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This article is part of our latest design special report, about creative people looking for new ways to explain past ideas.

What is the ideal sofa height? I am tall, but my partner is six inches shorter than me.

I was in Milan a few weeks ago and went to some showrooms to see new products. One thing I noticed is a pile of very low sofas and recliners, some of which are even on the floor without legs. Although attractive in an opium fashion, they are difficult to get up, and I am a fairly flexible person. Out of curiosity about this concept, I decided to go directly to an expert and called interior designer Alexa Hampton to let her accept it.

Ms. Hampton declared that the perfect sofa is 19 inches high, and said that her method of dealing with people of different heights is a fairly deep model, with many pillows, even though men tend to abuse them. "A deep sofa," she added, "can also be used for naps."

What about those lazy sofas I saw? "I think the lower part looks more modern, partly because you don't need to sit upright," she said. "Actually, you can't."

She further pointed out that "the opposite of these low modern works is very delicious compared to very traditional shapes and plaster products." And I agree.

I believe I can take a nap now.

My IKEA bookshelf is very useful to me, but now is the time to graduate. I have a lot of books, so I want a big system, but I don't want to bother with custom built-in plugins.

It's no surprise that many adults still own IKEA or other (relatively) cheap bookshelves. Inexpensive solutions can be very attractive. However, if you are ready to accept something that requires greater investment, drill bits or contractors, there are many good options, from retro classics to streamlined modern systems.

Among the older generations, it is difficult to find a more fashionable product than the Danish wall unit produced in the 1960s designed by Poul Cadovius for Cado. This is a modular teak system, including shelves, cabinets and even drawers. My friends in London have a three-poster layout in their dining room for tableware, which is very unique. They bought them on eBay years ago, but the units can be found online on 1stdibs.com, starting at around $1,800.

For multi-functional modern units, see the 606 universal shelving system designed by Dieter Rams for Vitsoe. It is simple, stylish and somewhat industrial, but it looks great in both traditional and modern rooms. The modular system includes shelves, cabinets, trays, desks, accessories, etc. (very versatile!), once you put something on it, it almost disappears.

The system can be attached to the wall or left independent, supported by rods compressed between the ceiling and the floor. This system is an investment. An ordinary wall-mounted unit, about 5.5 feet high, 3 feet wide, has four shelves, and sells for about US$900. The starting price of the cabinet unit is approximately $1,000. vitsoe.com/us

A friend who lives in the Brownstone District of Brooklyn has an industrial unit from Soil and Oak, which has a weak steampunk whisper (weak is good). It uses pipes and wood planks, and is available in different metal and wood finishes. Prices start at approximately US$700. Coyote Net

If you still don’t want to spend too much money or are afraid of commitments, IKEA’s Kallax is very attractive, a free-standing unit of about 6 x 6 feet, three finishes, and the price is as low as $179. IKEA

I want to be more environmentally conscious, but green cleaning products may be really expensive. Can I do it myself?

Of course you can. In fact, it is easy to prepare products that are mild to the earth, smell good, cost much less than over-the-counter drugs, and are unlikely to irritate your eyes, skin or lungs.

When I was an editor at Domino magazine, I wrote a story about green cleaners and spent several weeks getting dozens of products through their pace. I learned that things that contain annoying ingredients usually work better. (Bleaches are bleaching agents for a reason. Many of us have an emotional attachment to this smell, which means "clean" and "safe", especially in a pandemic.) But this doesn't mean I want to use them, and the whole process made me think it might be better to make it myself.

Similarly, a few years ago, I tested a natural and extremely unnatural window cleaner for The New York Times. Although my favorite is a kind of foam that smells a bit sweet, homemade vinegar and water perform very well. My preferred ratio is one part white vinegar and two parts water. One caveat: it's very runny. Add a few tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to make it more effective and evaporate faster. I am happy to find that wiping with newspaper is more effective than wiping with paper towels or rags. By the way, this is the motivation for buying paper.

Washing powder is more troublesome. Classic homemade recipes available online contain a combination of washing soda, borax, and a certain soap (such as Dr. Bronner).

Another formula omits borax, which is problematic in safety, but adds baking soda to soften fabrics and eliminate odors; kosher salt to enhance cleanliness and softness; and the aroma of essential oils. (Eucalyptus and lavender are recommended; I also tried chamomile, which looks fantastic on the sheets.) You can add a cup of hydrogen peroxide or half a cup of white vinegar (the smell will disappear) in the wash cycle to help whiten clothes.

Baking soda itself is a miracle creator. Sprinkle it on the carpet, let them hang for a few minutes, and then use a vacuum cleaner to remove the odor. You can mix it into a paste and clean the grout with a toothbrush. I recently burned some curry paste on the bottom of the Le Creuset Dutch oven, soaking it in hot water and dish soap several times will not fall off. I found a remedy online: boil a few inches of water and a cup of baking soda for 10 minutes, then scrape it off with a wooden spoon or spatula (metal will scratch). The slimy things disappeared like magic.

Autumn is here, and my family style is getting stronger and stronger. How to seal the source without major repairs?

In the PBS series and Merchant Ivory movies, you will see people closing huge indoor blinds on tall windows and drawing thick floor-to-ceiling curtains to prevent chills. Few of us have such a thing. But by combining high-tech and low-tech solutions, it is easy to stop the airflow before it has a chance to cool the room. This naturally saves heating costs, which is a benefit.

Let's start with the (very) low-tech approach: place long, cylindrical, pillow-like objects at the bottom of doors and windows to block airflow. Some are filled with ordinary pillow fillers, others are filled with sand or (my favorite) buckwheat kernels, which can be molded.

The Maine Sales Company offers a variety of solid-color buckwheat-filled mermaids in three diameters, starting at $19.99, but have fun and buy prints: cats, dogs, butterflies, or lobsters. themainesalescompany.com

Moving up the complexity is a transparent film, you can use double-sided tape to stick it to the frame around the window indoors, and then blow dry to shrink and tighten. The result is quite clear during the day. (Some people report that it looks more hazy at night.) Duck Brand and 3M offer several types, including a system where you can go out if you don't want to see it. Prices start at approximately $11. Duckbrand.com; 3m.com

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