Stylish Condo Living

For two decades, Sandy and Angella Nicholls lived in a 102-year-old Davidson, N.C., farmhouse with four bedrooms and a pool, but also a large, time-consuming garden, hand-me-down furniture and a leaky roof. "It was a great place to raise a family, but we were ready for a change," says Angella, a registered nurse.

When their kids went to college, the couple moved to a brand-new townhouse nearby and hired designer Bryn Dunn to help decorate. Their new quarters require almost zero yard work and minimal upkeep inside. "I used to go to the home improvement store twice a weekend, which drove me crazy," says Sandy, a marketing director for a sporting goods company. "Now we laugh about those trips!"

He loves: The sectional, which a local company custom-made to fit the space. It's an upgrade from the leather castoff couch in their old house, and the canvas cushions and L-shape allow for comfy TV watching. The white lacquer coffee table is from West Elm.

She loves: The silk curtains, from plumridge.com. "I had a yellow bedroom as a girl, so I've always loved the color, and these curtains brighten up the gray walls," says Angella. Gold-patterned pillows from DwellStudio — mixed with solid teal ones from West Elm — tie the curtains to the rest of the room.