While hunkering down, trying to stay out of the path of a novel coronavirus, some of us got lost in a maze of puzzles, livestreaming or Netflix binging. No doubt, we found ourselves gazing at our living spaces in a new light. Living there 24/7, we began to examine every stitch of furniture and the art (or lack of) on the walls. The walls! What do we love? What do we hate? What can we change?

OK, blame it on Zoom fatigue. It's inspiring a lot of stuff out of the usual comfort zone. Tie-dying? Check. Becoming a wine expert? Giving it a whirl. Acquiring another language? You've got time until your next trip out of the county. Mastering your barista skills? Oh, you've really been missing Starbucks.

Some are fighting boredom with change. Grabbing a paintbrush and dipping into a different color. Reimaging a room. Installing some shelves. Who even knew you could DIY?

The truth is, even a small improvement or decorative purchase for the home can make you deliriously happy these days.

Here are some ideas, kind of a random mix of what you can tackle -- even a little DIY.

Working from home

Now that many of us have embraced working remotely, we actually may not miss the commute. But we know what we're missing if we've created a makeshift space. Whether or not you create a dedicated home office, some tips are welcome.

New York Designer Daun Curry says that we need to consider comfort, function and livability in order to create a workspace tailored to our needs. Simple furniture is best, but you don't have to sacrifice style. The size of a desk or work table really determines the time spent organizing or rifling through documents and work accoutrements, she says.

"All should be easy to find and within reach," she says. "Think of your work station as a chef's mise en place: a place for everything, and everything in its place. Whether you're a minimalist or maximalist, find what works best for your process -- jars, binders, trays, boxes."

This is especially important if you don't have a dedicated office. So you need to tidy up at the end of the day. A rolling file cart may help.

As for feel-good inspiration, consider the color of the walls. Curry recommends a light, soothing palette, combined, if possible, with an abundance of natural light.

Also, the biophilia trend that has been growing in office design is also applicable at home. It's a refresh of the notion of communing with nature. "Fresh cut flowers -- even wildflowers -- add surprising cheer," she says.

You'll find lots of how-to tips for selecting furniture online. One excellent source is Room and Board (www.roomandboard.com). On the website (and on its blogs) you'll get guidance on finding the perfect ergonomically suitable office chair. Some of its bestselling chairs are from Humanscale, a New York City firm known for simple, functional, sustainable products.

Organize and display

So there's this blank wall in your kitchen. What's the best combination of form and function? A set of floating shelves is one solution. Shelves are handy for stacking plates for everyday use, or for displaying decorative crocks or vessels. And they offer a resting spot for that trailing vine you want to connect with.

Try out a patterned backdrop

You've lived with white or neutral walls. For a long time. You may never have considered wallpaper, but today you can try it out and not fear long-term commitment. Tempaper is the leading manufacturer of removable, environmentally safe and friendly wallpaper. Its eclectic patterns cover a range of styles and colors. You can create a statement wall, line a bookcase or highlight stair risers. The paper will go wherever your imagination takes it.

Bookshelves and more

Floating open bookshelves have been trending for some time. They are an integral part of design in European kitchens, often featured as the most fashion-forward cabinetry. One of the reasons these etagere-like models have been so popular is that they are so versatile, handling basic storage like books. They travel from kitchen to living spaces to bedrooms. Some have staggered shelves, which adds to their graphic punch. Some come in circular shapes; others are asymmetrical. They work well as room dividers.

Serve with style

OK, so you really miss entertaining. But while you're waiting to invite a few friends over for cocktails, why not treat yourself? How long has it been since you bought a serving tray or cheeseboard? There are so many options, which come in a range of materials, including wood and stone. We love the new stoneware serving trays at Jayson Home. The fresh blue and green tones and soft plaid patterns are pretty just sitting on the counter. But they'll handsomely set off that Parmigiano, smoked Gouda and blue cheese.

