I’ve been a longtime follower of Jackie Greaney’s instagram, and I suspect if you have a weakness for all things all-American, plaid, L.L. Bean, New England cottages, and black labrador pups, you’re probably one, too. The world Jackie curates via her photos and posts is idyllic without being saccharine, genuine without being pretentious, and it makes such a friendly space in the internet world, you want to be part of it and never leave. Just ask Town and Country Magazine, who also love Jackie. Ben and I had breakfast with her in NYC this August and felt like we’d been friends for years.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I don’t know how we made new friends before instagram, which makes the world feel like one big college dorm sometimes, doesn’t it? Today we’ll sit down with Jackie and discuss how she designs her days, and I know you’re going to love getting to know her. Welcome, friend!
Our senior designer, Sauce, says that when you’re an artist or designer professionally, “every choice is a design choice.” Do you see that in your personal life outside of your work?
I think that when you have a certain aesthetic sensibility, you just sort of naturally gravitate toward the items and places and experiences that satisfy it. As I get older (30 is just two months away!) those choices, and knowing my preferences, seems to just get easier and easier.
What would your best day be like?
A late summer morning spent exploring in a small, coastal, New England town that I’ve never been to before. It starts with french toast and bacon and includes a visit to a forgotten, over-stuffed vintage shop and a stroll through the historic district while snapping a million photos.
Do you make an effort to design your routine and your life around the things and moments that give you joy?
Surely. For us a lot of that joy comes from jaunts outside of the city, and making those jaunts a priority. If we can’t afford to stay in the cutest or most well-designed place, we’ll book something cheaper and I’ll bring bedding or accessories from home that make it feel more like “us.” You’d be surprised what a couple of throw blankets and a cozy rug can do for a raw cabin, for example.
How did you answer “What do you want to be when you grow up” when you were in grade school?
A teacher. My second grade teacher told my parents that she was “worried I was after her job.”
Every person is a little weird in some way or another, and those weird things are important parts of what give us our personalities. For instance, I collect books with white spines and sleep with my baby blanket, and those objects feel significant to me and to my story. Tell me about a weird thing that’s essential to you.
I cherish my own space. My boyfriend Sebastian and I have lived together in New York City for 4 years, but within our apartment, we have always had our own bedrooms. I love that we can share our lives and our living area while also maintaining rooms that are defined (and designed!) as our own. The setup also means we get to skip all of those “pick that laundry up off the floor!” conversations. If I don’t like the state his room is in, we can just go to mine (and vice versa).
Thank you so much, Jackie!
You can keep up with Jackie here: instagram