Designer Liz Goldberg of CAROLYNLEONA was tasked with helping a pair of empty nesters downsize from a large suburban home to a modern condo building in downtown Raleigh, NC. “Their new home has a great view of the city skyline and is walkable to several bars and restaurants,” she shares. “Our clients are really taking advantage of all our city offers!”

The aesthetic goal was to merge classic and timeless design with a touch of modern, unexpected details. The pair travels quite a bit and just had returned from a trip to Portugal when they were working on the condo. “We pulled inspiration from their trip for their tile selection,” Liz recalls. She proposed installing the beautiful ceramic tile with rustic variations in the glaze in a vertical pattern rather than horizontal to break up the linear line of the kitchen, giving it a fresh and unique look.

Both husband and wife are avid coffee drinkers and appreciate a good glass of wine at the end of the day, so Liz and her team created a custom built-in coffee and wine bar to resemble furniture. The husband was actually the contractor on the job, which made for a rare client/designer perspective. “He was excited to be working on transforming the condo they have owned for years making it a permanent home for him and his wife. He was enthusiastic and up for the design projects we presented. He even found the amazing slab of 100-year-old live edge wood for the counter top and then trusted us to paint the entire built-in a bold blue; Benjamin Moore’s New York State of Mind,” Liz says.

When they photographed the finished project, it was all decked out for the holidays. Take a peek — the designer is offering her tips for stylish and streamlined holiday decor in the slideshow!