Keep Kitchen Light and Bright

la quinta kitchen webWhat are you looking for in a kitchen? There are so many choices. If you want a light and bright kitchen, this one from the La Quinta model at Oasis at Queen Creek provides a great example. Let’s take a look at what makes this kitchen design work.

Painted cabinets: The look of stained wood is lovely, but nothing says clean and fresh quite like a white painted cabinet. The crisp color also creates a remembrance of kitchens gone by.

Light countertops: This light granite choice fits well with the cabinetry and the veining provides a gentle contrast. The edge treatment feels substantial and works with the crown molding at the top of the cabinets.

Light backsplash mosaic: By including white and primarily light tones in the backsplash, the bright impression is carried forward. Notice that there are a handful of dark tiles in the design. This contrast makes the backsplash more interesting.

Stainless steel and brushed nickel metal choices: By staying with the cool and crisp feel of stainless appliances and brushed nickel faucet and pulls it’s possible to provide contrast without going too far. Black appliances or oil-rubbed bronze metals would be too strong a conflict with the other choices in this kitchen.

Warm but light flooring: While this porcelain tile plank flooring is light, it also adds warmth with its wood-look. The tone works well with the kitchen, providing just enough dark elements to anchor this flooring in the room.

You can make a careful balance of choices to create a light, bright and inviting kitchen like this one. To see it in person, visit our models at Oasis at Queen Creek.

Turn a Hall into Something Special

Hall-view-1Most people think of halls as simply a way to get from one room to another, but they can be much more than that. A thoughtful approach to hall design opens up possibilities throughout your home. Here are a few suggestions to make even the halls of your home a special experience.

Flooring: As an area with limited square footage, halls are a perfect place to splurge on flooring. For example, the mixed-width wood flooring in this hallway provides an inviting path to cross from room to room. Hallways also provide opportunities for border patterns, available in tile and stone as well as wood.

Hall-view-2Art: Consider a hall as a running photo gallery. The length and standard distance of the walls allow you to run a series of art pieces along one side, creating something interesting to look at on the way from one room to another.

Room views: Be sure to stop and take a look at how each room looks from the hall. That glimpse through the door generally provides a guest’s first impression of a room. In both these first photos, the rooms have some furniture facing the hall, making each room seem welcoming from that vista.

Hall-view-3Mirrors: Using a mirror at the end of a hall can make the space seem larger and reflect light, adding brightness to the hall.

Consider trying one or more of these options to make your halls much more than just a passageway. Make them an integral part of your home’s design.

Photos taken at the Whitewater model in Oasis at Queen Creek. We hope you’ll visit for even more design inspiration!

Queen Creek Station: Looking to the Future

Queen_Creek_montageFulton Homes believes in building homes and communities that will last, with a focus on the future. That’s one reason why all Fulton Homes are Energy Star® certified, and Fulton builds the only homes in Queen Creek that are Indoor Air PLUS® certified. These two valuable certifications allow you to benefit from state-of-the-art energy efficiency and the opportunity to live in one of the healthiest homes available.

Fulton Homes continues to take the lead in innovation in master plan home building with Queen Creek Station. We are pleased to build the first community in the United States to include a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling station in all of the homes we build. Fulton Homes is proud to partner with Honda and Southwest Gas to bring this first-of-its-kind program to Queen Creek and the nation.

Visit Peninsula model park to see the Energy Center there. You can take a look at the 2015 Honda Civic and learn how you could fill the car with compressed natural gas right in your own garage. This will eliminate stops at gas stations, save you dollars over standard gasoline and allow you to use the HOV lane during your commute as well as giving you reduced auto registration fees.

The easy walk or bike ride to nearby restaurants, shops and other services can save you even more energy while promoting a pleasant and healthful lifestyle for you and your family.

One final bonus: Fiber-connected ultra-high speed Internet is available at all Queen Creek Station homes, offering speeds up to 1 Gig. So meet the future at Fulton Homes Queen Creek Station. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Fulton Homes at Queen Creek Station

queen_creek_station_master_planFinding the right home is about a lot more than a floor plan and the number of bedrooms. When you choose a home, you’re also choosing your neighborhood. Would you like to have parks and trails practically right outside your front door? What about living an easy walk or bike ride to a nearby marketplace that includes restaurants, small coffee shops and big stores?

What else are you looking for in a neighborhood? How about easy access to the new Harkins 14 Cineplex, Williams Gateway airport, and Queen Creek Marketplace?

