Love Is in the Home with Nix from @pixofnix
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we thought we would share a quick Q&A with our friend Nix about how she brought love into her home. She talks about how her home inspires her to be an artist, her go-to habits when she needs a little self-care, what her favorite pieces of furniture are and what room in her home needs a little TLC. Nix also describes her perfect stay-at-home Valentine’s Day date! You know what they say, couples who isolate together stay together. We might have just made that one up, but we LOVE Nix’s idea of the perfect date night at home.
Photo credit: @pixofnix
Is there anything around or about your home that inspires you as an artist?
When my partner and I moved into our new apartment last year, we traded our backyard for an extra room. It wasn’t an easy decision as we were losing outdoor space—which is hard to come by in NYC, but we were really excited about turning the extra room into a place that would make us feel creative, motivated, and inspired. We call this room our ~uke garden~, and it is where we record our music, make art, and talk to our plants. Unlike in our old apartment, where instruments and audio gear were spread out and set all over, ~uke garden~ has allowed us to confine all our creative tools into one room, making them readily available to use and experiment with. The room itself is not very big, but it feels breathable because of our plants. In a way, we brought a lil’ bit of our backyard indoors!
Look around your home. What is your favorite piece of furniture, and why?
Ahh… that’s hard to choose! For me, choosing home decor is a fun balancing act between function and aesthetic. Because we don’t have a ton of room in the apartment, we focus on creating multi-functional spaces in our home. We don’t want to be confined to eat, play, or work in just only one room, and we pick pieces to help us achieve that.
As much of the world now knows, living and working in the same space can be a bit of a challenge. This pine shelf with a folding table has allowed us to use our kitchen beyond cooking and eating. Sometimes, we start off our workdays replying to emails in the kitchen, then transition back to our dedicated workspace for meetings. Moving from room to room throughout the day helps break up the monotony of WFH. When we’re ready for a dance break in the kitchen, we fold up the table to make room for our very own dance floor!
Oh, the storage shelves are neat too. I love finding furniture that can reduce clutter, use for storage, and bring life into our home. Special shout-out to my pink Shadwick Cabinet for doing exactly that — she’s also a multifunctional queen.
Photo credit: @pixofnix
Which room in your home would you want to change? What would you do with it?
Haha, I think this would have to be our bedroom. It works, and our bed is comfortable, but we don’t spend much time in it, other than to sleep. Also, since the bedroom is off limits to guests, we’ve sort of overlooked some decor decisions in there. It does have a great view of the city, though! Also, plenty of natural light. I guess we could introduce some plants in the bedroom? I’m not sure… but I’d love a hammock somewhere.
What are some of your favorite activities to do at home when you need a little self-care?
Fun question! Well, being that I have a handful of plant babies, plant care is one of the ways I practice self-care. Not surprisingly, taking care of my plants reminds me to take care of myself. Here are some examples: watering them reminds me to hydrate my body, talking sweet affirmations to them reminds me to be kinder to myself, seeing them grow teaches me that growth takes time and that I must be patient… I also love watching them dance throughout the day. Have you seen those time-lapse videos capturing a day in the life of plants? They are so cool!
Roller skating is another fun thing I do that brings me joy! Sadly, ever since I lost my backyard practice rink, I’ve neglected this hobby. But, I’m getting back into it and committed to practicing more in the living room.
How would you describe the perfect date night at home? What are your plans for your Valentine’s Day at home?
My partner and I are incredibly lucky to have been living together and navigating the past year at home. For us, date nights would include yummy foods, spontaneous games, and silly laughs. But honestly, we’re happy with just chilling and doing nothing at home together. If I absolutely have to plan it though, we could start off our day with brunch over cartoons in the kitchen, move to the living room for a game of chess (or Monopoly Deal), do a DIY project, roll sushi for dinner, and finish off the night with a movie. That sounds like a lot for one day, but maybe we can try some for Valentine’s Day this year… I’ll see if we can follow through. If not, that’s okay too. There are many ways, and many days to celebrate love.
We hope you enjoyed this little Q&A as much as we did! Share with us how you spent your anti-social Valentine’s Day at home by tagging @realrooms. Remember, Valentine’s Day is one day a year, but pink is always in season.
