When it comes to interior design, Stephanie Mercado combines both a clear confidence and an aesthetic sophistication. Every room in her 1924 stone-and-stucco home demonstrates her ability to mix styles, colors, and textures to surprise and delight the eye. Displaying a Lucite tromp de l’oeil candelabra on a 19th-century antique sideboard, for example, reveals her authentic style.

The exterior of her home evokes the stone cottages of the Cotswolds or Burgundy; its old-world feel is refreshing in a town in danger of being overrun with cookie cutter McMansions. “It’s quirky,” admits Mercado, who graduated from the New York School of Interior Design after a 10-year career on Wall Street and owns LeFrere Mercado Designs, an interior design company based in Wilton. The house clearly suits her eclectic sense of style. “It was probably the main house for a sheep farm, but smaller than it is today. A previous owner did an addition; the kitchen, dining area, and family room and upstairs master bedroom suite are in the new part.”

After Mercado moved in five years ago, she proceeded to renovate and redecorate many of the rooms, taking many of her cues from European design. “We lived in London for a few years, and I worked for a British interior designer. The design aesthetic is very different in Europe; even though many people there live in historic buildings, they’re not constrained by history. They’re comfortable with contemporary furnishings and accessories.” Many rooms showcase pieces from her growing art collection, which includes works by renowned contemporary artist Vik Muniz, a 19th-century French impressionist painting by Desboutin and an orange-feathered African tribal headdress. “I’ve always collected art. When I first started working in New York City, I used to wander the streets in SOHO and go to galleries there,” she says.