Swipe left or right

One lesson learned during the pandemic: how to properly wash our hands. For those who are especially skittish about touching surfaces and still can't find Lysol spray anywhere, you might consider a touchless faucet. It makes more sense now than ever before. Many faucet manufacturers have them. Most are modern, simple styles. We especially love them in matte black, like Kohler's Setra design.

Set your table with style

Change it up. Make an effort to set the table, to make it special, even if you're ordering in. There's a gorgeous new collection from Schumacher, designed exclusively for Williams-Sonoma. It includes stoneware made in Portugal, table runners, placemats, napkins, accessories and pillows whose patterns are inspired by textiles.

About that biofilia

Talking to plants was sooo '70s. But the benefits of living with them are well-documented. They are said to reduce stress, lower your blood pressure. And they can help you sleep better because they give off oxygen at night. A vase filled with flowers adds so much life to interiors. Just look at design magazines for some cues. If you fear you don't have a green thumb for plants, try succulents. They don't require much fussing.

Art

Get lost in a dream. It's easier with the backdrop of a beautiful mural. These days, you don't have to hire an artist to paint a stunning landscape. York Wallcoverings is one company that produces gorgeous digitally produced works on linen. It just might be a tranquil water scene framed by lush foliage to transport you. There's even an ethereal cloudlike mural in indigo called Dreamchaser.

Go right round

Round serving platters may corral your favorite go-to herbs on a counter. Or use them to arrange charcuterie, restaurant-style. Cambria loves the shape for its quartz table accessories, and its Lazy Susan takes it up a notch.

Sink into style

Farmhouse sinks have been in vogue for some time. Thompson Traders, a company known for its bespoke hand-hammered kitchen and bath pieces, has launched a new collection with designer Kara Cox. The farmhouse sink pairs nickel with brass in a visually stunning design.

A new face

Replacing cabinets may not be an option. But how about refacing them? The latest laminate options are sophisticated, with stone and wood look-alikes that are most convincing.

Get a grip

Decorative hardware can breathe new life into kitchen and bath cabinets or furniture. Some of the most fetching options today pair black with burnished gold.

Enjoy the season

Summertime, and the living is ... still a little strange. But enjoy it while you can. Cherry motifs embody the season. At Sur la Table, there's a charming collection of dinnerware, serveware and linens printed with scattered cherries teamed with stripes and plaids, some in all-American red, white and blue.

Create a tablescape

Styling a mantel or tablescape is so much about collections. Good retailers do it well. Flamant, a Belgian-owned shop well-known in Paris, gathers a set of white ceramic vessels in varying heights and shapes. And it's magic.

So by all means, check out those mini tutorials or retailer websites or blogs, like how to create container gardens. Or how to style a bar cart. Organization meets aesthetics in the best way. The best part is, you'll have the ingredients to toast your efforts.

Sources

-- Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, www.anthropologie.com

-- Cambria, 866-226-2742, www.cambriausa.com

-- Cristina Buckley, info@cristinabuckley.com, www.cristinabuckley.com

-- Daun Curry, 212-480-2593, www.dauncurry.com

-- Ethnicraft, 917-513-0069, www.ethnicraft.com

-- Formica, 800-367-6422, www.formica.com

-- Jayson Home, 800-472-1885, www.jaysonhome.com

-- Kohler, 800-456-4537, www.kohler.com

-- Ornamental Moulding and Millwork, 800-779-1135, www.ornamental.com

-- Schumacher Collection at Williams-Sonoma, 877-812-6235, www.williams-sonoma.com

-- Tempaper, 732-920-2654, www.tempaper.com; some Tempaper products available at West Elm, 888-922-4119, www.westelm.com

-- Terrain, 877-583-7724, www.shopterrain.com

-- Thompson Traders, to the trade, www.thompsontraders.com

A good night's sleep is essential for body and mind. These days, some folks have been collecting more Z's than usual -- up to 12 hours. But it's not all sweet dreams. In fact, there have been many reports about vivid nightmares. Blame it on the pandemic.

