterans injured in service to our country. It focuses on honoring and empowering wounded warriors, encouraging them to help each other. For more information, visit their website at: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.

We invite you to visit one of our communities to pick up your flag and donate to this good cause.

Balance Formal Casual Traditional Contemporary

balance-of-casual-and-formal-traditional-and-contemporarywIs this dining room formal or casual? Traditional or contemporary? Actually, it has elements of all four. Let’s take a look at how it’s put together and why it works so well.

Formal: The basic chandelier has classic lines, even crystal pendants, to maintain a formal traditional theme. The table also shows its formal roots with the dark-wood finish, turned legs and detailed edging around the top.

Casual: the choice of placemats and napkins in bright colors and patterns rather than the more classic white tablecloth approach says casual. Also, choosing a simple fabric for the dining chairs’ upholstery maintains a more casual feel.

Traditional: The dining table and chairs as well as the chandelier’s basic lines are classic and traditional but…

Contemporary: Choosing the circular frame around the chandelier takes it out of the last century and bumps it firmly into this one. The stoneware is also modern in line and glaze.

Overall, this dining room combines many design approaches into one cohesive whole. It works for several reasons. The proportions fit well together and there is a nice mix of dark and light. It takes courage to blend these different approaches to décor together, but when it works – as it does in this case – it is a pleasure to see.

Avoiding Space-wasting Corner Cabinets

avoiding-spacer-wasting-corner-cabinetswIf you’ve visited many model homes or investigated many kitchens, you may have seen some designed in a U shape. These kitchens look efficient and take up a small amount of space, but there is one problem: the corner cabinet. When you have a U-shaped kitchen, one or two of the cabinets have space that is not easily accessible, so a large amount of storage space is essentially wasted.

Notice instead how this kitchen is designed to avoid cabinets in the corners. One corner holds the double ovens, and the other is taken up with a generous walk-in pantry. This means that all the space in every cabinet seen here is easily accessible from the front.

Often you have to spend time in a kitchen to determine how well it really is designed. A kitchen can look appealing but once you’ve settled in you find all of the problems. Issues such as corner cabinets with their wasted space aren’t obvious at first glance.

At Fulton Homes, our kitchens are designed to make cooking easy and fun. Plenty of lighting, great accessories and an effective layout of top quality cabinets and countertops make working in this kitchen a pleasure.

To see some of our kitchens in person, why not visit Cooley Station this week? You may just find the right kitchen for you!

Architectural Details Make Home Intriguing

architectural-details-make-home-intriguingwOne common complaint with production homes is that they all look alike. There are many ways to make sure every home in a community looks and feels unique. Having a nice mix of models to choose from, ensuring that every street has a variety of home styles, and offering a good selection of external architectural details.

This home, one of the Seaboard models at Cooley Station, is a good example. To start, take a look at the stonework on the entryway. This adds color and texture to the home.  That same stone appears on the lower half of the front of the house, providing a base for the window and almost seeming like outdoor wainscoting.

Curves outline the top of each window and the front entry. The white case work also shows up under the roof line, above the lower stone work and atop the two half-columns at the sidewalk entrance. These splashes of white add contrast as well as charm.

Notice how the shutters bring an old-world feeling to the home. This mood is echoed in the gaslight-style outdoor carriage lamp just to the right of the front window.

One final touch of style comes from the pavers making up the driveway and sidewalk. This finishing touch makes this home worth more than a second look.

If this is the home you would like to claim as yours, we invite you to visit it and the rest of our models at Cooley Station. For more information, visit http://www.fultonhomes.com/our-communities/cooley-station.

Fulton Homes Offers Custom Homesites in Prescott

fulton-preserve-at-the-ranch-webAfter a summer like this one, have you been considering heading up North to beat the heat? Maybe just for the summer, or maybe permanently; either way, it is worth your time to check out the new Fulton Home community of custom homesites in the Williamson Valley area of Prescott, Arizona.

This new gated custom home community provides a unique opportunity to join a small select group of homeowners. This Prescott-based enclave consists of only 38 estate-sized homesites, ranging from four to seven acres each, within a parcel of over 250 acres of unspoiled forest. Each site offers incredible views of Granite Mountain and the surrounding area.

Within the community, each home will be positioned to maximize view corridors and protect privacy with completely underground utilities to eliminate the distractions of wires and poles. All the streets in this community are paved and private.

talking-ranch-plan-webAs an additional advantage to joining this exclusive community of custom Fulton Home property buyers, each owner receives a social club membership to the exclusive Talking Rock Ranch Club located close by.  Talking Rock offers golf clubhouse and locker facilities, a fitness center, full-service dining, bar and patio areas, a post office and coffee shop. The buildings are connected with breezeways, porches and patios. These, combined with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, work together to create a lovely area for socializing and enjoying life.

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, we invite you to contact us soon. Almost half of the properties have been sold so far. For information on those properties still available, we welcome you to contact our on-site friendly and informative agent, Richard Hanna at Prescott Realty: 928-889-2899 or prescottrealty@gmail.com.

Step into Autumn: Travel

autumn-travelmorgue-webWhile we don’t get any fall colors in the Phoenix area this time of year there are a number of places to visit for a weekend or a day to get our fill of autumn without leaving the state. The trick is to go North and go up! Here are some recommendations.

