I will discuss our current experiments to achieve quantum optical control over motional states of levitated solids. This includes dielectric nanospheres coupled to Fabry-Perot cavities and nanophotonic structures, as well as micron-sized superconductors and magnets that will eventually be coupled to superconducting circuits. I will provide an overview of the status and challenges, and of the perspectives for such experiments for sensing, simulation and for novel tests of the interface between quantum physics and gravity.