Meet the Madame Behind Madame de la Maison
Meet the madame behind Madame de la Maison, Madame Ajiri. She is a mother, wife, and entrepreneur with her own tabletop rental company based out of Paris, France, where she currently resides with her family. Her love and passion for hosting can be traced back to her Nigerian roots and family that showed her the importance and power of celebration and coming together. The rentable table settings are handpicked and sourced by Madame Ajiri herself through her weekly explorations to flee markets and finding hidden gems.
Madame Ajiri attended university in Texas and relocated to New York City after graduation to pursue a creative career that landed her jobs at the MET Costume Institute, and as a stylist for nearly a decade. Following her impressive stint in New York City, she crossed the Atlantic and started a family and new business venture in the city of love, Paris. Now she has turned her sights from styling people and exhibitions to styling gorgeous bespoke dinner parties and gatherings. Luckily for you, there are select pieces on her website that you can purchase as well to add to your china and linen collection!
How do you think the decade that you lived in New York, in your twenties, helped to shape you? My twenties in The City were a time of self-discovery and so much growth. I was guided by this quote by Joseph Campbell: We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. “I was never 100% sure that I was on the right path and many times I felt completely lost. So, referring back to this quote helped me remember that sometimes I needed to let go of plans I had that didn’t seem to be working out or serving me if I wanted to make way for what was next.
While living in NYC you had incredible job opportunities such as working for some of the best magazines and for the MET's Costume Institute, how do you think your time as a magazine editor, celebrity stylist influenced your passion for great tables? I don’t know that it necessarily influenced my passion, but it probably did enhance my knowledge and personal style for what I like on my table. I think experience in peripheral subjects always influence the one you are most interested in. I learned about so much being surrounded by the team at the Costume Institute. The time I spent in the library researching prepared me in so many ways for doing research of my own and just exposed me to so many different subjects, ideas and themes. Working as a stylist taught me a lot about styling, composition and working on photoshoots. I use every last one of these skills in my work with Madame de la Maison.
When did you begin hosting? Was it something your parents did often as you were growing up? My parents had friends over all the time and hosted in their own informal less-buttoned up Nigerian way. From a young age, I was used to the idea that one’s table is meant to be shared. However, I also craved the pomp, circumstance and rituals that I saw in movies and in 1980s TV sitcoms. When I moved away to university, I hosted some wine tasting parties with my best friends as well as other small thematic parties. After university, I moved to New York and every Thursday gathered with my best friends who were all from Mexico, for Juevesitos, the Thursdays in Spanish, for dinner and drinks. We rotated hosting these gatherings. They were rather informal also, but I loved the regularity of it and that most of the girls dressed up.
What is THE secret or secrets to a great dinner party or gathering? If I have to say ONE secret, it's to make your guests feel comfortable at all costs. As Dr. Maya Angelou says, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” This inspires me not to fuss about cooking from the latest cookbook or feeling pressure for perfection. You should be relaxed and actually spend time with your guests. Enjoy your gathering and your guests will too. (My other tip is that I try to prepare my table the night before or in the early morning so it’s one less thing to worry about.)
As you live in France do you have certain stores that you frequent for special pieces whether it be the flower market or a vender in les puces? I am a regular at my local florist, Ephemere, getting flowers for the apartment weekly. Pre-pandemic you can find me strolling through the weekly flea markets that change location every weekend here in Paris.
(Victorian casket jewelry box)
Do you have a special find that sticks out to you? Or one that has a great story behind it?Oh this is hard because there really are so many. Recently I found a beautiful Victorian casket jewelry box in Provence that has a hand painted scene of the promenade in Nice on the glass. The detail work is simply unbelievable and what was even more unbelievable was the diamond I found in it!!
(Hand painted Quimper Set available for rental on madamedelamaison.com)
Where did your love and appreciation for porcelain steam from? Do you have a favorite set that you own? I wrote an article called “A Case for the Good China,” which shares a bit how my mother’s wedding china played a hand in my love for porcelain. She had this beautiful china put away in our kitchen china cabinet and she loved to look at it but never used it. She was waiting for a “special occasion,” that never came before she died. I vowed that I would never do the same. I use all my favorite pieces all the time! I am particularly in love with a cream floral Limoges set I found in Paris and a blue and white hand painted Quimper set which I found in Giverny.
What are the table setting trends you are seeing for 2021? This is probably not the answer you are looking for, but I am truly someone who doesn’t love trends, so I try not to think about future predictions or what is hot one year and out another. The only thing I can say and see happening in 2021 is that as more people have to spend time at home, they will actually be sitting at their tables having meals. I think more people will shop for items that bring them joy when they sit down to eat.
Are there any dishes you are looking forward to making in 2021? Hmm…anything from the massive stack of cookbooks I have collected over the years. I’ve gotten a bit lazy about cracking them open. Maybe David Chang’s Bo Ssam which I used to make a lot for large groups. And if I’m cooking a Bo Ssam it means pandemic restrictions are behind me and I can invite loads of people over for a giant pork butt!
Can you talk to us about what sustainability means to you? What I love about Madame de la Maison is that we’re building a lifestyle brand using items that already exist and using sustainable materials in the items we design and create. We find antiques, clean them up, as well as create linens for your table or home and bring them together in a way that fits our brand vision and style but doesn’t require waste. This is sustainability to me.
What advice do you have for bringing a gift for the host? Bring her/him something that requires little work or fuss… i.e. no flowers, decoration, or perishable food. They are already busy managing hosting guests so don’t make more work for them. They might have already used all their flower vases for the gathering. I usually bring special salts or herbs that are hard to find or from specialty stores which the host or hostesses might not have time to venture out for. Also, customizable small items from Officine Universelle Buly.
Who are your dream dinner guests if you had to pick 5? And what would you serve? 1. Michelle Obama 2. Oprah Winfrey 3. Zadie Smith 4. Debbie Allen 5. Ava Duverney I think I would be too nervous to even cook, so I'd call one of my favorite chefs Kristin Frederick to cook, then make a beautiful table.