By Erica and Karen

When our children were young, lots and lots of toy catalogues arrived in our mailboxes. When the children found them, they made lots and lots of demands. To avoid endless negotiation, we learned a wonderful trick. We would give them a catalogue, and a pencil, and ask them to circle everything they wanted. That would engross them for hours. When they were done, we took the catalogues and promised to look at their selections. That was the end of it. They were happy, and so were we. 

Now, our children are grown, so it's our turn to engage in retail fantasy. We enjoy looking at catalogues--these days it’s usually websites--full of stylish things we can’t really afford. It is a nice antidote to being housebound, and if you are well behaved it costs nothing.

Here are some of our favorite sites.

How to Spend It, the shopping arm of The Financial TImes, is a good place to start. It is beautifully styled, full of glorious photographs and brilliant ideas! Cars, jewels, adventures, food, alcohol--anything and everything you could possibly want to fantasize about is within these virtual pages. Who wouldn't want to dust off her pilot’s license to fly this sleek Gulfstream? And maybe fly to this glorious hotel in Ischia? What fun to wear the glamorous watch Liz Taylor wore while she fondled Richard Burton’s hair? Does this good looking camera come with the photographer?

Departures is also gorgeous, with a heavy focus on travel and hotels--really engaging when you can’t go anywhere. Fantasize about socially distancing from other, smaller, vessels as you swoop in to the Galapagos Islands on your mega yacht . Or, if you want to be more urban but don’t want to mix with the hoi polloi, why not acquire a pied-a-terre in San Francisco? We’d like to be introduced to the owners of this one and would gladly house sit. Of course we would need some elegant loungewear to look like we belonged.

Then there is Avenue, which seems to exist on another planet. it is quite a combination of high end products and gossip. They seem to go together nicely. We’ll take the submarine.

Maybe you are perfectly happy being in your abode for another six months. (If so we would like to drink whatever you are drinking.) But maybe you want to get some new furniture. Istdibs has fabulous pictures of glamorous items. Do you like steel as much as we do? Or would something a little more upholstered would work better in your place? Perhaps a beautiful blue vase would be enough to transform everything? And how about supporting Black-owned businesses? Check out this list.

If Istdibs doesn't have exactly what you want to fantasize about, try Chairish. Maybe a pink rug to set off the blue vase? Or a wooden table to go atop the rug?

And if you feel you need a little more information about twentieth century and contemporary design, you cannot do better than following DaniellaonDesign. Or some of the auction houses.

Shopping at auction houses is a little like shopping in catalogues. You can visit, of course, but you can also go virtual to check out the latest activity. Phillips, with a very glam new HQ in the city, will soon have a photography auction in London. Sure you can participate! Check out the Richard Avedon. That would be quite a conversation starter.  Or, if you have a back yard, or better yet a front yard, how about a Niki de Saint Phalle? If you are more focussed on jewelry, this necklace is still available.

Don't forget about Sothebys. They sell amazing homes. Wander around in a few of them, imagining life at the tippy top. Haven’t you always wanted a place with a courtyard? Then imagine the accoutrements they require. If the dream home has a garage, how about a 2014 Pagani Huayra? Or, if no garage, maybe something a little less ostentatious, like a pair of purple club chairs?

OK, we know this is a little nuts. But if you are feeling cooped up, you can take a fantasy trip--to a place, or by submarine, or decked out in some jewels. Maybe it will give you a fantastic new perspective on being at home.