- Our contemporary black leather chair (below) allows the client to enjoy his downtown city view!
- Before, the prior designer brought shelves & lots of “nic nacs”
- Our linen drapes compliment the exposed brick. Before – the busy patterned drapes competed with the beauty of the charming brick (which by the way, was original to the building).
- For window treatment ideas, it’s helpful to spread out fabric by the bolt, so you can visualize how it will look in the room.
Don’t forget bar stools! Stylish bar stools add so much to a modern sophisticated style. In the condo below, the dark wood of the cabinets is repeated on the bar stool legs. The ivory leather compliments the white quartz counter tops.
Even a small entrance to a condo can feel like a welcoming foyer! Make it functional:
- A chest of drawers in distressed wood & steel is handy for keys, gloves, or a brief case,
- An industrial style steel mirror is handy as you leave for work
- Art – This abstract art is much larger than before, in soothing gray, blue and rust tones
- Large custom pillows with feather & down to replace the tiny red dot pillows
- Cocktail table – made of galvanized steel, rustic wood & iron – this piece adds to the industrial style we wanted.
- Lamps – One is an actual part of a tree trunk & one is concrete. They both add to the industrial style.
- Rug – A new gray rug for a “less busy” look than the prior designer’s rug
An apartment or condo looks more masculine with tailored pieces:
- Below, our masculine distressed wood bed replaced the sleigh bed, and made the room feel larger. This new bed is an industrial style!
- Modern lamps are the correct size & scale for tall ceilings
- Art on canvas replaced a print behind glass (to solve the glare caused by glass)
- We provided nightstands with ample storage.
For contemporary before & after photos see these articles:
Contemporary Design, with before and after photos! or
How to incorporate a masculine style
A fiddle leaf fig or palm tree can provide the benefit of bringing the outdoors in! This is nice in a downtown condo, to bring in a touch of nature.
![]() |
downtown condo with exposed brick |
We hope these before and after photos gave you some design ideas for achieving a sophisticated style in your downtown apartment or condo! A sophisticated look is achieved with tone on tone fabrics and rugs, natural elements such as steel, wood, concrete, and aluminum. We hope you’ll comment and tell us how you achieve a sophisticated style in your decorating. Happy decorating!
AFTER condo bedroom BEFORE bedroom
Great job on the downtown condos! My friends and I all live downtown Winston-Salem and could use your help.
I know mine could!