I was living in New York in 2001, when al-Qaeda flew two Boeing 767s into the World Trade Centre. Overnight, my West Village walk-up became my new HQ as the magazine I’d been editing in SoHo was shuttered in the fallout.

Eight years later, I was living in Paris when the GFC hit and I was obliged to close the Marais office of my branding agency as the client list shrivelled. Within days I’d transitioned the work space to my apartment in the 11th arrondissement.