Tag Archives: home design and decor

Decorating with Your Imagination

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7413509_SSo… you want to create a room that captures the imagination, with an element/elephant or two to catch the eye. Let’s make it happen.

Does the room have a natural focal point? It might be a fireplace, a view through a window, or sometimes even something like a flat-screen television. (A tip here, don’t let it be a flat-screen television if you want people to do something in the room besides watch television.)

OK – let’s assume the answer to the focal point issue is no, or not really, or I don’t think so. Now it’s your job to create a focal point – something that draws attention immediately upon entering the room. You want something too big, too bold, too there, to ignore. Here’s the first quiz: What is the focal point in this room?

Got it in one! Now, how can you make sure your spark of imagination is just as emphasized in your own home? Think big, think colorful, think dramatic, think unusual. If you decide to be conservative here, you’re going to end up with a “sort-of” focal point. Imagine moving the elephant into the next room and replacing him with the plant on the left. You’re simply asking more of the poor plant than it can manage. The elephant, on the other hand, naturally draws attention.

The final piece – create a room that draws people to the focal point rather than distracting away from it. Too many colors, three or four elephants, or even one additional animal such as a monkey, and your focal point would almost disappear into the wall. And if you’ve taken the time and trouble to introduce an elephant into your décor, you shouldn’t waste him on a room that is too busy to show him off properly.

Any questions?

Design around your Needs

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2555983_SDo you want to help your children with their homework while you fix dinner? Then plan for homework space in or near your kitchen. Have pets? Consider durability and maintenance when planning your flooring. Are seniors with canes or walkers regular visitors to your home? You may want to choose a plan that provides a bathroom and guest bedroom on the first floor.

Before you make decisions about your home’s plan or design, take a minute to consider your current and future needs.

Many people today find themselves caring for children and parents or grandparents at the same time. When you plan your home, think about providing the options you may need if a family member needs to stay with you to recover from surgery or an accident.

Be sure to choose a home that gives you and your family plenty of opportunities to interact. Whether this means a dining area that encourages eating dinner together every night or a family room with a game table for board games in the evening depends upon your family patterns. As you plan your new home’s layout and design, talk to everyone in your family about what they love (and don’t love) about your current home and what they would like to have as part of the new one.

Think about your own needs too. Do you dream of having a deep comfy bathtub for taking a luxurious break from everything? Maybe outdoor space for your morning coffee is your top priority. How about closets and other kinds of storage?

Design around your needs and your new home will be comfortable and enjoyable for everyone in your family.

Design around your Goals

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6026644_SWant to stay in shape? Dream of writing a novel? Looking to walk away from the donuts and eat more healthfully? You’re more likely to reach your goals if you design your home with those goals in mind.

An extra bedroom could become your home gym. Try out various pieces of gym equipment to help you select what you will enjoy using. Add a small television and DVD player to play exercise videos and vary your routine. Put your scale and a measuring tape in the room and maybe a calendar where you can record your progress. If you don’t have a spare bedroom, consider a corner of your family room or bedroom.

Even without a home office, you can choose a place to keep your laptop available for writing projects. Choose a spot in your kitchen or bedroom to set up a writing space. Plan your novel using post-it notes on any large expanse of wall – writing plot points on each note and arranging them in the order that works for you.

10711425_SStudies show that people are much more successful at reaching their goals if they are written down. Do you have a spot in your home that you walk past every morning? How about putting together a list of your top three goals and posting them so you see them every day?

Are there any special images or symbols that will help you keep reaching for your goals? How about a photo of a time when you were in great shape, or a sample of your last successful project? You can create your own “trophy case of the future,” by setting up a spot with reminders that keep you focused on everything that you want to accomplish.

Design around your Dreams

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7889516_SFor most people, moving into a new home is a dream come true. You can extend that feeling by decorating your new home with your dreams in mind.

Sometimes linking to your dreams may mean taking chances with some vivid colors. Do you secretly wish for a gypsy life? How about using rich reds, yellows, oranges and purples to create the impression of a caravan in a bedroom or bathroom?

Dream about traveling? Visit import stores to discover treasures from other parts of the world, and make your family room a reflection of your aspirations. Maps, photos from different countries, and any souvenirs can create a space designed for you to make travel plans.

If you want to set up a more positive attitude, consider adding meaningful quotes and phrases to your décor. This could be a small framed message next to your bathroom mirror reminding you to think positive when you start every day, or a special quote painted or stenciled on a wall. Check the Internet for sources of familiar phrases, or order a custom sentence that has special meaning for you. You can specify type style, size and even color for a minimal price.

As you plan your space, be sure to leave room for dreaming. This may mean extra bookshelves to hold new books or tools, a great space for relaxing and visualizing where you want to go in the future, or lovely things and words to remind you of those things you most value about yourself and your life.

Decorating is about more than making a space look nice. It’s about making the space ready for who you are today and who you dream of being in the future.

Room with a Theme

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495150_SWhen you’re planning to decorate a room, think about starting with a theme. This bedroom has a strong and obvious sports theme, and the art as well as the furniture and accessories play off the idea. Themes are a great way to approach a child’s room, since they often have strong interests.

Adults can enjoy a room that shows off something about their lives or likes also. Do you enjoy traveling through a certain part of the world? How about creating a room around one of your favorite countries or regions?

