Tag Archives: Home decor

Create an Outdoor Room

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Peninsula 149This is the time of year when it’s wonderful to live in Arizona. So before the heat shows up, how about creating an outdoor space that can substitute for your living and dining room only outside?

It doesn’t take that much effort, just add a few things to make your patio an inviting place to eat a meal or spend an afternoon. Take a look at this space from the Fulton Homes Woodside Model at the Oasis in Freeman Farms Community.

Peninsula 153This patio has plenty of room for a living-room style seating arrangement and a comfortable spot for al fresco meals. Thanks to the new outdoor fabrics, all-weather cushions add comfort as well as color. Here are a few other ideas to build a living space outside.

Hang outdoor art: Metal or ceramic wall art such as this cast iron piece adds an element of charm while still able to handle the elements. Check patio stores, garden shops and small boutiques for pieces that match your style.

Add accessories: The throw pillow and plant on this patio help build a fully-furnished feeling. These pieces warm up the space.

Remember lighting: Your outdoor lights help make your outdoor space work through the evening. Add candles or lanterns to brighten the patio for parties and family gatherings.

Peninsula 150Choose flooring that mimics indoor style: Choosing tile, pavers or stone instead of settling for standard outdoor concrete allows you to add color and texture to your outdoor rooms. Consider picking up an outdoor rug to add even more color and personality.

Take your time choosing the right furniture and accessories, and you can take advantage of this season’s weather and add living space to your home by spending time outside.

 

Design Grammar: Adjectives

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12120327_SWhen we look at design grammar, it’s the adjectives and adverbs that liven up a sentence the way accessories make a room more interesting.

Even with no furniture, the accessories in the photo to the left create an inviting impression. Think of these finishing touches as developing the personality of a room. They may be functional, but their primary purpose is simply design, the way adjectives simply fill out whatever image a sentence makes.

15700367_STake a look at the room to the right. Imagine it without the pillows, rug, plants, and books and elephants on the shelves. OK, let’s do it with language. Compare “the dog barked when its owner came home” with “the happy old dog barked joyfully when his veteran owner came home from Iraq.” One gives you information and the other tells you a story.

Without the adjectives and adverbs in this room, you have a series of grey tones and simple lines. Now, it’s more trouble to add accessories or turn a simple piece of information into a story, but taking the effort helps you create a space that people notice and a story that people want to listen to.

People used to call unusual accessories conversation starters. They can tell people something about you or your interests. They may define you to visitors as traditional or modern in your style and thinking. They may be remembrances of travel or your hobbies. Ask yourself, are your spaces interesting enough that people will want to read more when they walk in? What stories do you want your home to tell?

 

 

Design Grammar: Articles Connect Nouns

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2751374_SHow many of you remember what articles are from your grade school grammar class? Come on, raise your hands. If you’re one of those trying to hide behind Mary Grace because you’ve forgotten, articles are words such as “the” and “and”, which are used to connect other words together.

In the grammar of home design, articles represent the end tables, coffee tables, nightstands, and other items used to connect other pieces of furniture together.

What’s important to remember about articles in decorating? First, to make sure you have all of the pieces or words you need so that your design or your sentence make sense. For example in the room above, the square coffee table, the small woode table between the love seat and te sofa, and the glass-topped side table that matches the coffee table serve as the connecting articles in the space. Their purpose is primarily utilitarian, and they shouldn’t draw attention to themselves. The tables in this space complement the rest of the furniture without overpowering them.

13888922_SArticles also include nightstands such as the ones in the photo to the right. These pieces are also utilitarian, yet the style fits the contemporary look of the room. You can see the lamps serving a useful purpose as lighting for reading or dressing and the drawer provides hidden storage.

However the slightly bowed drawer and simple silver pull pull in the lamp’s curves and metallic finish. The dark wood tone mimics the art over the bed and choosing symmetrical matching lamps carries the modern masculine theme preented by the bedclothes through the room.

Remember to choose articles that aren’t intrusive yet still manage to make the sentence and the design stronger,

 

Design Grammar: Verbs

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12620942_SIn this series on design grammar, verbs are the things in your home’s design that have some kind of action associated with them. These include lights, electronics, appliances and water features.

Take a look at the lighting choices in this bedroom. There are four light sources in the room, each with an active role in the design. The light showing under the bed adds color and makes the bed appear to be floating. The purple and gold lights shining down the walls provide color and space definition, and the simple lamp by the bed is functional and adds warmth.

13738899_SThis photo has two verbs in it  – light and water. Notice how candlelight provides soft and yet directed light, and adds to the inviting feeling of the space. The water in the background contributes movement and sound. Although this is just a snapshot, it has the feeling of action because your mind can infuse it with motion and sound to match the image.

8969356_SEven when it’s off, an electronic element such as a television provides an action point in a room because of its potential. One reason people like to hide a TV in an armoire or behind doors is so that potential is not part of the everyday living space. Take a look at the photo to the left. You don’t need to see the television to know exactly where it is and what these people are doing. The people are reacting to the main action in the room: whatever is on the invisible television.

When you choose to put verbs in your home, be sure to balance them in the space. A room with too many action items may become overwhelming. On the other hand, no verbs make a room feel static and boring. Take the time to figure out the right verbs to build your story/design with excitement but not to the point of exhaustion!

Design Grammar: Nouns

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12283909_SIn the second blog about design grammar, we’ll consider the nouns of writing a room. These define what the room or the story is all about, and in the case of design, they are the larger upholstered pieces: sofas and chairs.

The two photos here involve a pink sofa and pink chair. From a description standpoint, there isn’t that much difference, but in reality each one sends a completely different message.

