MILAN — Why simply raise a toast when you can raise the energy in between courses?
Los Angeles-born editor turned entrepreneur and La DoubleJ founder J.J. Martin is taking her brand’s mantra of raising vibrations to the table with the curation of a new tome dedicated to the art of hospitality and creating connection over meals.
Titled “Table Energy: Entertaining With Italian Spirit,” the 208-page coffee-table book is a photographic invitation to Martin’s world of entertaining, as it showcases her colorful tablescapes and joyful gatherings across Milanese aperitivos, alfresco lunches in Portofino and Taormina or weekend getaways on Lake Como.
“When I moved to Italy in 2001, I learned very quickly that ‘The Table’ is never just a table,” writes Martin in the introduction. “It is a stage, a canvas, and above all a container for the warmth, love, and connection that Italians bring to life so naturally with their families, their friends, and whoever happens to be pulled into the vortex of the latest meal. The nourishment is, of course, physical with the delicious, simple food — but the experience is so much more than that. Italians are fed energetically with the sustenance of beauty, ease, and joy. The table is where they are free to unbuckle and deeply connect with themselves and others.”
She continues recalling how, ever since moving to the country, she has observed Italians taking detailed notes and informally being schooled “in the art of ‘La Tavola’: how to set it gorgeously, how to make meals as effortless as possible, how to entertain with flair, and, in short, how to live like an Italian.”
While she poured these insights into launching her brand in 2015, Martin gradually evolved La DoubleJ to express also her California upbringing and growing spiritual practice.
“Whether at my home in Milan or in my favorite corners in Italy where I regularly host, you will see an unapologetically bold way of mixing and layering vivid color and swirling print. These creations are part of my own exercise in energy elevation; they are instant lifts, mood boosters, and transmission towers for both love and joy,” she writes. “My hope is that this book gives you permission to play. To be just as wild and free, letting nothing but your own intuition and delight guide you in the creation of your own table energy back home.”
Flipping through the pages, readers come across vibrant images accompanied by tips, personal reflections and fun anecdotes, such as Martin’s first attempt as a host in Milan after she moved from Manhattan in 2001, when she accidentally set a Thanksgiving turkey on fire in her cramped ’70s oven.
“The more experience I got, the more I relaxed: less fancy food, less pomp, less formal help or service,” was her takeaway from the experience.
Between richly layered interiors and lush floral arrangements, the brand’s flamboyant tabletop collections take the spotlight in the images, including upcoming launches like the Power of Light candle collection set to debut on Oct. 29.
“They all have personality and high frequency,” said Martin about her home collections. “When I entertain, different colors, patterns, products and flavors are always on rotation based on the season, the people and my mood when I wake up that morning.”
The book additionally features a foreword by Leandra Medine Cohen, in which she retraces a conversation with Martin describing this as “the easiest book she’s ever created.”
“I am lucky to have been party to many of the breathtaking gatherings J.J. has hosted over the years. They are as vibrant as they appear in this book. Thrilling and tender, bright and joyful. Full to the brim with taste,” writes Medine Cohen.
Published by Vendome Press, the tome quietly launched this week in the U.S., ahead of its release in the rest of the world next month, specifically starting from Europe on Nov. 5. While on that day the brand will also drop the capsule collection developed with Carolyn Murphy, the promotional initiatives around the book will span from an event to be staged in Paris on Nov. 24 to a book signing held at the brand’s Milan store on Dec. 1, among others.
Retailing at $50, the tome will be available at La DoubleJ stores and e-commerce; on Vendome’s online store and Amazon, as well as a selection of international bookshops via Abrams in North America and via Thames & Hudson in the rest of the world.
This marks Martin’s second publication with Vendome Press, after “Mamma Milano: Lessons From the Motherland” released in 2023. The inaugural book retraced Martin’s journey from her early days in the Italian city as well as shone the light on some of Italy’s leading female tastemakers — including Angela Missoni, Max Mara’s Laura Lusuardi, Rossella Jardini, Rossana Orlandi, Patricia Urquiola, Nina Yashar, Marie-Louise Sciò and Molly Molloy, to name a few.
Martin started her career as an account executive at an ad agency in New York and San Francisco and then in marketing at Calvin Klein in New York. After moving to Milan, she began to write for publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Wallpaper, before launching La DoubleJ in 2015 as a shoppable magazine selling clothing and jewelry.