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You could focus a room around a collection. If you like old silver or movie memorabilia, can you put things together to make a room that showcases your favorite pieces? Think about choosing the right furniture, colors and accessories to create the mood. For example, you might want to go with a black and white look for old movies, complemented with some classic movie stills on the walls. Consider looking for a few antique items to match the feeling of your old-fashioned silver pieces.

Don’t feel obliged to make an entire room reflect a theme. Instead, you may want to incorporate just a few things to suggest a mood or idea. For example, if you like the 1950s, how about picking up an old tablecloth or some retro serving dishes or a toaster to add a fifties flair to your kitchen? Bring in a few classic fifties colors such as this green or even pink to add to the feeling.

Don’t limit your decorating to traditional approaches. Take a favorite idea and make it part of your home by decorating around the theme of your choice.

Design Center Basics: Have Fun!

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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: Planning Ahead

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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.

Help your Child Redecorate – Room for Growth

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8829658_SAs you and your child plan and redecorate his or her room, it’s up to you as a parent to think about the future. Those dinosaurs or princesses that seem so appealing now will feel too juvenile in just a few years. Color favorites may also change or head to more subtle hues. Here are a few things to include in your plans to help the room redo hold up as your child gets older.

Paint is easy: Colors can be changed by simply repainting one or more walls. Try to keep the ceiling – which is harder to paint – a neutral tone. Look for temporary additions such as wall stickers or wallpaper borders rather than painted murals or wallpaper.

Linen options: Combine solid bed linens with a few theme items to make a room seem focused on the interests of your child without investing a great deal of money on a particular story or character. It’s easier to give away or recover a few throw pillows or shams than replace a full set of sheets and bedspread once your child has lost interest in the merchandise from a current children’s film or TV series.

Function: Your child may be too young for much or any homework at the moment, but it’s wise to plan for bookshelves and a desk or table in the future. Modular furniture makes it easier to transition over time.

Show and tell: Include a bulletin board, shelves or other space for your child to display items of current interest or any awards and recognition. It’s easy to change the contents of these items as your child matures.

Requirements: You may want to set up expectations when you initiate the redecorating process, such as keeping the room tidy. That way the redecorated room makes life easier for you as well as more fun for your child!

Help your Child Redecorate -Color and Pattern

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12105159_S This stage is the most exciting part of redecorating a child’s room – or any room for that matter. There are a few simple ways to help your child define the colors and look of a bedroom without taking over the process. Here are some ideas.

Picking colors: One easy way to determine a good main color for your child’s bedroom is to focus on a favorite color or colors. Another option is to consider the colors of your child’s favorite clothes. Don’t discourage bright tones – a child’s room can handle more vivid colors than you may want in the rest of the house. This is a great time to encourage experimentation and creativity. Colors can also be mixed – take a look at the broad variety of choices in the room above!

Choosing patterns: Fabric, rugs, stencils and wallpaper can all add pattern to a child’s space. In the room above, a simple mural provides the largest element of pattern. You might want to visit a fabric store or look at bed sheets and coverlets to see what appeals to your child. Be sure to consider stripes, checks, ginghams, polka dots, and other standard pattern styles.

6249365_SApplying color and pattern: Paint is the easiest way to establish color in a room, and the easiest to change later as your child’s taste changes. This can include walls and furniture. Wallpaper can also be applied to one wall or a piece of furniture to add pattern. Just be sure to prime the surface first so you will be able to strip the paper off later. Curtains, bed linens and rugs also provide methods for introducing color and pattern.

Working with existing choices: You can introduce colors that don’t seem to work with the current room options and still be successful. Take a look at the girl’s room to the right. The pastel pink and blue scheme wouldn’t be expected to connect with the light camel carpeting, but it does. As long as options such as flooring don’t actively clash, they will retreat to the background once the overall look of the room is established. An area rug or two also keeps the focus on the décor rather than the carpet.

So encourage your child to be daring – a child’s room should be fun, colorful, happy and expressive, and as a parent you have the chance to encourage those abilities in your children with their bedrooms and their lives.

Help your Child Redecorate – Function and Storage

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7857385_SAs you and your child plan a room redo, be sure to factor in storage needs and functional demands.

Does your child do homework in his or her bedroom? Plan on a desk along with space for books and homework projects. How about overnight guests? Consider twin beds or a trundle. Closet organizers can also make space more efficient.

The box-style approach shown in the photo to the left provides a great storage solution for a less organized child. Labels can define each space, and these boxes work well for books and other items.

426141_SIf space is limited and functional and storage needs extensive, consider using vertical space. Take a look at the photo to the right. The raised bed provides extra play space and a storage shelf underneath, and the three-foot raised floor in part of the room holds storage containers including one box-style shelving unit, with lots of room underneath for extra storage or a special kid hideaway.

A simple desk and chair match the style and colors in the room while working well as a homework center. There is plenty of room under the bed’s platform for extra shelves or hooks for clothes. Colors and pattern integrate all the storage and functional pieces to make the room feel creative and exciting.

These options may or may not work for your child. But no matter what, it’s important to determine what storage and functional capabilities are needed when planning the renovation. Look for extra space under the bed or on the walls. And think outside the box to make the space inviting as well as productive.