Electronics at Home: The Fulton Homes Drop Zone

Drop-ZoneWhen you move into a new Fulton Home, one of the first steps is deciding where to charge your electronic gear – phones, tablets and laptops. The Fulton Drop Zone provides the perfect solution.

This example of a Drop Zone, from Peninsula at Freeman Farms, has charging space, with a counter large enough to hold everything. Cabinets, shelves and drawers allow you to keep purses, backpacks, briefcases, keys and all those things you seem to lose in the morning on the way to work or school.

The Drop Zone fits just inside house from the garage. It provides an immediate reminder to drop your outdoor gear and recharge anything that is running low on energy. You may want to assign space to every family member so that homework and other essentials are available when needed.

The cabinetry and counters will coordinate with your kitchen or other built-ins, and it can be designed to your specifications. This also may be a good storage place for big-box-store items or family essentials.

As you live in your home, you will find more and more uses for this option. So often a long day makes you ready to relax and get comfy once you’re home. Put your slippers on a bottom shelf so that you can switch immediately when you walk in, and maybe that drawer on the left should hold your stash of emergency chocolate for quick recovery after a particularly rough day at work.

Moving Into a New Neighborhood – Discovery

12197961_SWhen you move into your new Fulton home, plan on spending some time unpacking and organizing. You probably won’t feel settled until some rooms such as your kitchen and bedroom are fully set up the way you want them.

But you can start settling into your new neighborhood even before the movers arrive. With the move, you may need to shop at new grocery stores, find a new dry cleaner and gas station, and spend time getting to know your new neighborhood. You can make the transition easier for you and your family if you do a little exploring before the move. Here are a few suggestions.

Drive around: Either with your family or by yourself, take an afternoon or evening to drive around your new neighborhood. Look for convenient shopping areas. Take note of neighborhood restaurants that you might enjoy.

Stop to eat: Bring your family to eat at a local restaurant or café that looks interesting. You may even want to try a couple of places over a week or so. This may start creating the feeling that you are already part of your new community.

Visit local community places: If you are a churchgoer, you may want to consider a church near your new home. If not, look for a park with a playground or a community center. Visiting places such as these can allow you to meet some of your future neighbors and start feeling more at home.

Whatever you value in your current neighborhood, you will be able to find something like it in your new place. Take the time to explore and discover, and you can feel connected even before your home is finished.

Design Center Basics: Have Fun!

Design 20Center 20023 designerOne of the best parts of buying a Fulton Home is selecting your options at the Fulton Home Design Center. You have the opportunity to work with a skilled designer to choose your kitchen, bathroom and flooring, making your home uniquely yours.

At first, choosing may seem overwhelming, but if you did your homework before your appointment (see the two blog posts for earlier this week) this can be a truly enjoyable experience.

Design 20Center 20059 carpetingVisiting the Design Center can feel like walking into the HGTV studios. Fulton has pre-selected suppliers and products that are reliable and provide a rich selection of styles to individualize your home. For example, look at the carpeting options available. Take your time to enjoy the various textures and tones.

One of the best features of the Fulton Homes Design Center is the well-trained and savvy designers who will work with you to help make just the right selections. Years of experience working with homebuyers to help create lovely homes provide every designer with the skills to give valuable insights and support as you make your home your own.

Whether your taste is contemporary or traditional, you’ll find the right choices of cabinetry, countertops, lighting and more. Take the time to investigate the kitchen vignettes. They may help you determine whether you want light or dark cabinetry, how much contrast you want in your kitchen and any specific color choices.

Everyone at Fulton Homes wants you to enjoy your time at the Design Center, so relax and take full advantage of this opportunity to make your home as special as you and your family are.

Design Center Basics: Browse Power

Design20Center20078 fulton lobby - receptionistWhen you’re selecting options for your new Fulton Home, one of the best tools you have is the Fulton Home Design Center browse night. Once a week, you can visit the design center at your leisure and look at all of your home choices. Designers and other staff are on hand to answer any questions.

Browse nights are aptly named. You can take your time and sift through the choices for cabinets, flooring and other options without having to make any final decisions. If you really use the browse nights well, you may have most of your options selected before your appointment. This will allow you to take the time you need to review those choices that are harder for you to make.