With all this and special amenities such as ramadas, barbeques, basketball courts, toddler play areas and a generous 5000 SF community pool, why not take a look at Fulton Home’s Queen Creek Station? This masterplan community, developed by Fulton Homes with you in mind, also has over three miles of hiking and jogging trails meandering through the area.

Queen Creek Station offers three different series of homes: The Reserve with 1,594 – 3,172 square foot homes from the $230’s, Oasis, with 1,997 – 3,801 square foot homes starting from the $260’s and Peninsula, with 2,714 – 4,204 square foot homes beginning in the $320’s. With 24 different floorplans, you’re sure to find the perfect home for you and your family. And of course, these are all Energy Star® and Indoor Air PLUS® certified Fulton Homes, built with an emphasis on quality.

Why not take a drive out to Ellsworth and Queen Creek Road and see what Fulton Homes has to offer in Queen Creek? Our models are open from 10-6 daily, giving you an idea of how your home could look and feel. Or learn more about Queen Creek Station at our website: http://www.fultonhomes.com/our-communities/queen-creek-station. We look forward to welcoming you.

Try out Unusual Neutrals

From Ironwood Crossing

From Ironwood Crossing

Are you getting just a bit tired of earth tones and beiges? If you’re not ready to go all out with color, but you’d like to expand your options, consider these almost neutrals: dusky lavender and soft green. Here are a few suggestions for pulling them into your home.

Mix with other soft neutrals: With the addition of grey and cream, this bedroom doesn’t feel like it’s swimming in color. The grey captures elements of the soft light purple, creating echoes without overwhelming the room. Light green on the walls is made gentler with cream drapes and shades. This room has invited color in without making too much of a statement.

Choose a cool metal accent tone: In this case, silver enhances the connection between lavender and grey and it easily reflects both tones.

Don’t be afraid of contrast: Dark nightstands keep the room grounded, and the depth of tone is mirrored in several of the throw pillows, the bed skirt and the frames on the artwork. Although the actual colors vary, bringing in a number of dark elements lets them work together to make the room more interesting.

Minimize the hues: Notice that the walls are a slight green, such a delicate tone that it almost seems to disappear. Green and lavender are an exciting combination, but in a bedroom the goal should be a soft appeal rather than splashy and attention-getting. The lavender tones selected are darker, but contain so much grey that they don’t announce their color. Only the three accent pillows remind you that purple is in the house.

If you’re ready for a new color, a bedroom provides a great place to start. Paint and bedding are not expensive, allowing you to try new ideas.

Building Intimacy in an Open Design

Ironwood Crossing

Ironwood Crossing

An open floor plan has much to recommend it. Everyone can be involved in different areas of the main living space yet still connect and communicate. And the open style makes a home feel more spacious and welcoming. Open living areas are also ideal for parties and family gatherings.

Given all of this, there are still times when your goal may be to create a cozier, more contained atmosphere. You can have that feeling within an open floorplan if you develop it as part of your overall design. Here are a few steps to help you create that intimate corner in your home.

Define the space: In this case, the rug provides the starting point. Its position just under the furniture makes it clear that this is a conversation grouping.

Use furniture to focus inward: The sectional sofa faces into the room, but the chair to the right and the two ottomans are positioned to focus people toward the middle of the space rather than outwards. Smart choices such as using two ottomans on the outside of the square maintain a sense of separation without completely cutting the space off.

Connect with color: Ottomans and throw pillows bring in maroon tones. Three throw pillows draw the eye with a matching pattern. The artwork brings the brown up onto the wall while still providing some colors that coordinate with the rest of the space.

This space is perfect for those quiet times when a party is winding down, or your family relaxes before dinner or bedtime. Consider finding an intimate corner of your open floor plan to bring cozy in.

Creating a Headquarters for Fun

Game room from the Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing

Game room from the Corsica model at Ironwood Crossing

Our homes have many functional areas – kitchens for cooking, bedrooms for sleeping and so on. So how about creating a space meant for fun? If you’re fortunate enough to have a game or rec room in your home, that’s great. But if you don’t, you can still make room for entertaining your family and friends.

Start by thinking of what space you can spare. Perhaps it’s that formal dining room or living room that you never use. Or you might have an extra bedroom. Even part of your family room could work with a fun-focus.

Then consider what elements make a place special for entertaining. How about music? A chance to watch movies together? Video or board games can also add to the fun mood. You could add a bookshelf or closet where everything like this lives, to be drawn on when you have company or your kids say they have nothing to do.

