Can’t Decide What Color to Paint Your Walls? There’s a Consultant for That.

For consultations, she charges $50 to $125 per room, and $175 per hour for those with special needs.

One reason art-installation firms began to rebound after the initial lockdown: Zoom meetings. “Clients were focused on their walls and what they look like and whatever was behind them in a Zoom call,” said David Kassel, the owner of I Level, which is based in Manhattan.

Clients often contact I Level seeking help grouping artworks or framed photos on a wall, either in a grid or a free-form, salon-style arrangement, Mr. Kassel said. “They want all these disparate things to look good together,” he said, but they are intimidated by the idea of tackling the job themselves.

There have been unusual requests, too, such as from the young couple who wanted a painting hung on the ceiling over their bed — while they were snuggled below, under the sheets.

The firm charges $295 per art handler for two hours of work, then $95 for each additional hour.

For years hotels and spas have commissioned signature scents. Now homeowners can do the same.

These fragrances go beyond simply smelling good, said Yael Alkalay, founder and chief executive of Red Flower, a company based in New York that makes personal care and home products from potent botanical extracts and other ingredients derived from plants. The company believes the natural scents of its products can boost your mood and help you work and sleep better.

Rather than an overall fragrance that blankets the whole house or apartment, however, Ms. Alkalay recommends localized scents, geared to and supporting what takes place in various rooms, used in conjunction with Red Flower’s ready-made products. For a home office, she might develop an oil that could be rubbed into the wood desk a client works at. “We could create a combination of cedarwood, lemon balm, frankincense and maybe even a little citrus, like grapefruit essential oil — it’s so awakening,” she said.

source: nytimes.com