Hello beautiful friends + happy Tuesday Friday, January and y’all, 2024! I know every year we always think “wow, that year flew” but truly y’all, 2023 ran out the door like it owed someone money 😆 Although we are a week+ into the new year, this week is the start of my new year. It’s my first week back to work, the first week I’m holding myself accountable to goals and the first week I am using my 2024 planner (Day Designer, duh).
I could talk for hours about how much has happend over the past year but altogether, I am excited for the year to come! This is the first year in a few years where I am not moving, planning a move or recovering from a move in January and y’all, there are no words to describe how happy I feel to not be packing a box. Quite the contrary, I actually just unpacked my very last box this weekend as part of the decluttering mad dash during my lovely 17 day holiday break.
Speaking of good, I had the fun idea way back in 2021 to start publishing monthly “joy jot” aka a blog where I could truly just share 6 things making me happy and leaving me inspired. So, let’s get into this refreshed series and kick off Joy Jot #1-ish.
One | My refreshed dining room. If you were watching my stories over the winter break, you may have noticed the truly chaotic state my dining room was living in. This room quickly became the space I threw everything in while decluttering because it’s not used everyday and could hold a lot. On the very lsat day of my break, I finally tackled this room and y’all, the light shining through highlighting the freshly deep cleaned space gave me all the good feels to start off my week back to reality.
Two | Banquettes, banquettes and moreeeeee banquettes. It is no surprise that I’ve been searching for the perfect banquette for weeks, if not months, to complete my living room project. I’ve been scouring the internet far and wide and although I have found so many I love, I have been completely shocked at how much banquettes costs and how hard they are to get made. At this point, I’m 99.5% decided on getting my piece from Ballard in this beautiful blue print. I’ve also toyed around with a solid color banquette options with added fringe to the bottom but feel like a bold pattern will really help to anchor wall, define the corner and make the statement I’m going for. Please enjoy the fruits of my 209835 hours of internet sleuthing for banquettes since the summer 😂
Three | #LotsofBooksClub yes, I’m very un-shamlessly plugging my own bookclub because it is absolutely bringing me joy! Last month, a few of the NC bookclub members and I had the most lovely brunch and as always, I left feeling so refreshed and excited about the year to come. If you’re new around here, I started #LotsofBooksClub way back in July 2020 and after 3.5 years, I have found that I want to continue to make the bookclub a fun place for folks to join and chat and feel refreshed even though it has been going on for some time. This month we are reading Such a Fun Age and you can find more details on joining: here. Also, as a gift and surprise to the members, I commissioned an Etsy artist to create illustrations for future swag. All in all, so much joy in this little brain child of mine and for the wonderful friendships we’ve all been able to create 💜
Four | Interior designer @laurasolenskydesign Y’all know I’m obsessed with everything blue and green and this designer does this color combo SO dang well! I became enamored with the dining room she designed many months ago via Pinterest but always just saw unlabeled photos and could never find the actual designer. Well, now I’ve found her instagram andI think I have saved almost every posts of hers. Her style is much more traditional than mine but I love the color combos and maximalism and play on pattern. Overall, completely obsessed and I know you will lover her too!
Five | My entry table okay, okay, I know..two of my own spaces but after 17 days of being home, I have grown a new love affair with my home here in CLT. Now that the office, dining room and guest room are all complete (at least 90%), it’s finally time to work on my living room. I consulted a designer for a virtual session to get some much needed help with this big, uneven and truly traditional formatted room with several problems. So, here’s the plan:
- Delete two entry table areas and make one the anchor, AKA the one I’m excited to share, and the other a book library. I had several consults for different book feature wall options and ultimately decided to go with a more simple (less holes, less to-do), option from the container store that I caught on major sale and only needs three anchor screws into the wall (and potentially three more simply because I want extra support) vs a ton of open back cabinets. This entry dresser will receive a small upgrade with a new handle, duh, and a bright white piece of marble on the top.
- Upgrade the coffee table, which I’ve disliked for as long as I’ve had it, to a larger, lacquered coffee table to bring in a fun pop of color. This is one piece that is taking me forever to find because if you didn’t know, lacquered anything is incredibly expensive. Like incredibly expensive. Right now, I’m trying to find an antique or old coffee table that needs some TLC and actually get that piece lacquered which saves a ton of money on the backend. Wish me luck!
- Tighten up the current furniture spaces to make that seating area more designated as it’s own given what I want to do to another area of the room. This also lets the couch and chairs to finally properly sit its front two legs on the rug.
- Small decor upgrades from a task lamp near the secretary to mixing up some art to create a black and white gallery wall in the current book corner with colorful frames and simplify the decor on the mantle. Lots and lots of small changes to make the room make more sense and feel fully styled.
- And finally, the biggest thing I’m most excited for is upgrading the current book + console corner with a semi-custom banquette! It’s a splurge, for sure, but I am so excited to have additional seating that’s not another couch or more single chairs. The banquette will be able to seat 5-6 people, comfortably, and I like that it will create a small cocktail lounge space or dining nook. A black and white art gallery wall with colorful frames will anchor the space and cover up the very rough plaster. This piece will take probably as long as the lacquered piece, give or take three months, but I literally can’t wait and know this banquette will truly complete the room.
This room should come together by early spring so I’m hoping to have many cocktail hours and gatherings with friends in this newly designed space later this year.
Six | James Clear 3-2-1 newsletter It’s that time of the year where you are either reading Atomic Habits, thinking about your previous reads of Atomic Habits or being influenced by your friends who are currently reading Atomic Habits. Admittedly, I haven’t read the book, although I know I could benefit from the read, but I do love James Clear’s newsletter. Everything Thursday he does cool 3-2-1 breakdown of three ideas from him, two quotes and one question to consider. I love the format of the newsletter as well as the accompanying instagram posts every week.
And just like that friends, our firstish Joy Jot is complete! I am truly loving everything on this list and am excited to see some of the projects I listed like my living room finally coming together. What are you loving, obsessing over and pressing “add to cart” on these days? Let me know in the comments! xo, Azanique <3
