Earth tones are Levin’s favorite palette. A curved niche finished in plaster compliments the curves of a Verellen sofa. Vintage pieces in a mixture of bronze and clay line oak shelves.
In 2013, Simona Levin moved with her family of five from Tribeca to Westport. The New York native was attracted to the beautiful beach, charming downtown and Connecticut’s Colonial stone walls—scenery a tad different from the Upper West Side, where she grew up. Levin poured herself into designing her dream home, built from the ground up. “I really leaned into that,” she says.
Levin, who studied American history at Bucknell and fine arts at LaGuardia High School, had hit pause on her beauty/fashion PR career to raise her three kids. But then an acquaintance noticed her impeccable taste and asked for help with a design project … and by 2014, the new suburbanite had her own business: Winding Lane Design. Apparently you can lead a Manhattanite to Long Island Sound, but you can’t make her slow down.
Instead, Levin, who now lives in Weston, devotes her time to conjuring up dream houses for clients, while also raising three teens. Her latest is this beautiful home in the Long Lots area in Westport, a new construction that Levin describes as “a newly imagined Connecticut classic with a nod to California ease.”
Winding Lane Design was brought in after initial floor plans to fine tune the overall tone of the home including softening the silhouettes, selecting all the material and adding impactful architectural details.
A circular marble orb pendant with leather straps hangs in the foyer and strikes a balance with the linear staircase design. Levin says, “I always tell my clients: it’s like when you get dressed, as long as you have one thing on that you love, the room will always feel good to you. You just need one or two unique things in each room that you feel were really painstakingly hunted for and selected. Then I think everything else comes into play around that.”
Varying wood tones were incorporated throughout to ground the space and create warmth. Iconic Wishbone kitchen chairs and a set of counter stools from Four Hands lend comfort and style. Bronze Italian island pendants add the perfect touch to the serene kitchen. “We walked into an existing architectural plan,” explains Levin, “but we took each area and enhanced it. It was a gorgeous house by an amazing builder so all the components were there. I love the way we did the kitchen—the way it flows from the eating area to the kitchen, and you can see this beautiful limestone fireplace and a vista out the back that feels like it goes on for days. A curved bookshelf that we lime washed and plastered inside is really special and unexpected.”
Levin describes her aesthetic as: “Collected and soulful, with a touch toward earthy, natural elements. It’s lived-in luxury. I’m more of a monochromatic designer; color usually comes by way of art or accessories, not in one big, bold moment. I try not to do anything overly precious. Every project has its statement pieces, special pieces that are intended to be held onto, but I try not to make anything too fussy.”
At the same time, Levin prides herself on attention to detail. “I try to put a special flourish in everything I make to separate it from something you would see somewhere else, whether it’s a gouged wood furniture leg, braided leather hardware or hand sketched rug designs. It’s always about those discerning details.”
For this home, she added elements like oak door casings, a ribbed-glass threshold, beautiful door hardware and European fixtures. “I elevated the design to a point where the client could feel like they weren’t going to find this in another home,” says Levin. “That’s always my objective: to design a space that holds something unique. There are so many beautiful homes in this area. The best part is finding new ways to infuse something fresh into each project while ensuring it remains timeless for years to come. For me, the home is a sum of its parts—and the selection of these parts makes all the differences.”
A custom Portuguese light fixture is a nod to the outdoor landscape, blending bronze with linen-lined flower bulbs. “This house has a gorgeous, amazing view,” says Levin. “We really wanted to make sure that there was no break between the feeling inside and the feeling outside.”
The main floor of the house is all about openness. “There are almost no doors on the first level, with the exception of the powder rooms and closets,” explains Levin. “I wanted to make it so that whatever room you were standing in, if you kept turning 360 degrees, that nothing ever felt like it was a departure. Each room is like a tangent off the main space.”
Builder Peter Greenberg, owner of Able Construction, comments: “Simona has a very fresh outlook. She added touches of whimsy. The main room, with windows all the way around, is so bright and feels very fresh. She is also very easy to deal with and respectful of the budget. Every job meeting was more laughter than anything else, and that came out in the work.”
This client’s objective was a home that felt personal, intimate, warm and peaceful. Levin says, “When I return to the home, I am always struck by how serene it feels.”
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