Because it's an invisible enemy, the virus is transforming into scary things. So says Harvard professor of psychology Deirdre Barrett, who has been studying sleep behavior for three decades. The expert has analyzed dreams for survivors of traumatic events, including 9-11.

Grasshoppers with vampire fangs, fantastical figures, including mega-images of the coronavirus itself, zombie apocalypse and even "Twilight Zone"-esque scenarios, like "Hollywood Squares" images of endless Zoom meetings, multiplying to infinity and beyond.

Researchers from multiple countries, including the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France, are studying the pandemic dream phenomenon, attributed to coping mechanisms reflecting anxieties caused by sheltering at home, being cut off from usual routines, work, friends. Plus, sleep patterns are changing because many have stopped setting alarms. There's even a website, www.idreamofcovid.com that asks people from around the world to share their dreams.

At UCLA Sleep Disorders Clinic, there's another issue under study: "COVID-somnia." Sleeplessness apparently is triggered by the diminished light exposure people are getting because they're staying indoors more.

Spending a lot of time at home has caused many to take a candid look at all their living spaces and imagine how aesthetics and ambience can be improved.

What better place to start than the bed? Each spring and summer, fresh new palettes and patterns blossom just like the landscape, and many are inspired by nature. There are plenty of how-tos online about dressing the bed.

"Keep it simple!" advises Leanne Ford. The Pittsburgh interior designer, known for her "modern yet lived-in aesthetic," hosts "Restored by the Fords" on HGTV with her contractor brother, Steve.

Ford recently created a furnishings collection for Crate and Barrel and described her new bedding on her Instagram account: "There's nothing better than a beautiful, simple bed. I went rogue and didn't put any pattern or design on any of the bedding we created. Simple colors can mix and match and make for an always-pretty bed."

Ford's palette is quiet: charcoal gray, blush, natural and white in linen and cotton percale.

"The bedding is meant to be relaxed," says Ford. "Neutrals to make you feel calm. Soft, breezy fabrics that look even better a little rumpled. There's no pressure to make your bed perfectly -- or at all.

"Plus, for me, it's all about how bedding feels, so we concentrated on the fabric. I wanted to make simple plush and crispy sheets (know what I mean?) and linen and cotton duvets that will all live easily together."

You may have noticed a lot of linen as you've surfed retail websites for bedding. It's been as integral a part of European bedding as cotton for some time -- and not just white and ivory. It's cool to sleep on in the summer, and the inherent wrinkling makes it more forgiving. There are beautiful, rich palettes that parallel those in home decor, from Scandinavian pastels to a more vivid rose, a range of blues and ochre that we've seen in Parisian stores such as Merci. We're finally welcoming linens into American bedrooms, along with velvet -- another strong trend. Velvet has been super popular in upholstery (and draperies) in recent years.

Bella Notte, a luxury brand based in the San Francisco Bay area, produces a selection of pre-dyed artisan washable luxury bed linens in luscious colors. Its statement: "Inspiring the expression of your elegant and bohemian soul, we celebrate modern romanticism and the inherent creativity in all of us. By preserving a passion for color and craftsmanship, each couture piece we offer is designed for the curation of your home sanctuary."

Besides linen and velvet, here are some of the trends crossing the pond:

-- Peacocks. Animals, insects and butterflies all have captured the imagination of print-makers. This year, the distinctive iridescent blue and green plumage has fanned out into home decor. Peacocks were featured on fabrics, bedding and wallcoverings from several makers. At Grandin Road, a quilt printed with peacocks and cherry blossoms graced the cover of its spring look book.

-- Floral motifs. You can be sure to find some every spring and summer, because who doesn't like feeling like you're in a garden? Mega blooms have been popular for a few years, usually on solid backgrounds, like the Haana overblown floral, a very linear graphic of blue on white at Crate and Barrel. Smaller scale is starting to make a big impression. The Italian brand Fazzini Home introduced several patterns inspired by the 19th and early 20th centuries.

-- Mini prints. Along with a shift in floral scale, smaller patterns also are gaining traction, especially those with seasonal appeal. At Garnet Hill, there's a white collection with different beachy themes, like Adirondack chairs, turtles, sea shells, buoys, sand dollars and whales.