Pick up a few surprises at the dollar store so that you can pull out prizes to make game night more special. This could also be a great place to store favorite snacks such as caramel or kettle corn – perfect to make movie night special. Finally, throw in a few decks of cards. There’s nothing like a card game or two to start building a competitive spirit!

What other activities does your family enjoy? Consider adding a few hidden craft kits or toys for an afternoon surprise. Art supplies or photos and scrapbook materials can also make a quiet day go faster, and your family may show unexpected skills, making something worth keeping.

So when you’re looking at the potential for your home, be sure to include space and tools for fun. They will liven up your life on a regular basis.

How to Create a Photo Wall: Part 2

photo_displayOnce you have all of your photos and frames, how do you move from that to an attractive wall display? There are many techniques to use. Here are a few suggestions.

Pre-plan your display on the floor. Determine the size you want for your total display and measure out that much space on your floor. Experiment with different arrangements until you have a look you like. Take a picture of it so you have a record to work from, then start hanging, working out from the center.

Use photo shelves. Many stores carry narrow shelving that works perfectly for displaying photos. You can set up three or four of these and then experiment to get the best arrangement of photos on the shelves. This also makes it easy to change out photos as new ones come along.

Keep frames set close together. For an effective grouping, don’t be afraid to keep photos close to each other. An inch or two between each is plenty of space. You really want the photos to feel integrated on the wall.

Use brown kraft paper or newspaper to determine your final layout. You can cut paper to the size of each photo and tape them on the wall to determine the best layout. Once you have your plan completed, just place nails right through the paper at the right spot for hanging, then tear the paper away. That way you know the photos will be set exactly right.

It may take a bit of effort to get your family wall finished, but once it is you can enjoy it for years.

How to Create a Photo Wall: Part 1

IMG_0478Most of us have lots of family photos tucked away – older ones in boxes, newer digital ones on our computer, phones or uploaded to instagram or the cloud. But sometimes it can seem overwhelming to display these photos on a wall in your home, even though you would like to. Here are some suggestions for going from a hidden photo collection to one you can share with guests.

Plan a theme. Lots of graduation photos and other professional shots are OK, but your photo wall can be much more fun to look at if you focus on more candid shots such as vacation photos or pictures taken at family events. You can also combine photos of your children at different ages so that people can see the changes as they get older.

Vary the size and shape of the photos. Include both horizontal and vertical shots and choose which photos to emphasize with larger sizes. Warehouse and drug stores can blow up your photos to almost any size.

Crop your photos. Often our pictures have too much unimportant background and the people can get lost. Use an inexpensive software package such as Photoshop Elements to trim the unimportant elements out and let the people shine.

Use simple and similar frames. Many art supply stores offer sales on stock image size frames such as buy one get the second for a penny. Keep your eyes open for those opportunities and buy all of the frames you need at one time. Having a consistent look for frames helps your finished wall look more professional and encourages people to focus on the photos not the frames.

In our next blog we’ll take a look at how to create an effective photo display.

 

 

Protect your Pets

max-webIt’s summer again and it’s easy to forget the safety measures we all need to take to keep our pets healthy and happy all summer. Arizona’s heat is hard for our furry friends, but taking extra care will help ensure that they have a good summer. Here are a few reminders.

Don’t leave any living creature in a car in the summer heat. Temperatures in a car can quickly reach slow-cooker level, and even a five-minute trip can do permanent damage to a small body like a pet’s. Leave your pets at home when running errands.

Make sure your pet has plenty of water and shade. If you ever leave your pets outside, make sure they have shade to protect them from the sun – pets can get sunburned too – and plenty of fresh water in a non-spill bowl. If possible, don’t leave pets outside any longer than it takes them to do their business.

Don’t walk your pet on hot sidewalks. Most people don’t realize that dog paws are as sensitive to heat as our bare feet. One easy way to find out if a sidewalk is too hot is to put the back of your hand on the sidewalk in the sun. If you can’t leave it there for 10 seconds comfortably, it’s too hot for your pet. Walking your dog on those sidewalks can do irreparable damage in a short period of time.

Make sure your pet knows how to get out of your pool. It may seem like dogs know how to swim automatically, but if they fall in your pool and don’t know the way out, they can end up drowning as they tire from constant swimming. Either keep your pool gate closed when your dogs are outside or work with your pets so that they know how to get out of the pool. Of course, some dogs love to swim and you may have to plan on including them in your family’s pool activities.

Pay attention to pet safety in the summer and you, your family, and your pets can have a great time even in the heat.