Tag Archives: home design

Lovely Lighting

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Legacy Models 044With the steady increase in higher ceilings and open floor plans, lighting designers have finally started to think bigger with residential chandeliers, with dramatic results.

Take a look at this breathtaking example from the Fulton model home at Legacy. The chandelier inside has some traditional elements such as the candle-shaped lights and display of crystals. But add the surrounding bronze hoops and you suddenly have a daring transitional light that captures the eye and sets the tone for the entire room.

It takes a certain amount of design daring to flash this type of lighting fixture in your home. You can’t take it easy with the rest of the décor. Your other choices will have to live up to this. And you could never get away with it without the space to set it off properly. A high ceiling, plenty of space to showcase its drama, and other architectural details to complement it provide the proper setting.

259 (1)Take a look at its position in the room to the right. It takes two of these chandeliers to make this space work. Adding a second one just contributes to the impact. And the ceiling provides just the right frame for this exciting choice.

The normally-recommended height for hanging a chandelier wouldn’t work here. Too low and these pieces would take over the table, compromising the entire feel of the room. Instead they are positioned half-way from ceiling to table, allowing guests to take in the entire picture when walking into the room.

Is this chandelier the light of your dreams? Visit our models at Legacy and see for yourself. Enjoy this and other lights that are designed to capture your interest and imagination.

 

Make a Dramatic Entrance

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DSC_0086Your foyer creates the first impression people have when they walk into your home. What can you do to improve the impact of your entryway? Let’s take a look at the Fulton model from the Legacy community to get some ideas.

Flooring: The foyer provides a great place to be daring with your flooring. In this home the design includes a dramatic flooring layout. This floor combines dark and light contrast with a strong diagonal pattern to pull people into the home and announce immediately that this is no ordinary space.

Legacy Models 014Lighting: Most foyers have one primary light fixture, and this one is designed to draw the eye. The rich bronze echoes the brown lattice in the flooring.

Architecture: While the flooring is all sharp angles, the ceiling adds some soft curves to the design. The circular coffering on the ceiling, highlighted with a lighter color, takes advantage of the architecture of the space to add another layer of contrast. The curve is gently echoed with the high window, adding a spot of daylight and another point of interest. Overall, the architecture of the space contributes to the drama of this entrance.

DSC_0085Vista: What do people see beyond your foyer when walking into your home? In this case the flooring carries the eye into the rest of the home. Notice, however, that there are two unique sconces framing this view. Once again the dark bronze and long lines of this lighting choice mirror the flooring, pulling the room together.

What do you want your home’s entryway to say about you? If you take advantage of all of your choices, you can create a space that provides just the right first impression.

 

Stylish Ceiling Fans

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Legacy Models 080Ceiling fans have always been a source of frustration to the design community. While they’re a practical alternative to standard lighting, often the look detracts from the final design of a space. This has changed recently as lighting designers have started creating ceiling fans that are unique and inviting. Let’s take a look at a couple, featured in the Legacy community models.

Most people assume that the standard ceiling fan profile of five fan blades is the only option, but this fan shows that even two blades can make an effective fan while demonstrating a unique and intriguing contemporary industrial look.

The sleek lines and hand-crafted appearance combine to make a ceiling fan that is almost a piece of sculpture hanging from the ceiling. This look would work equally well with contemporary, industrial or even rustic décor.

ceiling fans 1 croppedThe fans to the right are completely different in style, yet have a retro feel that makes them stand out. One Fulton Facebook fan suggested that they would fit well in a New York loft, and indeed they are easy to imagine in that setting.

The old-style fans in black make this an option that would also work well in a more traditional setting – adding a touch of whimsy and personality to any room. And like the fan above, this non-standard approach still functions effectively.

So before you dismiss ceiling fans as useful items that provide practicality rather than style, you may want to browse some of the newer offerings, because some of today’s ceiling fans will surprise you.

 

The Value of Built-in Cabinets

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Models 082People recognize the value of built-in cabinets in a kitchen, but there are so many other places in your home where built-in cabinetry can make your life easier and your home more beautiful too. Consider these possibilities.

Dining or breakfast room: What better place to store serving pieces and entertainment items than right where you need them. Rather than taking up space in your kitchen, let another room in your home be of help. And a well-designed choice of cabinets including features such as glass-fronted doors and special lighting can make a bare wall into a design feature while providing extra storage. Take a look at how the space above has been transformed by adding the right type of built-in.

DSC_0049 (1)Laundry room: A well-designed laundry room can provide more than clean clothes. Use laundry built-in cabinets to hold cleaning supplies, craft tools, table linens or holiday decorations. The bins shown in the photo to the right could serve as a family “lost and found” with every family member assigned their own place to put anything left around the house.

DSC_0185 (1)Hallway: If you have halls that are wide enough or that have a natural niche, consider adding built-in cabinets. You will have extra storage, something we all can use, and create a space with personality rather than an empty area.

