In the BOH series What I Love, we’re asking designers to build us a mood board of what’s inspiring them right now.
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.”
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.
1. UCHIWA SERIES CHANDELIER BY INGO MAURER FOR DESIGN M AT 1STDIBS
“Bamboo and rice paper are among the most minimal and rapidly renewable materials we can bring into a home. I include vintage pieces like this chandelier from the 1970s as a form of considered reuse, where the age of the object adds character.”
2. DANISH MODERN LOUNGE CHAIR BY MAGNUS STEPHENSEN FOR FRITZ HANSEN AT 1ST DIBS
“Steam-bent beech is one of the most efficient and ecological production techniques in furniture-making, requiring no adhesives, synthetic binders or chemical treatments. Nearly a century old and still structurally sound, this chair is its own argument for what well-made natural materials can do.”
3. HEATHER PILLOW IN DARK GREY BY MARIA SIGMA AT WLLW SHOP
“Maria Sigma is a London-based textile artisan whose zero-waste weaving practice uses locally sourced natural fibers. Her work is undyed, so the color and texture come directly from the fiber, with very little added in the process. The variation in each piece gives it a natural depth and presence.”
4. KASHI HAND-KNOTTED DOUBLE SUMAC RUG IN CAMEL FLECK BY TAILOR-MADE TEXTILES
“Wool is one of the most reliable natural fibers we can bring into a home, offering performance and texture. New Zealand wool is among the finest and most resilient, and leaving it undyed means the palette comes from the sheep and the land it was raised on.”
5. WESTPORT WOVEN JUTE RUG IN CREAM BY TAILOR-MADE TEXTILES
“Crafted from jute, a rapidly renewable plant fiber, this simple, well-constructed weave works as a quiet foundation for everything layered above.”
6. DARK VASE BY KATE HUME FOR WHEN OBJECTS WORK AT WLLW SHOP
“Kate Hume produces mouth-blown glass vessels, each one shaped by the material’s inherent unpredictability and subtle variations in thickness. They reflect light in a way that is always shifting. Glass is entirely inert and nonporous, which means it doesn’t off-gas or absorb moisture, bacteria or residues over time.”
7. TADELAKT FINISH IN SMOKE BY EARTHAUS PLASTER
“Formulated with lime, pumice and a plant-based binder, then sealed with olive oil soap rather than synthetic coatings, Earthaus’s Tadelakt is water-resistant and nontoxic, making it a natural fit for bathrooms, where the polished, light-reflective surface and mineral color add dimension. Its color is reflected in the striations of a rugged-edged limestone sample that has been in my material library for over 20 years. I return to it often when pulling materials for a project.”
8. ORCAS SOFA BY ROMAN THOMAS
“Roman Thomas builds each piece by hand in its New York workrooms using bench-made methods, filling the upholstery with horsehair, feather and down, and natural rubber. The form of the Orcas is what drew me in, and the materials are what make it something I would choose to live with every day.”
9. ALPACA COTTON, MOHAIR VELVET AND HEMP FABRICS BY ROSE UNIACKE
“Every fabric in Rose Uniacke’s collection is made from 100 percent natural fiber with no synthetics; and the hemp is grown, spun and woven entirely in Europe. Natural fibers breathe, regulate temperature and age beautifully, creating a sense of comfort that you feel over time.”
10. TRAVERTINE NARROW BOWL BY KIWANO CONCEPT AT WLLW SHOP
“Kiwano Concept sources raw travertine from local Turkish suppliers, with sustainability central to their process through careful material selection and minimal waste. Travertine requires no synthetic binders or treatments, and brings a quiet, settled presence that anchors a space.”
11. HAZE HAND-KNOTTED NATURAL WOOL RUG IN COLORS 122A AND 126C BY TAILOR-MADE TEXTILES
“Hand-knotted wool rugs without synthetic backings or chemical treatments are among the most durable and health-conscious floorcoverings available, built to last generations. I don’t often come across natural, undyed rugs that are this dense, soft and finely detailed.”