-- Handcrafted looks. Quilts, appliques, hand stitching -- all continue to be in demand. At Anthropologie, artisan quilts often show globally influenced designs.

-- Trim, fringe, tassels and other embellishments. Borders, ruffles and embroidery are lending character to a lot of bedding. Even if you prefer all-white, mixing in shams that are punctuated with color is an excellent way to instantly change personality. A single accent pillow, like the hand-painted and embroidered pillows from Charlie Sprout, available at Anthropologie, pop like a piece of art.

-- Expressionist abstracts, watercolor-y floral or geometrics add artistic dimension to the bed. Watercolor Dots at West Elm take on very different vibes on a light or dark ground.

-- Organic. There's a lot more emphasis on sustainability, and descriptions often underscore natural fibers -- better for the environment and you. Hemp, Tencel or Lyocell (a sustainable fabric regenerated from wood cellulose), and bamboo are among the eco-friendly fabrics now available in bedding.

Some websites, like Serena and Lily, offer stylish tips on dressing the bed. Stack a pair of pillowcases behind each sham, for example, and finish off with embroidered throw pillow. Play with scale. This could be with the scale of a print, or as Serena and Lily suggests, with pieces: a pair of Euro shams, pillowcases and oversized lumbar. Layer to the max. S and L's idea is with a series of different-sized pillows, but this concept can extend to sheets, comforters and throws as well.

At Anthropologie, there's a whole page on "Arranging the Perfect Bedroom." The retailer asked home-styling expert Anne White for tips on mastering the delicate balancing act between form and function. "It there's a space that deserves a little extra thoughtfulness and attention, it's this one," says White.

It's all about "curating calmness." White says there's nothing like a peaceful bedroom, whether you're unwinding from a busy day or prepping for another. In our current pandemic-dominated world, the emphasis on de-stressing has never been more acute.

White says your bedding should make you feel relaxed and ready for sleep. "The same goes for decor," she says. "If clutter tends to make you anxious, consider minimalist accents in your bedroom. Feel most inspired when surrounded by beautiful objects? Curate a handful of meaningful vignettes."

Vern Yip, from HGTV's "Trading Spaces" and author of "Vacation at Home" (Hachette, $27.50), recently talked about turning your bedroom into a stress-free zone on "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan" on ABC-TV. "Get your bedroom ready, Yip advises. "Start before actually going to bed."

The most important part, Yip says, is to make a bed feel incredibly welcoming -- "come on in, relax." He advises only soft lighting, like bedside lamps, and using dimmers. And, the best tip: Do a light spritz with sheet spray to keep sheets smelling fresh in between changes. Also, put a nice fluffy robe on the bed and a pair of slippers just meant for the bedroom suite, so they're clean and sanitary. The goal: "It's my safe space. Just chill and relax."

Three years ago, Arianna Huffington spoke in Chicago at NEOCON, a global design show for the contract industry (office, hotel, health care, retail, etc.). Her remarks included her own sleep rituals. Huffington's experience with exhaustion and sleep deprivation led the founder of Huffington Post to create a new platform: Thrive Global, dedicated to raising awareness about well-being.

While she recommends taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (yes, add candles!), slipping into PJs or whatever is dedicated to sleeping, one recommendation stood out: Get rid of any blue light. Meaning your mobile phone. Huffington doesn't even keep hers in her bedroom.

Some sleep experts suggest meditating before bedtime. Others advise maintaining a cool temperature in the bedroom. And some swear by melatonin.

