My Life in 10: JJ Martin’s Maximalist Designs Are Full of Surprises – These Are Her 10 Best-Kept Secrets to Living Joyfully

The eclectic and exuberant aesthetic of globally renowned fashion and interiors brand La DoubleJ is undoubtedly a reflection of its founder's vibrant and spiritual lifestyle. JJ Martin's influences span her native California, to the city chic of New York, and across the pond to the culturally rich Italian capital of Milan, which she's called home for over two decades.

While her maximalist decor ideas have been bringing color and joy to La DoubleJ fans for just as long, JJ has also been a champion of female creatives and artisans, harnessed a fervent passion for spirituality, and become a savant in the field of Italian culture. Here she shares the rituals, places, and personal treasures that bring joy and peace to her life.

JJ Martin shares her favorite things

1. Ice baths

I am late to the cold swimming party, but my boyfriend introduced me to ice baths, which we do at his home, and I love them. We recently went on a trip to the mountains above Forte dei Marmi and found some waterfalls; the water feels like it's straight from the Arctic, and after ten minutes in there, your whole brain feels like it’s been rewired.

2. The Beauty and Energy of Sicily

I’ve been to many different corners of Italy, where I have lived since 2001, but I think I love Sicily the most, the whole place has a really potent energy. Italians are already the most vivacious people in the whole world, but Sicilians are even more so. In particular I love Scicli, a tiny town in the south, which has more churches than humans. It's an incredibly beautiful place that leaves you in awe.

3. Learning the Art of Surrender

When I first came to Italy, I went on an emotional voyage on so many levels. Italy became my first spiritual teacher in many ways: it taught me the art of surrender and to lean into a level of chaos and emotion. I’ve spent the last year and a half working on it, and it’s been amazing. I wrote about it in my book, Mamma Milano: Lessons from the Motherland (Vendome Press - available at Amazon).

4. Embracing Spirituality

I have been on a few spiritual trips, and have another one coming up in December. A beautiful sound healer, channeler, and Akashic record reader, Mikaella Akashic has launched a series of Mystery School retreats on the tiny, gorgeous Indonesian Island of Gili Air with her partner Astrea, called Guardians of the New Earth (18-22 December). I’m very whacky woo one minute – into meditation and spirituality – and then off to fashion week the next, so I try to bridge the gap between the spiritual and the material in my life.

5. My Perfect Hotel

My favourite hotel is Passalacqua in Lake Como; it’s perched on the most perfect private terrace, above the lake, which is very hidden. The owner, Valentina De Santis, has great taste, and the hotel is the highest level of quality, but she makes you feel like you’re part of family when you visit, which is the Italian way. We designed the pool area, and there’s a really fun sense of going from a very traditional environment with marble and frescoed ceilings into the madness of the Double J world.

6. Vegetarian Food, Done Well

There's the most amazing restaurant in Florence, called La Luna, which is a 15 minute drive up the hills. It’s really a plant nursery, but the owners opened it up as a restaurant, and it also has some rooms. It has such a sophisticated but unfussy menu and, as a vegetarian, I really appreciate it: it can be hard to eat anything except pasta as a veggie in Italy, but this place really gets it. It’s the kind of place where you could go for a formal meal, or just in jeans.

7. Vintage lamps

I was a rabid vintage collector for about twenty years, and almost everything in my home is vintage. I hardly ever go vintage shopping now – I feel like I’ve spent too many years doing it. But I feel that it's vintage lighting in particular that really helps bring character to a room.

8. Spontaneous Entertaining

I love entertaining, and how I host has changed since going to people’s homes for dinner in Italy – it has taught me a lesson in spontaneity. If you’re overly formal, it can take some of the magic out. I love our La DoubleJ desert plates because they are meant to be mixed and matched, and they are great conversation starters; everyone wants to know which design each other has.

9. Meditation

I have a meditation room at home, with no furniture, a beautifully painted muralled ceiling, and a Tibetan altar, (that I bought in the midst of lockdown online), with Balinese ceremonial offerings around it, and my crystals and candle inside. I really recommend that anyone builds an altar in their home – it doesn’t need to be big, it can just be a space to go and reconnect with yourself on a daily basis. I go every morning, after I feed the dog, and sit and do my practice.

10. Powerful artwork

I love the work of the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint; she absolutely captured the sacred geometries that exist in the universe and painted in such a beautiful aesthetic way. There is a tendency when you see artwork in the energy circles to be a bit hokey and seventies, but af Klint’s work nails it in such a strong way. I find her paintings really powerful; they really resonate with me.

Shop JJ Martin's Favorite Things

My Life in 10 is a series of interviews with tastemakers in the world of design and hosting that reveal their essential rules, rituals, and objects for beautiful living – from entertaining essentials they can't host without, to inspirational travel destinations and treasured pieces from their homes – to help you to live beautifully, too.