This article is part of our latest Design Special Report, on new creative avenues shaped by the pandemic.
Can you recommend a security camera for outside my home that is discreet and looks really modern?
Why would you want a security camera that is discreet? You want to deter potential burglars, not show that you have good taste. An elegantly designed unit sends out the message: “You think this is cool? I have even more beautiful things in!”
It turns out that burglars aren’t very complicated. According to the Justice Department, they are deterred by cameras, security stickers and floodlights. My advice would be to buy a camera that is not flash but actually flashes. Extra points for a good siren. It doesn’t have to be three feet tall or blare a John Philip Sousa march (although that would be nice), but it should be plain.
One highly regarded brand that has all the bells and whistles is Ring. The Floodlight Cam Wired Plus (starting at about $180) has motion-activated LEDs, full high-definition video, and a built-in 105-decibel siren. The form is just bulky enough to announce itself and comes in basic black or white. Ring also allows you to track and receive alerts via a smartphone app. With a subscription (starting at $3 per month), you can record video from one or more cameras. ring.com
Turnaround times for furniture have gotten pretty ridiculous, so I bought a beautiful vintage sofa from a dealer near me. It is mid century and in excellent condition but could use a new upholstery. Can you recommend fabrics?
Deliveries of prepandemic furniture used to take eight to 12 weeks, but lead times have usually exploded to eight to 12 months. So yes, vintage makes a lot of sense. A basic rule for reupholstering (which you can break freely, of course) is to adjust the period of the piece or go in a different direction altogether. Classic mid-century fabrics include wool bouclé and tweed. Look to the Herman Miller company for inspiration and a source of many of the fabrics originally used during the period. hermanmiller.com
For lighter tasks, you can find “Jetsons”-esque futuristic patterns from Spoonflower, a company on Etsy. etsy.com If you’re looking for something graphic and classic, there’s nothing finer than 20th-century Australian designer Florence Broadhurst’s fabrics, which look great on furniture from this period or another. florencebroadhurst.co.uk
You can also go completely off-book and try a rich brocade or jacquard, a plush velvet, or a goofy Mongolian lamb in a sinister color. British designer Ilse Crawford once covered a mid-century Alvar Aalto armchair with reindeer leather. The Marquis de Sade would blush.
I like to work from home, but I tend to exercise throughout the day. Any suggestions for work furniture that won’t limit me to a single room or corner?
Moving is good, ergonomically speaking. It improves blood flow and prevents repeated stress. Different furniture designs make it easier for you.
The ‘knee chair’, originally conceived by a group of Norwegians and marketed as Balance, has been around since 1979. It puts you in a supported kneeling position, relieves your back and strengthens your abs. You can drag one to any table where you work. The version sold by Vivo, an ergonomic office furniture company, costs about $160. vivo-us.com
Likewise, Ballo, designed by Don Chadwick, a co-creator of the Aeron chair, is a stool that encourages (or rather urges) good posture to keep you upright. Humanscale’s playful bass has a rounded base and no arms and starts at $399. humanscale.com
A C-shaped table that can be pulled up to your couch turns a sloth into a reasonable workplace. A slim copy of Room and Board is available in three heights and costs $259. roomandboard.com
Finally, nesting tables offer unparalleled flexibility for working in any location. The set designed by Josef Albers in 1926 has four heights, each with a lacquered glass top in a different Bauhaus-approved color. The MoMA Design Store sells them for $1,895 (about $1,706 for members). store.moma.org
I’m redecorating my dining room and want to know: what’s trending in wallpaper?
To answer your question, I consulted my former Domino magazine colleague Dara Caponigro, the creative director of the fabric and wallpaper company Schumacher and editor-in-chief of the chic home magazine Frederic.
She identified three themes that are big at the moment, the first literally. “Using a large-scale pattern on the walls can be a big mood changer,” she said. “If pattern scares you, use it judiciously — in an entryway, a powder room, the coat rack.” Examples of Schumacher include Daisy Chain, a bold, vaguely psychedelic Bloomsbury flower, and Fernarium, a botanical with a three-dimensional appearance.
A related second trend, scenic wallpaper, is about transporting you to another world. “If you choose a pattern, channel your happy place and you will always feel calm and collected,” said Ms. Caponigro. A must is Sea Garden, an aquatic print inspired by a 17th-century Japanese silk.
Finally, she suggested matching fabric and wallpaper patterns such as Aveline, inspired by 19th-century Indian textiles. Going matchy-matchy is “a look that’s easy to put on and gives instant shine,” she said. fschumacher.com
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