Tag Archives: kitchen design

Kitchen Island Lighting Choices

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Legacy Models 030You can take several approaches to lighting your kitchen island. The simplest and least noticeable is a collection of ceiling lights, distributed to provide even light for working. But with that choice you lose an opportunity to create a special style moment when people walk toward your kitchen.

Design Center pendant lightsPendant lights are one option that has grown in appeal over the years, with the opportunity to add a touch of style and color to your kitchen’s lighting. The photo to the right shows a number of pendants for your kitchen available through the Fulton Design Center.

The light in the photo above at Legacy takes a different approach from the more standard pendants to offer a shaded piece that provides even lighting on the surface of the island. This intriguing transitional piece suits this kitchen with the shade complementing the tile on the wall and island.

Models 086More unusual, these large long hanging glass pendants in the photo to the right, shown at Legacy, are lit inside by Edison bulbs which provide a unique yet classic touch. This island is large enough to support three of these pendant lights.

The clear glass allows you to connect immediately with the entire kitchen, yet the dramatic style brings these pendants to the forefront of your vision. This is quite a daring choice for island lighting.

What kind of lighting do you want over your kitchen island? We invite you to visit the model homes at Legacy and the Fulton Design Center to see a rich variety of choices in person.

 

Kitchen-Smart Ways to use Cabinet Drawers

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Legacy Models 025In most of the kitchens of yesterday, you needed three drawers: one for silverware, one for other cooking utensils, and one “junk” drawer. Today’s kitchens often offer more sets of drawers than before. But what do you do with these extras? Here are a few suggestions.

Table linens: Placemats, tablecloths and even fabric napkins are making their way to lunch and dinner. A drawer allows you to lay these items flatter, leading to fewer wrinkles.

Serving dishes: Larger plates and platters take up a lot of room on a shelf. Consider storing them in drawers instead, enabling you to look down and select just the right bowl or other containers for a family dinner or party.

P241ots and pans: Deeper drawers are a great place to store frying pans and smaller pots. No need to stack much with a broad base for setting each item in its place.

Plastic containers: One tip, you can store the bases in one drawer and the lids in another, shallower drawer nearby. Everything stays more organized this way and you can take full advantage of your drawer space.

Office or homework supplies: The kitchen island provides a perfect place for completing homework or paperwork. Consider using one of the island drawers to hold your supplies, making it easy to grab a pen or paper clip as needed.

If you take the time to think outside the box when it comes to your kitchen drawers, in no time every one will be full and you’ll wonder how you ever managed in a kitchen without them all!

 

Using and Accessorizing your Kitchen Island

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Models 081 (1)A large island such as this one from the Fulton Homes’ Legacy community provides the opportunity to accessorize and still have space for functional uses. Let’s look at two versions of this island to see several approaches.

In this first photo, the yellow accessories combine with the green plants to add color to a neutral kitchen. The yellow pops against the dark kitchen cabinets and adds warmth to the view.

Notice that several collections of accessories are positioned on trays. Each tray contains several smaller objects which gives them more importance from a design perspective. More importantly, trays can be easily moved to allow the island to serve as a breakfast bar or buffet for a party or family gathering.

Legacy Models 118In the photo to the right, the accessories bring a darker tone into the light kitchen, linking the island with the backsplash and above-cabinet tiles and anchoring the island in the space. In this case the positioning of accessories provides plenty of room to use the front area as an eating or snacking area without having to move anything.

Both of these islands have a powerful presence in their respective kitchens. By breaking up the surface with carefully-chosen accessories, you can take full advantage of the space while using the area to add interest and charm. Notice that each island’s accessories vary in height and heft. This helps create balance.

You can also use this space to incorporate personal items that make the kitchen your own. If you have heirlooms from a family member or favorite kitchen accessories, islands such as these provide the perfect place to showcase them. And don’t forget these islands’ primary functional purpose – to add much appreciated counter space for food preparation!

 

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.

 

Balancing Cabinetry and Appliances in your Kitchen

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Models 061This kitchen, from the Fulton model at Legacy, shows two ways of approaching appliances in your kitchen: showcasing them like this Bertazzoni range and hood, or reducing their impact by blending them in with the cabinetry. You can see this with the built-in refrigerator to the right.