Browse nights are particularly useful if you and your spouse have differing tastes. The two of you can work out compromises that you both can live happily with, and check out those options you liked online in person. This is also a good chance to see how your cabinets fit with your choice of countertops, backsplash and flooring. You may be surprised to discover that a countertop you hadn’t even considered is just the right choice.

Consider browse nights as a chance to explore all of the amazing options the Fulton Design Center offers with no need to make any permanent decisions. It’s a casual and comfortable place filled with people who want to help you make your home perfect for you. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

Design Center Basics: Planning Ahead

Design20Center 20077 built insAll of the options and choices available at the Fulton Homes Design Center can be exciting and a bit overwhelming. You can make the process more fun and productive if you do a little planning ahead of time. Here are a few suggestions.

Visit the models: The Design Center has a number of vignettes to provide ideas, but there is a wealth of options visible in the models, and positioned within a home. From cabinets and countertops to faucets and built-ins, models are a wonderful resource. Spend some time and take notes of what you like in each model. You may even want to take pictures of those choices you particularly like. Bring this with you to your Design Center appointment to help your designer understand your taste and preferences.

Take advantage of browse nights: These provide time for you to look at everything available and make some preliminary choices. Designers are there to answer questions and educate you on various choices.

Visit the Design Center section on the Fulton website: You can pre-design your kitchen and review many of your options. This gives you a chance to experiment with various combinations of cabinets, countertops and flooring at your leisure.

Keep an open mind: While it’s good to get a feeling for your preferences, you may discover something at the Design Center that captures you unexpectedly. There are some amazing choices, and the designers are experts at helping you make combinations that you will love to live with for years.

The more you plan ahead, the more time you will have to make any tougher decisions – and totally enjoy the rich variety of choices that await you when you visit Fulton Home’s Design Center.

Fulton Homes Super Browse Night

Design20Center20074 kitchen 4Would you like a chance to explore kitchen and bath ideas, talk with designers and product-knowledge specialists, and see some of the latest home design options available?

Fulton Homes invites you to join us this Thursday night, March 21st 2013, for Super Browse Night at our design center in Tempe. With 13,000 square feet of kitchen and bath vignettes, a rich variety of product displays, and our team of designers ready to answer your questions, this is an amazing opportunity to see the newest home products in a comfortable and inviting setting.

Desig20Center20071-doors-2-300x199From countertops to carpeting, cabinet doors to front doors, appliances to area rugs, you can browse every kind of home interior option set up in inviting and exciting displays.

Whether you’re considering a new home, purchasing a new home, or just want some good ideas for your current or future home, you’re welcome to join us for this exceptional event. We’ve invited our trade partners to join our designers and sales associates to share their insights into the best ways to make your home as special as you want it to be.

Design 20Center 20015 listellesJoin us Thursday March 21st 2013 from 5-8 p.m. at the Fulton Homes Design Center, 1241 West Warner Road, #106, Tempe, AZ. To find us turn south on Beck between Priest and Hardy. Turn right in the second driveway.

As an extra incentive (Maybe to help get your spouse to join you?) we’re giving away a 40 inch Samsung flat-screen TV to those who attend our event, with no purchase necessary to win. We look forward to seeing you there.

A Beautiful Bath is all in the Details

Oasis at Freeman Farms 081Monday’s blog took a look at how finishing touches could dress up a kitchen. The same approach can turn a nice bath into an oasis in the middle of your home. Let’s check out the choices that are showcased in the master bath at the Fulton Homes Whitewater model in the Oasis at Freeman Farms community.

First, a double sink allows space for two to get ready for work in the morning. Many couples value their own sink, and both of these have plenty of counter space and storage.

Separating the two, a lower counter with a drawer provides the perfect place for styling –with a hair dryer and/or make-up. The comfy ottoman adds a splash of class with its simple cylindrical shape and luscious upholstery.

Oasis at Freeman Farms 082Warm tones enrich the look of this bath with gold/brown porcelain tile on the floor, different but still coordinated tile countertops, and inviting wallpaper carrying the gold tones up to the ceiling. Notice the backsplash behind the sinks. The small tiles set the space apart. The large mirror is framed to coordinate with the cabinetry – another option offered through Fulton Homes that creates a more finished look.