With built-in cabinets, you can customize their size and design to capitalize on all of the space and make maximum use of it. Take a walk through your home. You may be surprised at all the places that could benefit from built-ins.

 

Bathrooms with Upscale Style

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basha bath 3If you want to give your home’s bathrooms an air of upscale style, it all comes down to your design decisions. Just a few changes from the standard approach can turn any bathroom into something that will catch the eye. Here are a few suggestions to make your bath stand out.

basha bath 2Lighting: Possibly the most important factor in bathroom design, lighting adds a decorative element and also has a direct impact on how the mirror reflects your face and the room itself. Notice how the dappled pendants soften the light in this bathroom. A choice like this one creates amber light and shadows – making the bathroom stand out even without any other special design elements. The oversized curved light in the second bathroom makes the lighting evenly distributed and the translucent shading softens it.

 Tile: The backsplash mosaic in the first bathroom adds personality as well as providing a focal point. With just a small profile, this tile allows visitors to enjoy the look while using the sink and mirror. The curved edge tile in the second backroom mirrors the curves of the light while bringing a deep contrast that works well with the painted and glazed cabinets.

Faucets and towel bars: Both of these bathrooms have oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, providing a warm and effective transitional look. Because these bathrooms are from the same model, the Basha at Legacy, the cabinet and faucet choices are the same, creating a consistent look throughout the house. But by choosing different tile, light fixtures and sinks, the bathrooms are completely different in style and feel.

As one of the smallest rooms in your home, the bathroom provides the perfect palette for adding style without adding a lot to your budget. For more great ideas to make your bathrooms exceptional, visit Legacy and check out the bathrooms in all of our models.

 

Design Center Kitchen a Study in Texture

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Bertazonni KitchenWhen designing and decorating a room, people often think in terms of color and contrast, but there’s another factor that can create interest – texture. This kitchen demonstrates how texture can make a space exciting. Let’s take a look at all the texture decisions that make this kitchen appealing.

Stainless and wood: One of the most popular contrasts in today’s kitchens comes from two common texture choices – shiny stainless appliances and soft wood cabinetry. In this vignette having the refrigerator provided with cabinet doors – as the largest appliance – creates a softer textural mood than you would have with a stainless refrigerator.

Cabinet finishes: The primary cabinets have a soft gentle glaze, giving them variety while allowing them to serve as a color base for the kitchen. On the other hand, the island cabinets show a more rustic texture that helps this element to stand out from the rest of the space.

Countertops: The countertops against the wall have a soft look with rounded edges and minimal contrast. On the island, strongly variegated granite adds an extra design element to this kitchen. Picture the island with the same soft counters as the rest of the kitchen – without that additional feature, the island would not have the impact it shows now.

Island columns: By choosing the braided texture on the island columns, you add the feel of rich old-world finishing. Once again, this choice brings the island to the forefront of this kitchen vignette.

The designer’s decision to use texture rather than tone to create interest in this kitchen helps to create a space that is cohesive, lower contrast, yet still interesting. That’s the power of texture.

 

Our Design Center is the Foundation for Creating your Dream Home

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Design Center 025If you’ve been checking out our photos and stories about Fulton Homes’ Legacy community on Facebook and our blog site, you’ve had the chance to see some amazing kitchens, living areas, bedrooms and baths. Now, we’re proud of how lovely our models are and the options we’re offering to help you make your Fulton Home beautiful. But we want to remind you of why you have all of these choices for creating a unique space of your own; our 13,000 square foot Fulton Design Center.

We’re proud of our Design Center, and everyone on the team works hard to create an environment designed to help you make your home perfect for you. We have physical samples of almost everything we offer, and you can carry those samples with you throughout the Design Center to coordinate your home’s look.

One of our well-trained designers will work with you to help you make your vision for your home come true. Years of experience putting beautiful homes together make our designers a valuable resource as you plan your space.

And even before your appointment, we offer you options to help you make the right decisions to match your taste and style. Fulton Homes Design Online allows you to spend time getting to know details of many of our options, and the Kitchen Design online application lets you experiment with different cabinetry, flooring and appliances to help you determine the look you want.

Finally, we offer browse nights every first and third Thursday evening of every month. There you can take your time exploring your choices, and we have our design team available to answer any questions. The Fulton Design Center is open to anyone, so even if you’re just contemplating the purchase of a Fulton Home, we encourage you to visit us. We think you’ll be amazed and impressed with all of the ways we help you make your home special.

Join us this Thursday from 5-8 p.m. This link gives you more information about our Design Center and directions: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center. We hope to see you there this week.

 

Fulton Homes’ is committed to Building 100% Energy Star Certified Homes

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energy_star_photosFulton Homes takes pride in its long-term commitment to make sure every new home it builds is not only Energy Star Certified but actually surpasses all current Energy Star requirements. Energy Star is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect our climate through superior energy efficiency. What does this mean for you when you buy a Fulton Energy Star Home?