In this example, both design choices work. The drama and color of the oven creates a focal point in the kitchen. The generous size of the space allows this dramatic piece to shine without overwhelming the room. On the other hand, if the refrigerator had a stainless skin, it would be a distracting influence. Its size would draw the eye away from the strengths of this kitchen – the range and the island.

Transitional design allows you to take advantage of many choices combined into one integrated whole. In this case the moderately-traditional cabinets take a back seat to a strongly-contemporary island and a retro-style range. Smartly, the dark red of the range is allowed to stand alone rather than having the color echo throughout the kitchen. If you wanted to carry the color further, a few accessories would provide all the impact you need.

Notice the stainless microwave to the right. That could have been installed in black, but there are enough stainless accents throughout the kitchen to make this work. The small size ensures that this appliance does not become a distraction. However, cabinet pulls are dark rather than stainless. Design is always about balancing strong features with others that fall into the background.

For a better look at this kitchen as well as two others with interesting style and design elements, visit Fulton Homes Legacy in Gilbert and wander through our three new model homes.

 

A showstopper in your kitchen: Bertazzoni

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Legacy Models 027 (1)You want to be the star in your own kitchen, and a star benefits from having other performers that will show you at your best.

Well, here’s a co-star that will enable you to shine. Bertazzoni’s 48-inch gas range and oven combination is a stand-out in any kitchen. Bertazzoni has been making quality cooking products in Italy for over 135 years.

The heritage style shown was inspired by the original wood-burning stoves Bertazzoni built in the late eighteen hundreds. Look for Antonio Bertazzoni’s signature carved into the stainless above the oven, showing the pride of a family known for quality since his father Francesco built the first Bertazzoni wood-burning stoves and made them popular throughout Italy.

The amazing range and hood come in this glorious red as well as a luscious cream and classic black. Whichever you choose, this will make your kitchen into the showstopper you dream about.

And the beauty is designed to last. Because of their durable double-layer coating that uses the latest processes developed for the automobile industry, you will find the finish to be acid and temperature resistant, giving you a luster that will hold up over time.

This product is also more than just a pretty face. Its performance will help you create the gourmet meals you want with plenty of space on its six-burner range complete with griddle and double oven. Bertazzoni’s exclusive dual valve burners in brass provide high-efficiency, from a delicate low simmer to full power (750 –18,000 BTU). The power burner delivers best-in-class heat-up times.

Pots are placed closer to the flame, reaching the boiling point more quickly and reducing gas consumption during the cooking process. The one-touch, child safety ignition system lets you light and adjust burners with one hand. The safety system automatically stops the gas flow if the flame goes out, even when electrical power is cut

Bertazzoni’s one-piece worktop molding is best-in-class. With sealed burners, no sharp angles or dirt traps, cleaning is fast and easy. Heavy-duty cast iron grates allow easy movement of any kind of pot.

To see this stellar example of a kitchen appliance in person, visit the Fulton Design Center or check out the Fulton model home at Legacy. You’ll be glad you did.

 

The O’Connor: Entertaining from the Kitchen

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Models 081If you enjoy cooking for friends and family, this kitchen could make your dreams come true. With plenty of space for helpers and gawkers, you can prep, heat and dish up to your appreciative audience.

The Viking range and hood provide a close-to-professional cooking space with four gas burners and a center section that can serve as a grill or griddle, you have the capability and BTUs to fix a gourmet meal.

In the meantime, set up a buffet of appetizers to keep your guests happy until dinner. The generously-sized island has the perfect shape to share prep space with munchies. Two sinks provide flexibility to have helpers assigned to different responsibilities.

This kitchen is remarkably functional, but just as important, it shows style and flair. The rich dark color of the cabinets work well against stainless appliances, and the backsplash tiles become even more intriguing by also showing up above the cabinet lines. With two ovens, hot appetizers can bake while the meal does. And notice the pantry through the door in the back – ready to store all of your serving dishes until it’s time to plate.

