Name: Azie
Where do you live? Montclair
When did you move there? Five and a half years ago, from Atlanta
Where did you grow up? My childhood began in Chicago and then we moved to Winter Park (in Central Florida) where I eventually met my partner, Travis (a New Yorker who convinced me to move to the Northeast).
How do you make a living? I am a designer and an artist, so I hustle! We own a small, family business in Montclair called {verdigreen} where we sell home furnishings and DIY products. I work primarily on custom painting while I am there.
My other gig is one half of fringe, an interior design duo specializing in energy-centric interior design. Beth and I assess our clients’ interiors and prescribe atmospheric elements (crystals, live plants, meditation tools, ambient lighting, raw natural objects) to help transmute the flow of energy.
Coffee, tea or … ? In the morning, coffee, sweet and light…and then you can make eye contact. In the afternoon, Persian tea with Saffron rock candy.
What’s your idea of a perfect weekend day? Sunshine, quality family time with my boys, a delicious meal that someone else makes (preferably gnocchi from Salute), and an hour alone in my painting studio.
What’s your favorite local restaurant? The Corner, I am a fool for breakfast.
What’s on your nightstand? A Selenite tower and The Alchemist. My iPhone is also often there so I can schedule Instagram posts for work.
What are you listening to? Jhené Aiko, Marisa Monte
What are your current indulgences? Watching Atypical on Netflix with my husband, meeting with my Shaman Kate Smith, and pretending the doughnuts are “for the kids.”
What talent you would most like to have? Restraint
What’s the worst-kept secret about Montclair? We are so fortunate to have the idyllic, small town aesthetic with a free-thinking population.
What do you hope they say about you at your funeral? She lived simply, loved deeply, and was unapologetically herself.