Lisa Sternfeld’s healthy-home pastiche of ceramics, rice paper and mineral paints

For Lisa Sternfeld, Earth is the ultimate home—and she aims to both reflect and respect it in every room she designs. “I have come to believe that the most beautiful interiors are also the healthiest,” says the Fairfield, Connecticut–based founder and principal of WLLW (short for Well Life, Lived Well, and pronounced “Willow”), a firm that combines her two decades of design expertise with a commitment to wellness-driven environments. “The materials that support a healthier home are often the same ones that bring depth, texture and a sense of ease to a space—that’s not a coincidence.”

“What a surface is made from, how a textile is processed, what a floor emits over years of daily use all affect the air we breathe, the quality of our sleep, and how well we feel."

Lisa Sternfeld

Consider, for example, the organic grandeur of a vintage 1970s chandelier crafted from petal-like layers of bamboo-and-rice-paper fans. Sculptural in appearance, it delicately diffuses light. Or sink into a bench-made sofa stuffed not with foam but feathers, down and horsehair. Underfoot, rugs hand-knotted from undyed New Zealand wool sprawl across salvaged-wood flooring. “The palette is calm and natural,” she says. “Wood, plaster, stone, and mineral finishes establish the structure, while textiles add softness and warmth. The materials work together to create a sense of balance. Nothing is chosen to stand out on its own.”

But essentially everything is sustainable, low impact and locally sourced. Rapidly renewable. Free from synthetics, chemicals and VOCs. “What a surface is made from, how a textile is processed, what a floor emits over years of daily use all affect the air we breathe, the quality of our sleep, and how well we feel,” she says. “Design decisions are health decisions.” Here, Sternfeld describes how the choices in her mood board are good-looking and good for the planet.

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Lisa Sternfeld’s healthy-home pastiche of ceramics, rice paper and mineral paints