homes + design

5 ways to sleep better

Luxury mattresses from Hypnos, Hastens Beds, Shifman Mattress or Stearns & Foster for up to $10,000

Organic bed linens, like those from Gayle Warwick Fine Linen

Westin Heavenly Beds: Take one home from your next trip

Memory foam mattresses: technology developed by NASA for space flight, now available in mattresses from Tempur-Pedic and others

The Chillow: a water pillow made of skin-cooling cloth

the Dressman

5 must-haves for the home

Luxe laundry appliances: the Dressman ironing device by Siemens and Maytag’s Neptune Drying Centre

A Music Image Sofa System with speakers in the cushions by Philippe Starck for Cassina

Haute toilet seats: Neorest by Toto with motion-sensor lid, heater, spray massage and dryer; Satis by Inax Corporation with MP3 player and speakers

High-tech showers: BainUltra’s Temazkal has dry heat, mist and illumina-therapy; Jacuzzi’s Ambient Air Body Dry System has warm air jets; and Maax’s Audiomax has a sound system concealed in the wall

Home robots: the Fujitsu Maron-1 and Electrolux’s Trilobite automated vacuum

5 GREEN DESIGNS WE love

Biodegradable dishes like Papcorn, made of corn and potato starches

Vinyl billboards as an exterior home covering; vinyl tarps made into handbags

Sustainable and biodegradable sofas

KDa’s Green Green Screen, a construction screen made of plants

Eco-wood furniture from fallen and ethically harvested timber

Febreze Scentstories

5 ways to smell the roses

Febreze Scentstories “scent disc” player

Glade Wisp battery-powered air freshener

Plug-in dog and cat pheromone dispensers (Dap and Feliway) to calm pets

Xéla Soothing Nursery Aromasticks to calm babies

Coriander-scented fragrance wands for the kitchen from Fruits & Passion

5 peas in a pod

Bathroom pods for lofts and other open spaces

Treatment pods at Dermalogica’s Santa Monica, Calif., spa

Bod Pod body fat calculating pod

Office in a Bucket inflatable, portable room by Inflate Design

Living Cube by Nissan Design America

5 ways to build a better city

Culture in shopping malls, like the Orange County Museum of Art’s Orange Lounge for new media at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Transit villages built on top of subway stations, like Metro Hollywood Apartments in Los Angeles

Turning old industrial sites into parks, as in Duisburg, Germany

Reclaiming old railway lines as green spaces, like New York’s elevated High Line

Chic big-box retail, like M-Preis supermarkets in Austria

Barbara K’s Roadside Safety Kit

5 kits to be prepared with

Patrizia Gucci’s Island Survival Bag: bottled water, a hammock and a towel

Safety Girl Roadside Emergency Kit: flat tire and battery-charging instructions, safety matches and first aid supplies – not to mention breath freshener, lip balm and a nail file

Tomboy Tools Super Stepper: a fully stocked tool box that doubles as a stepping stool

John Board Hollywood Survival Kit: 12 natural, alternative healing remedies for everything from headaches to hangovers

Barbara K’s Roadside Safety Kit:
chic blue and silver gear and a useful manual