That 'New Home Smell' Isn't a Good Thing — This Wellness-Inspired Designer Explains Why Choosing Antiques Is Good for You

As you know, Livingetc has always been laser-focused on modern interiors. But in 2026, even the most contemporary designers are finding ways to fold antiques into spaces, adding character, storytelling, and a touch of lived-in charm. And it seems there may be more reasons to borrow from the past, aside from aesthetics.

Interior designer and wellness expert Lisa Sternfeld — who founded WLLW Studio to empower people to create spaces that nurture both their health and lifestyle — says environmental wellness is more connected to heritage design than anything like clinical minimalism. "My son developed severe respiratory issues, and in trying to understand it, I started looking more closely at our home," she tells me. "That shifted everything, and my work became as much about how a space supports the body as how it appears."

So, how can design and collecting antiques promote wellness? "Heritage design is what environmental wellness looked like long before we had a name for it," she says. "Materials are used more as they are: solid wood, natural fibers, and mineral finishes made by hand and built to last. The people who made them understood them over generations: how wood moves, how wool breathes, and how finishes weather. That knowledge is part of what you inherit when you bring an antique piece into a home; an approach that naturally aligns with environmental wellness."

Lisa Sternfeld

Lisa Sternfeld is an accomplished interior designer and WELL-accredited environmental health and wellness expert with a passion for education and a focus on creating healthier homes. After earning two degrees from Parsons School of Design and training with industry leaders Thomas O’Brien and Adam Tihany, she founded design studio WLLW in 2006, specializing in sophisticated residential and hospitality projects that embrace craft, tradition, and wellness.

Lisa Sternfeld's approach is timely. Many contemporary materials are engineered for high performance and efficiency, which means adhesives, coatings, and treatments are inadvertently becoming part of our interiors.

"When people describe that ‘new home smell,’ it’s actually these materials off-gassing as they settle," she explains. "Upholstered furniture often contains polyurethane foam, for example." Some paints release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and materials such as particleboard, MDF, lacquers, and glues can release toxic chemicals into the air.

Earlier pieces — now classified as vintage or antiques — were typically made with a simple solid timber frame and natural fillings, such as horsehair for structure, layered with cotton, wool, or feather down. "Unlike modern foam, heritage fillings allow air to circulate," Lisa explains.

Similarly, there's a hidden downside to what makes today's fabrics so much harder-wearing. "Soft furnishings such as rugs, curtains, and bedding, on the other hand, are often chemically-processed and finished with coatings that aren’t immediately visible, including stain-resistance, fire-retardants, moth-proofing, and synthetic backings," explains Lisa. "Vintage and antique wool rugs — particularly those that haven’t been treated or backed more recently — tend to carry none of that, and wool naturally filters particulates from the air."

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 is a new, globally-recognized certification that's worth looking out for when shopping for textiles today. It essentially ensures that the product (and its manufacturing process) has been cleared of over 1,000 harmful substances. For example, Bed Threads' bedding is OEKO-TEX 100 certified.

Lighting is less often considered but still relevant when considering home wellness. "Plastics and coatings can respond to heat and release compounds slowly," says Lisa. "An antique brass or iron fixture is simply metal — aged, stable, and inert."

More generally, Lisa suggests that antiques not only carry a lower chemical load than newly made pieces but that they've already had time to 'settle'. This means what you're bringing into your home has moved through its initial off-gassing phase, and anything nasty that might have been released into the air has already happened, elsewhere.

"Materials like wood, wool, linen, metal, and stone also carry a circular logic," she adds. "Objects that have lasted for generations aren’t being produced again, which reduces the need for new materials and processes. It’s a more sustainable way of living that prioritizes longevity over the temporary, where the health of the home and the broader environment are closely connected."

According to Lisa, the bedroom is often where people notice the biggest shift. "It’s our most intimate space and where we spend the most uninterrupted time," she explains, "so the materials around us and what we breathe while we sleep matter more." This is even more important in kids' rooms. "Kids tend to be more sensitive to what surrounds them, which makes the materials closest to them a priority," says Lisa.

Kitchens are also important, as "there is more direct and repeated contact with materials throughout the day," says Lisa, so it's worthwhile investing in eco-friendly kitchen countertops. And, of course, living spaces matter, too.

Thankfully, there’s a science behind sourcing ‘healthy’ antiques, says Lisa. "Look for pieces that feel materially clear," she explains. "Solid wood, natural fibers, and stone surfaces that reflect age rather than recent alteration."

Because it's not just how something was made, but what's happened to it since. "Refinishing and reupholstery can introduce newer materials, so it helps to know how a piece has been handled," she adds. "If a design has been altered, ask how it was done and what materials were used. Specialist dealers can give you a sense of where a piece has come from."

Better yet, source things from regional auction houses and estate sales, she says. "This is often where you find things that haven’t been overly modified — pieces have often lived in the same home for decades, meaning they haven't been subjected to modern refinishing or chemical treatments," she adds.

Some online platforms for sourcing second-hand furniture include 1stDibs for vetted global dealers, Pamono for European vintage, and Retrouvius for interesting reclaimed pieces.

If you're suddenly looking around your home, stressing — don't. Making your home 'healthier' doesn't have to mean a complete redesign. Moving forward, it's about paying more attention to what you're buying and how it's made, considering sustainable interior design practices, rather than just cost or durability.

And when appropriate, go antique. "Antiques bring a sense of time, while contemporary pieces keep the space feeling open," says Lisa. "Even just a few antiques can be enough to shift the room, especially when the materials are different. It’s less about layering and more about how those pieces sit together. The contrast between them, the patina of the old against the clean lines of the new, is often what makes a space feel complete."

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