First, it will save you money every month. Fulton homes are well insulated, helping to ensure that the energy used to heat and cool your home is used efficiently. Fulton adds a Lousiana Pacific Tech Shield Radiant Barrier that deflects heat away from your attic to every home – helping you save on cooling all summer long. Fulton also equips every home with a 14 SEER Carrier Air Conditioner with excellent cooling and energy efficiency. Fulton’s new Legacy community offers an even higher standard: a 16 SEER Carrier Unit. And by installing Merv 6 Return Air Filters your A/C unit will run even more smoothly.

The tight construction standards Fulton Homes practices include Foam Seal on All Exterior Doors to reduce air leakage and High-performance Vinyl Windows (minimum of .35 & .25) that also reduce the UV rays from entering your home. This type of well-sealed home requires a precise approach to fresh air exchange to avoid the problem of indoor air pollution. To support that, Fulton Homes installs an outside air exchange fan.

Fulton Homes is proud to certify all our new homes to EPA’s Indoor airPLUS indoor air quality standard. To meet that goal, we only use Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) interior paints and carpeting which protect your family as well as the environment.

Finally, our Energy Star homes are inspected by a 3rd party inspection company, where exhaustive tests are performed on all Fulton homes by Energy Inspectors. At Fulton, we have an ongoing commitment to meeting and exceeding Energy Star standards on 100% of the homes we build because it’s the right thing to do – for our environment and our homebuyers.

 

Adding Style and Function to a Hall

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Legacy Models 033Halls can serve two primary purposes: to connect a number of rooms efficiently and to provide some separation and privacy between the main living areas and the bedrooms. But this space can be used for more than an interior pathway.

Fulton’s Legacy community demonstrates this with its three models: The Basha, The Fulton and The O’Connor. Let’s take a look at some of the ways a hall can have multiple uses and design elements.

Take a look at the photo to the left. This niche, from the Fulton model at Legacy, adds an inviting design element to the hallway. Visible from the family room, this lighted niche provides the perfect location for a favorite piece of art. It could hold a wreath for the holidays, a family photo, a shadow-box of memorabilia, or almost anything of importance to you and your family. The glass tile background adds interest and DSC_0177personality.

The next photo, to the right, is from the O’Connor model at Legacy. Here decorative elements combine with some storage to create a feature that is inviting and functional. You could use the chest to store guest linens or anything that’s nice to have in easy reach for the whole family.

The look of this location has been enhanced with the dark plum paint on the hall’s back wall. The contrast between the dark wall and the metallic silver chest and plate above it creates a moment of drama in what is often an overlooked area of the home. Notice that the hall has extra depth at this location allowing you more design flexibility, a thoughtful addition to this home.

DSC_0185For a final addition to a hall space, take a look at this built-in cabinet and counter available in the O’Connor model. A corner of a hallway suddenly can become the perfect central location for charging mobile devices and keeping office and homework supplies handy. With its easily accessible central location every family member can use this as a drop-zone for homework, keys, purses and phones. Consider adding a small bowl or jar for spare change, which could be used for a family treat or dinner out once you accumulate enough. Add a bulletin board or calendar and it could also be the central location for messages and schedules.

For a closer look at these and other interesting approaches to hall space, come see the Fulton Homes models at Legacy in Gilbert. We think you’ll enjoy your visit.

 

How would you use a Butler’s Pantry?

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Legacy Models 032Traditionally, a butler’s pantry was a small room between the kitchen and the dining room used to store china and serving pieces. Today, however, butler’s pantries are coming back as a resource for entertaining and display.

Now that we’ve moved into the holiday season, wouldn’t you enjoy one of these butler’s pantries when holding a holiday event? How would you use this space in your own home? Here are a few suggestions.

As drinks-central: Whether you are serving wine and cocktails or soft-drinks and juice or after-dinner coffee, this space is perfect for holding the glassware, drink options and any other items you may need. Away from the kitchen, people can help themselves to their choice of beverage without interfering with dinner or appetizer preparations.

Legacy Models 072 (1)As an extension of the buffet: Perhaps this would be a good place to present a small dessert bar or position extra plates and silverware. You could also provide room for napkins and extra placemats or other table linens.

As a clean-up resource: Use the space under the sink to hold an emergency clean-up kit for spills. Clean small white towels, paper towels, and a reliable carpet spot cleaner can easily be accessed to address unexpected messes.

As a children’s snack center: items such as pretzels, mini graham crackers and juice boxes could be arranged on this butler’s pantry, giving little hands an easily-accessed source for the kind of treats kids appreciate rather than the fancier appetizers prepared for adults. And don’t be surprised if you see some of your older guests wander over and grab a chocolate teddy-graham or two.

However you choose to use this space, a butler’s pantry provides a nice additional resource for entertaining friends and family this season and all year round. For an opportunity to check out these two butler’s pantries in person, visit our Legacy community in Gilbert.