Whatever works. We could all use some good shut-eye

Sources

-- Anthropologie, 800-309-2500, www.anthropologie.com

-- Bella Notte, check website for store locations, www.bellanottelinens.com

-- Crate and Barrel, 800-967-6696, www.crateandbarrel.com

-- Fazzini Home, www.fazzinihome.com

-- Garnet Hill, 800-870-3513, www.garnethill.com

-- Grandin Road, 866-668-5962, www.grandinroad.com

-- Neiman Marcus, 888-888-4757, www.neimanmarcus.com

-- Serena and Lily, 866-597-2742, www.serenaandlily.com

-- West Elm, 888-922-4119, www.westelm.com

On many levels, New York designer Sasha Bikoff can relate to the surreal. Her career blasted off with the digital publication of a glam 4,700-square-foot apartment at the Dakota. The article on the renovation in MyDomaine drew clients, and eventually she was dubbed "interior designer for the young and wealthy" by The New York Times.

And then there was the amazing kaleidoscopic staircase designed for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in 2018. Insta hit on the gram. One of those images caught the eye of Donatella Versace, who put it on a mood board and tapped Bikoff to design space in the revered Palazzo Versace in Milan during the prestigious Salone del Mobile week last spring.

And now everything is surreal. As in the new normal. Tough for design creatives, who so rely on firsthand life experiences -- travel, art, fashion and nature -- to shape their visions. Even though her Greenwich Village home is cool, she was feeling a bit cooped up. So she shed the stir-craziness and headed to her father's rural Massachusetts home, where her stepmom, a decorator, has a barn full of antiques. "I feel like I'm in the English countryside," she says.

Like many, she is restless. She just can't read a novel or nonfiction these days. But she has been watching "Belgravia" and "Maison Close," and old films from the '60s and '70s. And she's devouring classic design coffee table books like "Dior and His Decorators" and Bunny Williams' "On Garden Style," where she hopes to pick up tips for her own garden. She's building a home in East Hampton, Long Island, and she pictures lots of white and yellow wildflowers -- and veggies.

As one who loves to cook, she's also been a bit nostalgic during the quarantine, focusing lately on Persian cuisine (her mother was from Iran), channeling the time-consuming traditional dishes that her grandmother used to make. She recently made khoresh bademjan, a beef stew with eggplant and tomato.

Admittedly a social butterfly, Bikoff missed the hoopla that would have surrounded her lighting debut at Currey and Co. A virtual rollout replaced the spring market launch in High Point, North Carolina. (Fingers crossed for October!)

The design rock star loves making a glam entrance in the most stylish head-to-toe outfit, often with eye makeup coordinating. Like the time she impressed Donatella in an absinthe green leather Versace dress, topped with an acid green trenchcoat and neon green liquid eyeliner to match. "I don't dress understated, "she says. "It's part of my joy."

For now, Sasha's natural effervescence is dialed down.

"I've been wearing robes and pajamas all day. The most I'll dress up is to put on a sweater and leggings."

She is cautious about being too optimistic about the other side of the pandemic. But she hasn't tossed her rose-colored glasses. This bumpy ride is good for reflection. Fabulous for dreaming, more daydreams, as her sleep cycle has been disrupted.

When life as we knew it was interrupted, the 32-year- old designer was on fire, adding home furnishing licensed collections like charms on a bracelet. Her aesthetic casts a wide net: 18th-century French Rococo ("love its opulence, carved floral gilding and femininity"), 1930s Art Deco (from Miami, France and Italy; "It's about shapes, especially chairs. Of all furniture, I love chairs the best"), 90s Space Age Modern ("exploration and the unknown, bubble and egg shapes"), 1970s French, American and Italian Modernism, and 1980s Italian Memphis Milano.

She's obsessed with disco culture and "anything from the late '70s, early '80s "when NYC was super glam, everyone dressed in Halston and Bill Blass and women started wearing power suits."

Besides the lighting line, there's mosaic tile for New Ravenna. Textiles for Fabricut's Vervain line launched in Paris at Maison et Objet in January. She usually starts with textiles. "It has to do with color and pattern, a way to balance space and move your eyes through it."

There's a common design thread, though her work is anything but common. She boldly tosses pattern and color about, marrying them in unexpected ways, sometimes to a maximalist extreme with elements of Pop art and '50s kitsch, but always chic and sophisticated.