The refrigerator/freezer is oversize, but with the doors matching the cabinetry, it is still a subtle look. Contemporary countertops and stainless handles work well with the stand-out industrial-style pendant lights over the island. Overall, this kitchen is designed to capture attention and serve as the center of your entertainment events.

Want a closer look? Visit Legacy and see what the O’Connor has to offer.

The Basha Backsplash that makes a Splash

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Models 093How daring do you want to be with your backsplash? More than a protection against food splatters, a backsplash provides the best opportunity to make your kitchen stand out from the standard.

Take a look at this choice. The small ovals in various metallic tones create an overall dramatic presence, lifting this kitchen to another level of style and design.

The cream cabinets could lend themselves to a traditional, even basic look. But with the addition of the dark countertops and the shiny-yet-dark backsplash, everything links into an effective space that stands out from the ordinary.

Consider the impact of the island contrasting with the back wall of cabinets. A dark cabinet finish connects to the wall while the choice of light granite on the countertop warms and links the two with strong gold veining. This grabs the backsplash and pulls the two areas together.

Another exciting feature about this choice is having the backsplash tile reach above the cabinets to the ceiling, turning from the traditional approach to something more contemporary and fresh. This tile actually frames the cabinetry. The stainless stove top and hood also contribute perfectly to the space.

This kitchen demonstrates what can happen when designers’ takes a risk, creating a space that makes you sit up and take notice. Would you be willing to make this kind of design leap with your own home? To get a better idea of whether a kitchen like this one fits your profile, we invite you to see it in person in Fulton Home’s Basha model at Legacy.

 

Kitchens made for Entertaining

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002 super browseDoes your kitchen become the central location for every party you host? Then why not create a kitchen made for entertaining in your next home? This kitchen, from the Fulton Design Center, demonstrates how a kitchen can come alive during a party.

Use your island as buffet central: With its close proximity to the oven and fridge, you can easily refresh the food as needed. Take advantage of this to provide special piping hot appetizers fresh from the oven and even offer a hot drink such as mulled cider on the stovetop for winter events.

Add height to your buffet display: The open flat counterspace that your island provides makes for a great functional kitchen but it diminishes the punch of a buffet. Find ways to include height to make the display more interesting. Place some food on pedestal stands, and include candles and fresh flowers. Setting up the buffet this way also encourages guests to serve themselves on the side away from the kitchen. This keeps them out from underfoot while you’re working.

003 super browseSet up a drinks area: You can use a corner of the island, as shown in the photo to the right, also from the Fulton Design Center. Provide cups and cocktail napkins and place sodas and other drinks in the refrigerator for easy access, or keep wine chilled in an ice-bucket on one section of the counter.

Plan your lighting: This allows you to create several moods in different parts of your home. Want the kitchen to be the light and bright area? Turn on all of your kitchen lights. On the other hand if you want people to linger around the buffet but not in the main kitchen space, use only the pendant lights and keep all the other kitchen lighting off for the duration of the party. You can turn them back on when it’s time for clean-up.

Check out these and other kitchen vignettes at the Fulton Homes Design Center. Our open browse nights happen from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. For more information visit our website at: http://www.fultonhomes.com/design-center

Proud to Own

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HRM0484Owning a home has always played a big role in the dreams of most Americans. At Fulton Homes we want to help that happen, but we want more for our homeowners. We want to create neighborhoods and communities that last for generations.

What would the home of your dreams look like? How about a kitchen filled with cabinets that are as functional as they are stylish? Would you like granite countertops and a kitchen island with seats that are perfect for a quick breakfast or snack? Well-built cabinetry and granite countertops are standard in Fulton Homes.

Would a home office be useful? Does an open floorplan appeal to you? If you’re still looking for ideas to help create your dream home, we invite you to visit our models. We’re proud of the variety and flexibility our homes offer you.

How about visiting the Fulton Design Center during one of our open browse nights, scheduled the first and third Thursday evenings of every month? You’ll enjoy exploring all of the options available to create a home built just for you.

At Fulton Homes we want to help you find the home that you dream about. Because our primary goal is to work with you to create and build a home you can be proud to own.