Bonjour & Bienvenue!
This is a place for you to get inspired and learn how to inject more beauty and joy, or joie as the french say, into your life. Beautiful spaces, places, objects and experiences matter because as John Keats said, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
Notes on Joie is where you learn…
to surround yourself with objects in your home that bring you joy and even better if they have a story
to always use “the good china,” which is also a metaphor for beautiful things and experiences, and to not to wait for a special occasion
to care about where you buy the food you eat and drink as much the taste
that fellowship is life and that connections and conversations with people are vital for joy
that sometimes doing nothing is everything
that what brings you pleasure should never make you feel guilty
that self-care in various forms truly is self-preservation
Why Subscribe?
As a free subscriber you’ll receive:
Two free newsletters a month about design, antiques, entertaining, Paris, and travel.
The ability to comment and take part in conversations with other like minded lovers of beauty and joy.
As a paid subscriber you’ll receive:
Two free newsletters a month about design, antiques, entertaining, Paris, and travel.
Weekly newsletters with addresses, links, shopping roundups and suggestions for places to go in Paris as well as across France.
Be the first to know when I launch new Paris and Provence retreats.
Invitations to monthly live “Apero Chats” where we will have wonderful theme discussion or explore issues.
Access to the full archive of posts
A bit about me?
As a Nigerian-American (+ a quarter Jamaican) who has been living in Paris for 13 years now, learning to find joie de vivre every day has become my North Star. It fuels my decisions and inspired me to launch my lifestyle brand Madame de la Maison, write a book, which you can check out here, and often leave my apartment in search of a cafe to lusciously chill. I am excited for this substack and look forward to connecting with you here.
Bisous xx,
Ajiri
Get your copy of JOIE: A Parisian’s Guide to Living the Good Life
Buy your copy on amazon, anthropologie, barnes & nobles, books-a-million, bookshop.org, hudsonbooksellers, powell’s, target, galignani, smith & sons, shakespeare & company, or wherever books are sold.
Praise for JOIE...
“Ajiri Aki’s Joie is not only a visual and inspirational masterpiece, but a well-rounded window into the French way of life. Aki highlights the lessons that each reader can apply to their own lives with engaging storytelling, personal anecdotes, and practical advice. La belle vie, indeed!”—Lindsey Tramuta, journalist and author of The New Paris and The New Parisienne
“A true insider’s guide to Paris. Ajiri Aki generously spills the secrets of everything from cheese etiquette to how to host an apéro. I loved seeing Paris—and Parisians—through her eyes.”—Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bébé and There Are No Grown-ups
“In Joie, the secrets to that enviable way of being—la belle vie Parisienne—are decoded in a language that we can all understand, with practical tips and philosophical musings that only locals are privy to. More than being a terrific guide to the city, it’s a thoroughly comprehensive guide to better living.” - Chioma Nnadi, editor of Vogue.com