Oak Creek Canyon: About 2 ½ hours from Phoenix, you can find yourself in the kind of world you expect to see in New England. Oaks and other deciduous trees change colors, and the Creek itself along with rocks makes the scenery spectacular in the fall. Colors are at their best from late October to early November, but you might want to make a call to see how they’re shaping up this year. And on your way in or out, be sure to stop at the roadside stand selling fresh squeezed cider to really capture the season!

Flagstaff:  Spend a weekend and take the time to ask locals for the best drives. Leaves generally peak up there in mid-to-late October. While you’re visiting, wander around Northern Arizona University’s campus to capture the mood of college students caught up in the semester.

Visit some of Northern Arizona’s ski areas: Altitude helps create color in the fall. Snowbowl road is one great choice. Also look into ski areas in the White Mountains. These options are more suited to a weekend trip than an overnight, but pre-snow prices can make the trip a bargain.

Check with AAA, the State of Arizona visitor’s bureau and chambers of commerce in some of our Northern towns to get more ideas. And get on the road to find your fall color!

Step up to Autumn: Food

autumn-food-morgue-webEven though we’re still dealing with summer temperatures here in Arizona, autumn has arrived and it’s worth your time to remind your family that the season is changing. One great way to do that is by taking advantage of the bounty of fall foods available. Here are a few ideas.

Apples: They are coming off the tree right now which makes them extra fresh and well-priced. How about buying three or four varieties and holding an apple tasting? You can have baked apples or dip them in hot caramel for dessert.

Winter squash: The grocery stores are filled with a variety of fresh winter squash, providing a healthful and tasty side dish for almost any meal. Try cutting a butternut or other winter squash into half to one inch squares and roast to bring out the sweetness. Simply place the squash in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, butter, or a combination and add salt and pepper. For some extra sweetness add several tablespoons of maple syrup. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20-40 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring every 15-20 minutes and pulling out when the squash is soft and starting to brown. You may find that even your picky eaters will enjoy the rich caramel flavor.

Pumpkin bread: Recipes abound for pumpkin baked goods, and pumpkin bread is one of the best. Experiment with adding additional pumpkin for more flavor and richness, double the cinnamon and consider grating your own nutmeg to get the freshest flavor. Some people like to add raisins, nuts or even chopped dates before baking to add personality.

Pumpkin and pecan pies: Fall is the perfect time to introduce some special hot desserts. Both these pies require some baking skill, but one cook’s secret is to explore some store-bought options. One warehouse store in particular makes a pumpkin pie every year that can put even county fair winners to shame.

What other fall options are your favorites? How about baked apples or cider donuts? Maybe you have a frosted pumpkin bar recipe that you haven’t made since last autumn. Well, it’s time to pull out your favorites and bring the taste of fall into your home.

Step Up to Autumn: Décor

autumn-decor-morguewebWe’re moving into autumn, but here in Arizona it still feels like summer. You can change your home’s mood to reflect the season even if outside we’re still dealing with temperatures in the 90’s. Here are some tips to give your home that fall flavor.

Wreaths: Start your autumn mood with a wreath on your front door. Many hobby shops and florists have options available for purchase, or make your own with dried flowers, leaves and seed pods. You can add multi-colored ears of corn and even small pumpkins to make it even more interesting.

Fabrics: Change out throw pillows and add lap quilts across the tops of sofas and chairs. Although you have no need for their warmth at this time of year, they still set the mood. There are lots of choices available in fall colors in almost any store. Consider some of the discount stores for a bevy of fall tones on a budget.

Accessories: Why not select one or two surfaces in your home to host a fall display? Start with an interesting branch from outside to integrate everything, add a few pumpkins – fabrics such as burlap help create the mood. Although out leaves aren’t turning here, you can pick up a few fall leaf branches or garlands at your nearest hobby shop to add the sense of autumn. Finish up with some acorns or nuts in their shells.

With a few strategic décor decisions, you can create an autumn mood in Arizona even if it still feels like summer.

Exploring Fulton Homes: The Fulton Design Center

design-center-carpeting-webOne of the best aspects of buying a new Fulton Home is the opportunity to use the Fulton Design Center to create a home made just for you. You have the opportunity to select everything from your flooring to lighting and paint colors. And with our technology department you can create the perfect home theater and build the best security system for your needs.

Once you’ve visited a number of communities and models, it pays to visit the Fulton Design Center on one of our open browse nights. Scheduled the first and third Thursday evenings of every month from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, you have the opportunity to see all of the options available for customizing your home to your style and taste.

Fulton designers are available to answer your questions and show you around. You may be surprised at the variety of choices waiting for you. In this low-key environment you can enjoy various appetizers and drinks while wandering through the space. It also pays to get a sense of what sort of options you can select.

With over 13,000 square feet of space, there are kitchen and bathroom vignettes in a number of styles to give you ideas about your own home. The Design Center is frequently updated so that the products and examples are current in style and capability. Kitchens include a variety of cabinets and appliances so that you can try out the feel of them and determine those options that appeal to you.

Once you buy your Fulton Home, you will be visiting the Fulton Design Center to select your home’s options with the help of one of our trained designers. Exploring your choices ahead of time will make this process both easier and more fun.

With the Fulton Design Center, you can end up with a home that matches your taste and décor preferences as well as working with your family’s functional needs.