12. UNFINISHED FLAT-SAWN WALNUT AND WHITE OAK FLOORING SAMPLES BY THE HUDSON COMPANY
“Sourced from managed forests in Pennsylvania and New York’s Hudson River Valley and milled to minimize waste, these solid woods arrive unfinished. Using a natural or hard-wax oil finish keeps toxicity low and allows the wood to remain breathable without sealing it in a synthetic layer. I’ve seen how well both oak and walnut hold up over time, including in this archive walnut sample from my first project over 20 years ago.”
13. CERAMIC PLATE FROM KYOTO, JAPAN
“Ceramic is one of the oldest materials we bring into a home, fired from earth and free from synthetic coatings and chemical treatments. I brought this piece back from Kyoto years ago, drawn to its color, texture and the way it’s perfectly imperfect.”
14. HANDWOVEN WILLOW FISH KETTLE BASKETS BY STUDIO AMOS
“Annemarie O’Sullivan and Tom McWalter grow and harvest their own willow on their East Sussex, England, property, using techniques that have been practiced for centuries. I was immediately drawn to the quietness of their work—objects made entirely from their land, by their hands, with intention, clarity and care.”
15. WELLNESS PAINT BY ALKEMIS
“Because walls are such a large surface area, what they’re treated with has a direct impact on the air in a home. Made entirely from minerals, with no VOCs, synthetic additives or off-gassing, this paint allows moisture to move through the wall rather than being trapped. Plus, the pigments have a natural depth and richness.”
16. BARRO NEGRO LAMP BY L’AVIVA HOME
“Barro Negro is a clay sourced from the Sierra Madre mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico, shaped by hand, burnished with quartz stone, and fired in a process that has been practiced for generations. It is entirely natural, with no two pieces exactly the same and a depth that comes directly from the material and the making.”
17. VIENNA VELVET IN HULA AND TALISMAN LINEN IN AMULET BY DE LE CUONA
“Bernie de Le Cuona traces every fiber back to its source, and it shows: The Vienna velvet is Oeko-Tex certified, and the Talisman linen is pure flax, grown without irrigation, chemicals or pesticides. That level of material integrity reads clearly in the finished textile.”
18. FUNDARI JUTE BOUCLE IN NATURAL BY TAILOR-MADE TEXTILES
“Jute is a rapidly renewable plant fiber that requires low processing. The boucle weave is tighter than you would typically find, which gives it a more refined quality while keeping the material true to itself.”
19. SITE-SALVAGED RED OAK BY NEW YORK HEARTWOODS
“New York Heartwoods transforms storm-felled and site-salvaged trees into building materials, keeping carbon stored in the wood rather than released into the atmosphere. I’m drawn to the idea that a tree struck down in the Hudson Valley can find its way into a home, connecting it back to the land.”
20. DECLARE-CERTIFIED ‘RED LIST FREE’ AND VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHERS BY MOORE & GILES
“What goes into leather matters just as much as how it looks and wears. Declare certification screens for carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and persistent pollutants, bringing a level of transparency that is still rare in materials. The vegetable-tanned selections develop a natural patina over time, deepening in quality rather than breaking down.”
21. DOUGLAS FIR CABINET BY ROSE UNIACKE EDITIONS
“Handcrafted in England from sustainably sourced Douglas fir, with pivot hinges and latches in blackened solid brass, this is a furnishing where the material does the work. The light oil finish keeps the surface breathable and the grain fully visible, which is exactly what I look for in a case piece.”
22. MARBLE FINISH IN REED BY EARTHAUS PLASTER
“Earthaus plasters are made from lime, pumice and mineral pigments, all naturally derived, American-sourced, and completely free from VOCs, formaldehyde, microplastics and synthetic additives. They help regulate indoor humidity and support cleaner air, while the mineral pigment palette brings a depth and warmth that feels true to the material.”
