Soon after moving her family into their new home Connecticut in 2016, interior designer Lisa Sternfeld noticed that her young son was starting to experience severe health issues.
“We did all our medical due diligence and worked closely with his doctors,” Sternfeld said. “Then an associate suggested we have the house tested, something I had never even heard of at the time. That recommendation changed everything.”
After three months of examining the 5,800-square-foot home in Fairfield, the cause of her son’s respiratory problems was revealed.
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“I always noticed something smelled off in the basement, especially after it rained, but we couldn’t see any visible mold, so I assumed that was just how the basement smelled. Sheetrock walls had been installed in front of the foundation walls, and during testing, small holes were cut in the Sheetrock to swab behind them,” Sternfeld explained.
The harmful black mold was completely concealed, something the family never would have known had they not opened the walls.
“The truth is, the first time we got the results, we didn’t believe it. It seemed impossible that this was happening under our own roof,” Sternfeld said. “We had the house tested again to confirm the findings, and when the same results came back, we prepared to take action. Every design decision became about creating a healthier indoor environment.”
She began the process of renovating every room in the four-bedroom, seven-and-a-half bathroom house—which was built in 1956 and had three previous owners. The process revealed to her critical gaps in transparency around healthy building materials.
Determined to find solutions, Sternfeld launched WLLW (Well Life, Lived Well), integrating nearly two decades of design expertise with a mission to create interiors that give priority to health and wellness. Through her new practice, Sternfeld—a global wellness ambassador for the Global Wellness Institute who is also certified by the International WELL Building Institute—now empowers individuals and families to understand the vital connection between their living environments and their long-term well-being, helping redefine the home as a foundation for a healthier life.
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Sternfeld, who managed the design and overall project direction herself, worked closely with a team of specialists, including environmental consultants, certified remediation experts, mechanical engineers and HVAC professionals, and a contractor.
“Every trade partner had to share the same standard of care, and health and precision were nonnegotiable,” she said.
Sternfeld started the renovation process by taking down all the walls in the basement, removing the adjacent flooring, and starting over.
“It was a complete professional remediation and renovation. All contaminated materials were removed, and the wood framing was replaced with metal, which doesn’t absorb moisture and is far less likely to harbor mold,” Sternfeld said. “The foundation walls were treated with nontoxic antimicrobial solutions, and new mold-resistant Sheetrock was installed. Industrial air scrubbers ran for several days to make sure no mold spores remained in the air.”
As she researched material safety, Sternfeld started removing anything that might be contributing to poor air quality, including synthetic carpets, off-gassing (also known as high-VOC) furniture, and fragranced products. Experts were brought in to conduct professional air- and water-quality testing, which gave Sternfeld clear, measurable data to guide next steps.
“My ultimate goal was to bring together science, design and beauty to create a home that
supports both physical health and emotional connection,” Sternfeld said. “That became the heart of the project.”
While her son’s health was the starting point, Sternfeld also kept in mind her and husband’s needs. They both previously worked from home, so she gave priority to spaces that felt calm, quiet and restorative, with clean air, good light, and materials that support focus and ease. The reimagined house had to be durable enough for everyday use without feeling sterile or fragile.
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“I wanted the home to be as emotionally supportive as it was physically healthy,” Sternfeld said. “A place where we could all breathe better, think more clearly and feel more at ease in our daily lives.”
While noting how people will assume a home designed for health and wellness would be very minimal and tech driven, Sternfeld believes her house “shows that you can be more expressive while still remaining healthy and well.”
Sternfeld, 51, shared more of her experiences with the renovation, which started in 2022 and was completed in April.
I describe my aesthetic as… a blend of modern and traditional, layered, intentional and quietly expressive. I love spaces that feel lived-in and soulful, where natural materials, light and texture create a sense of calm.
The biggest lesson I learned from the renovation was… that a healthy home isn’t built overnight. It takes patience, curiosity and trust in the process. What you don’t see matters most, and the smallest, invisible improvements can have the greatest impact on how you feel every day.
The one tip I’d offer to someone undertaking a renovation is… start with knowledge. Test your home, understand your materials and make one thoughtful choice at a time. You don’t have to do everything at once.
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My biggest surprise came from… how transformative air can be. Once we installed the energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems, the difference was immediate. The house felt like it could breathe again, and so could we.
The most dramatic change is… the air. People always comment that it feels different, lighter, fresher, cleaner. You can’t see it, but you can feel it the moment you walk in.
An original material I reused was… the existing oak flooring throughout the house. It was in need of repair, and once completed, we refinished it with nontoxic, water-based stains and sealants to bring it back to life. It brings a beautiful sense of continuity and warmth to the updated spaces.
The one expense I didn’t expect was… the systems. The new HVAC, ERVs and whole-house water-filtration were major investments, but they changed everything about how we live and feel.
I decided to renovate instead of buying a different house because… this home had a soul. I didn’t want a new house; I wanted this one, just healthier, safer and restored. We had already built memories here, and I wanted my son to grow up in the place where our family healed and started again.
The renovation ended up costing… approximately $300,000.