With a third lockdown in full swing, see how the Because team are spending their 'stay at home' days, from the comfortingly mundane tasks to bursts of productivity. 

Today's lockdown diary comes from our editor in chief, Caroline Issa.


I got a new sofa over lockdown. Bought online, sight unseen and an experience I definitely would not recommend given the unsatisfactory purchasing and aftercare process (but that's a whole other post!). Ultimately, it's become a place to nest in, which I have been doing in extreme.

To be fair, my working days are full of that - working. It's hard to plan projects and launches when the future is so uncertain, but I am an eternal optimist and I find much energy in dreaming up new ways of sharing all the incredible creations so many we come across produce.



I'm lucky we do a summer literature issue at TANK magazine, as it means we get access to books early. We have a pile of books in the office from these issues, and I brought several home to read in full. I'm I am late to this train, but finally got around to reading the latest novel from the American author Avni Doshi -her burning Burnt Sugar - it grabs you by the throat and throttles you... in a good way. About a difficult mother-daughter relationship, the book quickly throws you into the world of the protagonist living in Pune, India and is shocking in its frankness. Doshi's prose had me curled up on the sofa for a whole weekend, not wanting to put the book down.



Extreme nesting means Extreme Cashmere....literally. This Amsterdam cashmere brand has got a distinctive minimalist, but uber cosy, take on cashmere and what luck to have the same dusty pink from my sofa on my couch. It means I can blend in easily and disguise my lazy reading weekend days with little effort. Plus, it makes for a funny photo that makes it seem like I'm now investing in only the same colour schemes of my surroundings. I promise you, I'm not. 



When I'm not on zoom, teams, googlehangouts, Clubhouse, whatsapp video, Instagram or Twitter... well then, you can also find me rearranging for the upteemth time my wardrobe, really trying to distill an overfull closet with pieces that are truly forever, to the more fun and frivolous pieces that I haven't worn in a while that need some love. It also means celebrating some of my truly loved pieces that also act like little works of art, and their form and beauty is something to take out of the closet and display on what should really be my coat rack. These are bags by Roksanda, Rodo by Alvaro Gonzalez, Marine Serre and a Dior flatcap.



I'm learning to master the art of making a capuccino at home (though I admit to making sure my walk a day, if I manage, involves takeout coffee, to be sure, as my skills are not quite there yet!) and I'm trying to dial down my constant drive and need for productivity and live in the moment. It means appreciating the small stuff that we accumulate, for one reason or another, and remembering why we bring things home to display. I remember the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations show at the Met in NYC, where I got these miniature shoe sculptures, and how it completely inspired in me a feeling of joy, of what truly amazing creativity can bring to our world. I'm so looking forward to getting back to museums and galleries and bookstores soon again, despite becoming a hermit this 3rd lockdown, and hope to cross paths with you somewhere soon!