Tag Archives: home design

Make a Fulton Home Yours – Kitchen Design Online

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Fulton Design Center Kitchen Vignette

Fulton Design Center Kitchen Vignette

Is this your dream kitchen? Maybe – but what if you would rather have a more traditional cabinet style, a lighter wood, and a more dramatic range hood.

But maybe you’re not sure. You have an appointment at the Fulton Design Center next week, but you are still debating about the look you want in your kitchen.

Well, you’re in luck. With Fulton Homes Design Online program for kitchens, you can take a look at many styles and tones of cabinets, different countertops, flooring, lighting, backsplashes, appliances and even paint. Thinking about lighter cabinetry – try it out here. Are the black appliances too dark against the cabinets you like, switch to stainless steel – you can always switch back if you prefer.

Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 11.11.39 PMSave your favorites so you can go back and review them later. Fulton lets you create your own account to collect your ideas.

The best part is your ability to try just one little change to see which way you like your kitchen best. Thinking about staggered cabinets but you’re not sure? Try your kitchen both ways to see which appeals to you the most. Dark cabinets can look good with dark countertops, but you might find a golden tone works best for the kitchen you want.

No, Fulton doesn’t offer every choice here that you have at the Fulton Design Center – it would take you forever to narrow everything down online with the incredible mix of options available. But this does give you a tool to figure out what you want as an overall look. Print out your favorite and bring it with you to your design appointment. Then focus on selecting just the perfect options to make your kitchen as unique as you are.

Why not experiment? Visit http://www.fultonhomes.com/kbchanger/changer to create your own look!

Architectural Features Make a Home Yours

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From the Fulton Home Daylight Plan

From the Fulton Home Daylight Plan

A staircase can be so much more than the path between levels in a home. In this case, the combination of wood and wrought iron make this staircase into a central architectural feature in this house. Imagine it decorated with greens for the holidays or used as a background for family photos.

When you buy a new Fulton home, selecting your model and community is just the starting point. When you visit Fulton’s online and physical design centers, you will begin to discover the choices you have to make your home totally yours.

Want a darker or lighter wood railing? You can have it. Would you like a simple modern look? It’s available. And notice the little extras such as the on-the-floor outlet for lighting. If you want wainscoting in your dining room or an arts & crafts look in the living room, the selection of special architectural features available through the Fulton Design Center will help you meet your design goals.

With a Fulton home, you can have the advantage of well-planned communities with production prices while selecting those special extras that make your home feel like a custom creation. With hundreds of combinations of architectural touches, built-in cabinetry, flooring, lighting and other options, your home will be unique, inviting and totally yours.

Our team of skilled and knowledgeable designers looks forward to helping you dream and create the home that fits your style and needs.

Furniture Shows its Curves

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Family Room rug DSC_0278Rooms, windows and most furniture tend to be sharp-edged. Sofas are basically rectangles. Windows, rugs and cabinets have corners.

You can soften this look by bringing in some curves. Take a look at the coffee table in the photo. The soft oval shape and curved legs bring another inviting element into this room. With the circular side table to the left and table lamps with round elements, the space moves beyond angles.

Take a look at the arms of the sofa on the far wall. These curves soften its rectangle presence. Notice the circular upholstery tacks and the round buttons running under the cushions at the front of the piece. This homeowner clearly understands the value of varying the shapes in this room.

Family Room and courtyard DSC_0272We have a different view of this same room to the right. More curves come into play with a half-oval table behind the sofa  in the same style and structure as the coffee table.

The accessories on the sofa table also focus on curves – from the containers on top to the globe bookend sitting on the lower shelf.

Take a look at your rooms, breaking down all of your furniture and accessory choices to their basic shapes. How many squares and rectangles are there? Have you brought in any curves to add interest and variety?

If you think your spaces could use some curves, consider adding some full curtains, soft pillows and round and oval accessories to the mix. You don’t have to replace major pieces of furniture. Small additions will make a real difference.

Choosing your Fulton Home gas fireplace

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Gas Fireplace Design Center 040As the temperatures hover around freezing at night, this time of the year begs for a fireplace. With the Fulton Homes gas fireplace option, you receive the charm and warmth of a fireplace without the headaches of buying wood, cleaning out ashes, and managing the burning process. You also have the advantage of having a fire even on smokeless days in the Phoenix area when the weather begs for one.

A fireplace provides a natural focal point to a living or family room. People are automatically drawn to a hearth, just as fireplaces in years past provided the center of a home for families to gather together for warmth in the days before central heating.

Today’s fireplaces can bow to tradition or make a more modern statement, keeping in tune with your personal style. Let’s take a look at what makes this fireplace special.

