Interior designer Rosy Alexander used a muted neutral color palette and vintage pieces to transform this urban apartment into a warm space
by Ayn-Monique Klahre | photography by Rosy Alexander

When a tech entrepreneur decided to move into this penthouse apartment in the 400 West building downtown, it shortened his commute. But for a man who loves travel and the outdoors, the apartment as it was — white walls, minimalist detailing, high ceilings — felt cold and cavernous.

He enlisted interior designer Rosy Alexander, whose work he’d seen on Instagram, to turn the high-rise abode into a retreat, a place that reflected his love of nature, adventure and art. “He wanted a creative space to host friends and display art, a home that felt cozy and collected,” says Alexander. “The vibe we were going for was modern and soft, but also masculine.”

The first step was selecting a palette. Starting with the homeowner’s favorite color, green, Alexander worked in muted tones of brown, coral and peach to evoke a natural feel without being too on the nose. “That really drove the color scheme, and we added in earth tones, like terra cotta notes,” says Alexander. The colors are used in various ways throughout the home — on the walls, in the rugs and window treatments, on furniture and even in art commissioned to get the balance right. “It’s important for me to feel connected to nature, so I wanted a palette of greens,” says the homeowner.

The bedroom, with its dramatic 16-foot ceilings, is the boldest showcase of the color. Here, the walls, ceiling, trim and doors are all painted in the same shade, Sherwin-Williams’ Green Earth. “We leaned into the green completely,” says Alexander. “It gives the room this immersive, calming energy.” Even the pendant light above the bed is in a tonal take on the color. The art, too, offers a take: the stone piece above the bed is not, in fact, an antique, but a fine art piece by Canadian artist Kit King. “We wanted it to look like a fragment of an ancient tablet,” says Alexander. “It’s neither old nor heavy, but it looks like it’s been broken and moss has grown over it,” says the homeowner. He also likes the lights next to the bed.

“They look like mushrooms, they’re unique.” But a favorite piece in this space might be an original painting of a trail map of a ski area in New Hampshire. “I love waking up and seeing the mountains and the city at the same time,” he says.

Throughout the home, those soft neutrals are grounded by rich textures and curated contrast. The furnishings pull from Scandinavian, European and rustic influences, a mix of new and vintage pieces collected to properly outfit the space and to give it a sense of patina. The living room features a generously sized, slip-covered sofa, designed for comfort and easy cleaning (and to accommodate his two dogs). “Function was just as important as form,” Alexander says. She found end tables at CB2 and the coffee table at Pigfish Lane; the homeowner had the idea to combine three vintage rugs to create just the right size and a spectrum of warm, worn color underfoot.

“We were having a tough time finding a rug large enough to fit all the legs of the sofa, and this was a fun way to get a bunch of different touches of color onto the floor,” says Alexander. “We did a pattern play of broken geometric shapes, plaids and rectangles.” On the sofa, Alexander added a mix of pillows in fabrics from India and Thailand, many found through Raleigh vendor Jasmin Desai of Xasmin Interiors.

For one wall of the living area, Alexander found an expansive antique Chinese console at High Point vendor Schwung Home to anchor the space. It serves as the base of a gallery wall made up of art from various sources, including two pieces the homeowner already had, a Frame TV and new pieces Alexander commissioned. “I love all the artwork she selected, it’s very abstract and has a lot of depth to it,” says the homeowner.

“She chose simple things that together tell a complex story.” A unique lighting fixture from French designer Olivier Abry of Wo & Wé adds both lighting and a sculptural element. “I have a thing for light fixtures with interesting shapes, and this one looks a little robotic,” says Alexander, adding that she feels exposed wiring “works well in certain situations to add character and edge.” Behind the sofa is a large canvas by Canadian artist David Wilstermann, which Alexander tacked straight to the wall for a casual feel.

The windows serve as art for the room as well. “It’s this amazing, almost floor-to-ceiling view of the city of Raleigh. The coolest scene is at night during a thunderstorm, you can see the lightning coming down,” says the homeowner. The windows already have roller shades built in for light filtration, so they didn’t need curtains, exactly. “But we wanted to disguise the shades and have the curtains act like pieces of art,” says Alexander. She worked with a seamstress in France to design and sew shades with design influence from pojagi, a Korean textile art form that involves using scraps of fabric to make a mosaic. “I love how the light filters through, it just looks a little different throughout every space in the apartment,” says the homeowner.

Since the living and dining area are connected, Alexander chose pendant lights in the same creamy white color and similar sculptural shapes to visually link the space. “I love how the paper shade lamp over the living area looks like the moon,” Alexander says. “I have a thing for interesting shapes.”

In the dining area, an antique milk glass fixture from Eastern Europe floats above a handmade trestle table by local craftsman Nate Sprankle. “It’s cool to have a brand new dining table made by an artisan in Raleigh, but underneath a 100-year-old lighting fixture,” says the homeowner. For the chairs, Alexander used two colors of a vintage style from a Scandinavian designer to give it a mismatched feel. “I love that Rosy had this idea, I would have gotten six matching chairs, but this looks so much cooler,” says the homeowner. Nearby are stools that he can use either as side tables or extra seating at the table.

Taken together, the overall feel of the apartment is now “moody but masculine,” says Alexander. And that suits the homeowner just fine: “Everything she chose feels authentic to me and to the space — it has new energy plus old energy.” 

This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of WALTER magazine.