Hello,

01. By default swatches show in the dropdown. You need to disable the text swatch in every attribute item:
https://gyazo.com/5c10671c9a7411fe7b674c9d067f4209

02. You can use the product grid or carousel elements and in the content tab general section. Select the category in grid content and select the data source featured products.
https://postimg.cc/Pvs24mDt

Best Regards.