One modern take on toile for Vervain includes charming images of her favorite things: croissants, disco balls, Birkin bags, the Arc de Triomphe, to name a few, in pastel palettes as luscious as macarons. Also velvets: Lipgloss (a hot pink crinkly panne) and La Discotheque, "the other side of velvet, smooth with an iridescence and sprinkled with diamonds on a night sky." It was inspired by a jacket she bought in Paris.

A new chandelier features a circular cluster of lifelike hibiscuses -- her favorite flower -- in white with a coral center with a hint of pink. She's passionate about pink. "It's feminine, happy. Close to nude. It represents 'girl power' to me." And canary yellow -- "it's sunshine. Laughter and joy." Which we all need these days.

"I'm always striving to do something different," she says. "Kind of be revolutionary and innovative with my design. What I create is not for everyone, but I want people to talk about it."

She credits her mom and grandmother for her style sense. "They were so fashionable. My grandmother was a tastemaker -- taught me gardening and floral arranging, decorating with Persian and European antiques. She hosted the most beautiful parties."

From her, Bikoff learned to appreciate French and Italian couture -- "the construction, material and prints, the craft and artistry." She doesn't enjoy shopping, though, unless she's traveling. Then it's among her favorite things to do -- "like going to a museum."

"I like to see how things are merchandised. And I love vintage shops. John Galliano from the Dior days. Chanel from the '80s and '90s. Yves Saint Laurent, Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana. I love to mix vintage with new."

That's exactly what she does with her interiors. They're rich in character, sometimes whimsical, high-low.

"Period pieces are often very playful," she says, with intricate carvings of flowers, fruits or birds. "You can modernize antique classical pieces with fabric."

As an art history and fine arts major, she took advantage of college time in Paris, living in the Saint-German arrondissement, painting, visiting art galleries and scouring chic antique shops, as well as the Marche aux Puces. Bikoff actually had had visions of becoming a pop singer -- she even had a record contract at 18 -- but her grandfather totally nixed the idea, insisting on college.

Eventually Bikoff took a job at the prestigious Gagosian Art Gallery in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. "I learned a lot about business and discipline," she says, but she yearned for the creative. And at age 25, in 2013, she opened her eponymous firm. An avid collector (she once owned about 100 Memphis pieces), she currently has an online shop and is a dealer on 1st Dibs (www.1stdibs.com).

When Bikoff took on that very heady interiors job at the Dakota -- for her mom -- her guiding philosophy was: "Art is the highest form of creativity. For me, design is functional art. When you enter a space, it should inspire, ignite a sense of creativity. Tell a story. Engage us in how life is, who we are."

She approached the job as if she were painting, starting with the walls, floors and ceiling, building up layers like paint pigment and texture. "Then, surround then yourself with things you love, that tell a wonderful romantic story.

"My mother believed in me," says Bikoff, who admits she was in waaay over her head. "My goal was to constantly make her happy." It was a bittersweet time, as her mother was battling cancer; she died just two year later, in 2015.

"I'm a bit of an old soul," she admits. "I always say, if I were reborn, it would be in 19th-century France or '70s disco, Studio 54 days. I definitely have an affinity for the past and people always dressing up, not just in jeans and T-shirts. "

As for the future, so much still is unknown. There's an outdoor furniture line in the works, and residential projects on hold. "I would like to do a tabletop collection, hotels in New York and Miami."

And Sasha Bikoff will be ready for her next act. She recently posted a Botticelli-inspired image of a Hollywood star standing in a giant scallop shell, like the masterpiece "Birth of Venus." Her caption: "Me, emerging from quarantine."

"I am a romantic," she says. "I believe in dreams and happy endings."

Sources

-- Currey and Co., 877-768-6428, www.curreyandcompany.com

-- New Ravenna, 757-442-3379, www.newravenna.com

-- Sasha Bikoff Interior Design, 646-524-5941, www.sashabikoff.com

-- Versace Home Collection, 888-721-7219, www.versace.com

-- Vervain, 800-611-8686, www.fabricut.com/vervain