Oasis at Freeman Farms 083Oil-rubbed bronze faucets and lighting stay with the warm-toned theme. This finish has become a classic since its introduction and it works beautifully in both modern and more traditional homes. The light fixtures with their bronze bases and amber glass shades echo that warm feeling while their design stands out over the more standard bathroom fixtures.

These details separate this bathroom from a more basic look, and create a space that will serve as a particularly enjoyable spot to get ready in the morning and prepare for bed at night.

 

Power Shower Creates Good Mornings

Oasis at Freeman Farms 079With our busy lives, who has time to linger long enough for a bath in the morning? This master bath, part of the Fulton Homes Whitewater model in the Oasis at Freeman Farms community, offers a generous-sized shower option. Here are a few things that make this shower something to be appreciated.

Sheer size: No running an elbow into walls with this shower. With lots of space and dual shower heads, there’s room for two on busy mornings. For those with limited mobility, this shower has plenty of room for a seat, and the handheld shower head makes washing much easier.

Step-up entrance: Rather than dripping water through the bath, this side opening provides the perfect spot to towel off after a shower. Add a couple of bath mats – one just outside the entrance and another at the bottom of the step, and your bathroom floor will stay dry easily.

Light-rich space: The glass-block window just outside the shower combined with the clear glass shower surround provides plenty of natural light to help wake you up in the morning. The feeling is airy rather than over-enclosed.

Shower with style: The tile surround complements the rest of the bathroom. The row of decorative tiles running along the upper third of the shower area adds personality. The oiled bronze shower fixtures and trim on the shower surround connect with the sink faucets and bathroom lighting to create a feeling of indulgence.

How about giving yourself a chance to start your days with a power shower in a bathroom with this level of luxury? It will help you start every morning in a really good mood!

Finishing Touches make Kitchen Special

Oasis at Freeman Farms 072When designing a kitchen, you can easily get caught up in choosing just the right appliances, the perfect cabinets, and knock-out flooring. But don’t ignore the smaller decisions that can bring your kitchen from well-designed to wow! Let’s take a look at just a few of the finishing touches available at the Fulton Homes Design Center that help create a kitchen to turn heads.

Cabinet crown molding: These straightforward Shaker-style cabinets step it up with crown molding at the top. This is dentil crown molding – called that because the row of wood squares below the crown resembles teeth. This type of trim dresses the cabinets up and adds perceived value far beyond the minimal additional cost. Be sure to investigate your trim options when choosing your cabinets.

Pendant lights: These pendants have an industrial-appearing foundation with the look of matte iron, and a sharp squared-off glass shade. Add an amber tone to the glass and you have a stand-out sculptural look to these pendants. Check out the choices for pendants available at the Fulton Design Center and add that sophisticated and functional touch over your kitchen island.

Tile or stone trim: This kitchen’s backsplash is splashier thanks to the row of decorative stone running a few inches below the cabinets. Choosing to install a row of interesting tile or stone within a simpler pattern creates a much more interesting look with a minimal increase in cost. By adding a small line of the same stone as part of the tile surrounding the island, the two areas are tied together and both end up more interesting.

Each of these three choices had a minimal impact on this kitchen’s cost, but the result far exceeds the expense. So take the time to look at the details and create a truly special kitchen!

China Cabinet Provides Great Home Office Storage

A home office that’s visible from other places in a home, particularly one like this one in the Fulton Homes La Quinta model at the Oasis at Freeman Farms community, needs to look like residential space. Metal file drawers and other evidence of a working space don’t suit most homes.

One smart solution for home office storage comes from the dining room – with a full-size china cabinet. If you choose one like this piece in the photo, the glass distracts from the office supplies within the cabinet, and it looks elegant and appealing in this room.

A china cabinet can hold files, paper and office supplies, as well as current projects. Combined with the simple desk and leather chair, the space feels more like a study than an office. Add a laptop that can be put away when you’re finished, and you have a fully functioning office that still works well in this residential environment.

With the help of a wireless router, peripherals such as printers can be located in another room with every computer in the house able to access them. The laundry-room countertop provides a great location for central access – out of the way yet convenient.

Be sure to decorate your home office with the same care you use in the rest of your home. Placing a floor lamp in the room allows you to work with softer lighting than a ceiling fixture. Art and accessories finish this space and connect it with the rest of the house. Window coverings should be selected to minimize glare on your computer screen.

With just a little thought and effort, you can have a home office that is functional and still suits your home’s style.