Stonework: Using stone or tile to outline your fireplace and define your mantel makes your fireplace uniquely yours. The choice of the tile design for the mantel can be paired with the same look in your kitchen backsplash to help link your kitchen with your great room space. Notice how the stone shines in the light – the fireplace’s flames will be mirrored on that inviting hearth.

Shelving: Adding the matching shelves on either side of the fireplace itself enlarges the influence of this focal point in your home while allowing you to showcase some treasured accessories. The mantel also provides enough depth to provide the opportunity to display select items that fit your fireplace’s profile.

Lighting: Candle sconces to either side of the mounted television and lights shining down on the shelves provide a nice ambient brightness without overwhelming the space. Once again, the sconces can be selected to match your kitchen and dining light fixtures, helping to integrate the style in every part of your home.

Whether warming your home in winter or adding charm to your family room in the summer, a gas fireplace is a simple way to help create a welcoming feel to your home for family and friends.

Exploring the Fulton Design Center: Kitchen Counters

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Design Center 018In our last Fulton Design Center blog, we recommended starting your kitchen design plan by choosing your cabinets. The next decision is countertops. Do you want granite? The look and feel of real stone is dramatic, and it seems that everyone’s dream kitchen includes granite countertops.

Fulton offers a wealth of granite choices, along with the option to pick out your slab, which helps to ensure that you are happy with your selection. Certainly granite adds to a kitchen. Take a look at the strong personality of the granite in this kitchen. It picks up the warm tones from the cabinets but also adds some cooler colors to connect the cabinets with the stainless appliances. This countertop choice truly pulls the kitchen together.Granite Design Center 015

Large slabs of the most popular granite options allow you to really see and appreciate impact of each stone. And with today’s sealed granite, it no longer requires the repeated treatment that was common not so many years ago.

Although you may be captured by this countertop option, take the time to look at some of the other choices. Quartz and other countertop materials may suit your taste more than granite. It pays to at least consider other countertops.

One final tip when making your selection: remember to create contrast in your kitchen. If your cabinets are dark, a lighter countertop can build a well-defined distinction between various aspects of your kitchen. Decide if you want your counters to add a strong personality or subtly blend into the background.

Will your kitchen be an adventure or a refuge? Your countertop choice helps contribute to the mood and feel of your final kitchen design.

Exploring the Fulton Design Center: Kitchen Start-up

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Bertazonni KitchenReady to plan your kitchen? The Fulton Design Center offers such a variety of styles and options that it may be challenging to narrow down your choices. These suggestions may help you with the process.

Choose your overall style: Do you love the richness of the traditional Tuscan look? Features such as the carved columns on the island above can help recreate that mood. If you lean toward a simpler option, take a look at the Shaker-style cabinets and start from there. However, do not feel obliged to be entirely consistent with your style choices. Take a look at the lighting in this kitchen. The contemporary pendants have a strong impact and help sharpen the more traditional look of this space.

Choose your cabinets: As you can see from the photo above, cabinetry makes the biggest design statement in this room. Your choice of cabinets affects every other decision you make, so make your cabinet choice the foundation of your kitchen’s design.Cabinet Display Design Center 034

The Fulton Design Center has a rich selection of styles and finishes, with sample doors that you can take throughout the Center to coordinate your total space.

Consider cabinet style and tone: You have two important choices with your cabinets. The first – style – provides the framework for the entire kitchen design. The second choice – cabinet tone – affects every other option you select.

A dark cabinet choice may lead to a lighter countertop and flooring selection. Painted cabinets can create a farmhouse feeling and a bright kitchen space. Light cabinets have a younger, more contemporary style, particularly when paired with a dark countertop and exciting backsplash.

So when you make that first decision – your cabinets –you’re well on your way to creating the perfect kitchen for you and your family.

Design Center Magic

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DC SignAre you a fan of HGTV? Do you pause to leaf through home magazines whenever you see them? Are you fascinated by the Pinterest boards that focus on home design or great kitchens? If any or  all of these describe you, then the Fulton Design Center is your version of a trip to Disneyland.

When you select your new Fulton Home, the focus is on square footage, the number of bedrooms, closet size and in general how well the home will function for you and your family. Those are all very important issues. If you think of your home choice as the entrée of a lovely meal, your design center experience is the dessert!

Before your appointment, be sure to visit the Fulton Design Center during one of the browse nights. With designers there to help direct you to the various options available, this provides a no-pressure introduction to the Center. Also check out the online option information on Fulton’s website for a preview of coming attractions.

Visiting the Fulton Design Center for the first time can almost overwhelm you with the variety of choices for every room in your new home. But with the help of your designer, you will soon start envisioning the home you want. Like the Design Center’s motto: “dream and create,” you can create just the right look for your home and have your design dreams come true.