The sofa is bright pink and very contemporary. It would work well in a commercial environment such as a beauty salon or women’s clothing shop. In a home it would feel bright and exciting and young. This sofa as a noun is vivid and almost demanding. Think about the message a room built around this sofa would send.

11898370_SThe pink chair, on the other hand, has a traditional style and a soft color that almost looks faded. It’s quiet and comfortable. There are no demands from this chair. It would sit quietly in a corner until someone needed it.

These two pieces of furniture need very different spaces. They tell very different stories and send very different messages. Ask yourself, if you could get either piece of furniture for free, which one would you choose?

In a sentence or a story, nouns set the stage. They can be simple vanilla words such as flower or boat, or strong words that draw your attention such as pendulum or patisserie.

Because of their fundamental position in a room or a sentence, upholstered furniture and nouns give you a good place to start designing or writing.

Design Grammar: Your Home’s Décor can feel like a Well-written Story

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734809_S Your home is about more than good design. Your home’s décor is a direct reflection of you. So take a minute before you start planning your home’s décor, or when it’s time to update a room’s look. Stretch your imagination and ask yourself some questions about what you want your home to say about you.

To make this easier, we’re going to think of decorating a room using the same tools used to write a story.

To begin, ask yourself some overall questions:

15207724_SHow does the room feel? You can start by using words to describe a room, but it’s more complex than that. If a room is elegant, does that mean that you feel elegant in it? Or do you feel like you shouldn’t sit down? Does a room feel welcoming or uncomfortable?

What message does a room send? For example, does a room say “I’m important?” A good example of this message is the Oval Office in the White House. A fast food’s décor may say, “Sit down, but just for a minute to gulp down your sandwich and fries.”

14809528_SIs the message consistent? Do some things in a room say one thing but others send a different message? For example, a formal, antique velvet sofa may tell people to stay away, but a cushy old leather chair might invite people in to get comfy. Sitting next to each other, the overall message may be confusing.

What message do you want to give? Think of your home as an unspoken voice for you with family and friends.

This week and next week, we’re going to take a look at how you build a room that sends whatever message you want to present. With this perspective you will end up with more than a room that looks nice; you’ll have a space that reflects what you want to say.

Décor Choices Bring the Sun Inside

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5128757_SWe’re fortunate here in Arizona to live in a climate that gives us so many sunny days. In many parts of the country, this time of year presents gray, dark weather with plenty of rain and snow. But no matter the weather outside, you can bring the sun into your home by choosing the right colors, accessories and fabrics.

Take a look at the curtains in the photo to the left. The soft rust tone of one curtain combined with the second rich gold fabric curving over the top feels like a perfect balance of sunshine and shadow. The metallic layer on the gold curtain adds shine to the sunshine message, and the sparkles on the two-tone tassel also contribute.

10866785_SIt may be tempting to stay with the bright gold shades, but notice what happens in this photo thanks to the darker rusty orange. The contrast makes the gold seem even brighter and stronger. When you decorate your home, it’s best to use contrast to emphasize your style. Staying in the same tone range creates an uninteresting room. In this shot the contrast comes through in several ways: on the fabric, tassel and the braided tie holding the upper curtain back.

You don’t have to go for the traditional, almost baroque feel shown above to bring sunshine into your home. Take a look at the photo to the right.

Orange, gold and brown work together to create a sunny space. The metallic gold art is brightened by the contrasting dark mats and frames. In the same way, the metallic decorations on the pillows and bed runners really pop thanks to the dark brown base of the ribbon. Notice how that orange wall has depth and power. It probably took three or more coats of paint to obtain that richness.

Do you want a room that spells out sunshine? Consider these colors and an introduction of warm metallic elements to bring the sun into any room in your home.

The Decorating Power of Red

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8161349_SRed is daring. Red is romantic. Red is sexy. That’s one reason why it’s the color of Valentine’s Day. A splash of red makes an outfit come alive. Whether you love red or not, the color is almost impossible to ignore.

In honor of the holiday, how about looking at red in decorating? Here are three variations on using red in your home, depending on just how daring you feel.

Hard-core red: This photo shows a room where red is the dominant color. This rich dark shade of red takes over the space. Red can be a great color for dining rooms because it raises the energy level in a room and draws people together, encouraging conversation. Your dinner parties could be livelier with red walls.

The secret to this type of luminous and rich red color on your walls is multiple coats of paint. Stop at one or two and you will end up with a red that looks washed out and flat. Plan on at least three coats, and consider five. It’s a lot more work, but getting a result like this makes the effort worthwhile. Also, notice that the rest of the room’s decor is fairly neutral. Once you commit to red, really watch out for any other color choices. Red like this is generally enough color for one space.

2409263_SA splash of red: By choosing red leather for this dining room’s chairs, the homeowner adds style and a spark to the space. Once again, neutrals keep the red to the forefront without having the color overwhelm the room. You may notice that the brown flowers in the rug look almost rust against the red. This actually works because of the extremely neutral effect of the rest of the room. The red chairs ensure that the table is the focal point of the room. Remember that your eye will always be drawn to any red in your home.

8961688_SJust a touch of red: If you’re not ready to jump into the world of red full-blast, how about dipping a toe in? This light fixture provides a dramatic impact in the room and saves it from a boring neutral look. If a permanent fixture seems too extreme, how about adding in a couple of throw pillows or a vase? You could even test out your red comfort zone with a bouquet of red flowers. But you might want to wait until later in the month – those red blooms are quite expensive at the moment!

 

A Beautiful Bath is all in the Details

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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.

 

Finishing Touches make Kitchen Special

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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!