Home Services

Help, Wanted

Staff your dream team - at home or at work Article by Jen Berniker As busy Westporters know, one of the most valuable commodities we have is our time. Sometimes it feels like to stay afloat, we need to duplicate ourselves! Finding the right support to help you manage your home or business can be a game-changer. That's where The Calendar Group comes in. They’re a Westport-based household and corporate staffing firm and real estate service, spearheaded by dynamic husband-and-wife team Nathalie...

Life + Culture

Westport’s New Neighbors

Local nonprofit Abilis moves in on Riverside Avenue Article by Sara Gaynes Levy For more than 70 years, the nonprofit Abilis has been helping folks of all ages with special needs in lower Fairfield County, by offering customized services and support. (You may have seen their groups around town, even!) In addition to providing therapies, offering early intervention services, organizing volunteering and events, and doing advocacy work, Abilis also operates 73 residential communities in the area...

Real Estate

Adventures in Real Estate

Westport's top agents share some of their amusing past listings. Article by Meredith Guinness Every realtor has one— a story from a house they can't think of without smiling. We asked six of Westport's top realtors to share some of the most amusing listings from their careers here in town.  “Crazy things happen when sellers go out of town. Upon opening the door to this home, we noticed the house was 'steamy,' despite it being about ten degrees outside. We couldn’t figure out the cause until...

Home + Design

The 10 Best Places for Do-It-Yourself Projects

Shops to inspire or equip you for your next DIY. Article by Randy Herbertson Ready to take on a home renovation project on your own? If you've got the DIY itch, these local shops will get you the materials you need— no matter the project. Calico Calico offers more than 5,000 fabrics, trims, and wallpaper from designer names like Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade—all at discount prices. Make an appointment for a personal design experience, or just walk in and explore! 224 Post Road East, ...

Life + Culture

At Home with Jenni Kayne

The designer talks bringing her signature style to Westport. Article by Sara Gaynes Levy You’d be hard-pressed to find a brand more reflective of its founder than Jenni Kayne’s. Both her eponymous clothing line and her home extension, Jenni Kayne Home, which opened in Westport in late 2022, reflect the mom-of-three’s signature coastal California style: gorgeous knits, dreamy neutrals, and relaxed classics all are hallmarks. The aesthetics from Jenni Kayne’s clothes— which count Meghan Markle...

Professional Services

A New Life

Upcycling your furniture is a unique way to reinvent and modernize older pieces. Article by Sara Gaynes Levy Home design trends come and go, just like any other styles do. But if you’ve got a piece that’s looking a little out-of-date, you don’t have to replace it to get a more modern, updated look. At Top of the Line Upholstery in Stamford, Jehad Badr and her team of reinvention craftspeople breathe new life into old pieces for clients in Westport and all over Fairfield County, by upcycling...

Life + Culture

Letter from the Editor

Introducing Sara Gaynes Levy, the new editor of Westport Lifestyle Article by Sara Gaynes Levy The first time I visited Westport was almost exactly 14 years ago, to meet the family of my now-husband, a Westport native. We had lunch at Tavern on Main (gone, sadly!) and I was instantly charmed by Main Street and the sweeping river views, a far cry from my own upbringing in the nondescript suburbs of Atlanta. I never would have guessed that ten years after that lunch, we’d be moving our family...

Home + Design

The Bold and the Bluetiful

Moody blues make a powerful accent color in these chic Westport homes. Article by Jen Berniker We all want our homes to evoke a sense of calmness and serenity. This year, paint companies agreed, choosing blue hues as their color of the year—Valspar chose Renew Blue, Minwax announced a Bay Blue stain, and Benjamin Moore is winning accolades for its new shade, Blue Nova, a mid-tone with violet notes. Here in our seaside enclave, of course, blue shades are always on trend.  As the creator and...

Home Services

History Lesson

Tour one of Westport's most historic—and storied— homes. Article by Sara Gaynes Levy | Photography by Lillie Fortino When famed artists Naiad and Walter Einsel moved into their historic Westport home back in 1965, Walter left a note for a future owner embedded in the wall while renovating a bedroom. “If you think this work is shoddy, you should have seen what it was like before!” he scrawled on a piece of wood. Fifty-six years later, the home’s new owner, Lillie Fortino, found Walter’s cheeky...

Home + Design

The "It" House

One of Peter Cadoux’s latest homes features 2024's top home trends. Article by Meredith Guinness | Photography by Alexandra Szebenyik Photography Top Westport architect Peter Cadoux is a firm believer in leaving some things to the imagination. “We’re creating smaller homes that live large,” says the winner of Westport Lifestyle’s 2023 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Architect of his eponymous firm. “I love it when people come into one of my homes and they find it bigger and more grand than what...