From countertops to carpeting, appliances to area rugs, the Fulton Design Center provides the grown-up version of Disney’s world, where all of your wishes can come true. Enjoy the ride.

Design Inspiration: Set a Stormy Mood

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5775664_SThere’s nothing restful about a stormy day. Clouds roll over the sky, threatening rain or hail or snow. Lightning flashes unexpectedly, followed by the rolling roar of thunder. A stormy room wouldn’t be restful or dull. Instead, it would demand your attention.

Take a look at the stormy scene to the left. Even in a static photo, you can see the movement of the clouds and the explosion of lightning. Dark colors, browns and greys and touches of black, provide the color palette for a stormy room.

731973_STo begin to determine what makes a space feel like the outdoors in a storm, take a look at the photo on the right. This indoor space – a tunnel – echoes the mood of the storm. The ceiling is dark like the stormiest of storm clouds in the sky. The lights and the stripes on the street move like lightning across the sky. Unintentionally, this tunnel mimics some of the feel and even the sounds of a stormy day within its enclosed space.

15750868_SLet’s take a look at a room that captures the intensity of a storm in its design. While this could be a residence, it could as easily be a hotel lobby with its air of grandeur.

The colors are primarily dark, appropriate to a stormy mood. But the shiny lit stripes across the back of the ceiling and the walls provide the same stripes of light we see in the storm above and the tunnel to the right.

Lightning is more than just white – it is a light that temporarily blinds your eyes if you look right at it. The silver shine and lighting design of this room carry a reminder of lightning at its powerful best, as though it strikes and then lingers in the mind.

This design is daring and strong like a stormy day at its most powerful and overwhelming. A design like this may be too much for most homes, but how about capturing this mood in one corner of a den, or in an exciting dining room?

Storms can be frightening, but they are also energizing and interesting. Think about capturing a bit of that energy inside your home.

Design Tips: Accessorizing Above your Kitchen Cabinets

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11103954_SWhile it may not be a high priority as you move into your new Fulton home and get settled, one day you’re going to look up and realize that you want something above your kitchen cabinets besides air.

The challenge comes from selecting items that have only one purpose, to stay pretty-much permanently on display but out of reach.

This means that you don’t really want to spend a lot of money but you want it to look nice – as if you spent a lot of money. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

3627780_SDecide on the look you want. Are you looking for bright and modern, traditional and homey or antique and unique? Stand back and really look at your kitchen. What look appeals to you?

Shop your closets. Do you have a bowl from Aunt Sally that you like but really never use? How about a couple of baskets that came with fruit which are just to pretty to throw away? Maybe you inherited a lovely pottery vase that you are uncomfortable using around your rambunctious family. Bring what you have into the kitchen and lay everything out on the counters underneath the cabinets to get started.

Include signs and pictures. Do you have an empty frame? Put a nice piece of fabric or scrapbook paper in it and prop it up against the wall. The “Bon Appetit” sign in this second photo was purchased, but could just as easily be written nicely on an old chalkboard.

6732510_SDisplay a collection. The kitchen to the left showcases an interesting group of antique baskets and pottery. If you like this look but don’t have the collection, visit thrift shops and “age” your purchases with watered down brown and black paint or even strong coffee.

Take your time: One final note: You don’t have to finish this part of your kitchen in an afternoon. Start with a few things and add others as you get inspired over time. Move things around. And above all have fun making the space above your kitchen cabinets totally yours.

Design Tips: Like with Like

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10593053_SDo you have a collection – either small or large – that you value? If so, think about finding a way to display it in your home with flair.

One fundamental design rule is to position like objects together: like with like. But don’t limit your thinking to only combining things that are exactly the same. Like can mean from the same period of time, in the same color or colors, the same shape, the same theme, or anything you can discover that makes a connection.

Now, the old leather-bound books shown above are together, but they don’t have much of a chance to make a statement sitting on a bookshelf.

7786742_STake a look at about the same number of books combined with a roll of older paper, an old inkwell and a feather that could be a quill pen. By combining the books with other items related to writing from approximately the same era, they change from a few interesting bindings to a design statement.

For small items or things that you don’t mind people playing with, look for interesting ways to build displays that use more than the sense of sight. For example, set music boxes or wind-up toys together on a table with a little note that says, “Please touch.”

10847524_SMaybe you have your grandparents’ old collection of buttons or marbles tucked away in a closet. How about pulling them out and placing them in a container that fits the time those buttons or marbles were used? Set them on a side table next to a favorite spot for your visitors to sit, and you may have created an interactive accessory that your guests will really enjoy. For example, by setting the buttons in the photo in an open old tin box, you encourage people to stop, look, and touch the different materials, sizes and shapes.

These are just a few ideas. Now, when you draw on that designer tip of “like with like,” stretch your imagination to create home accessories that are as unique and interesting as you are.