Jenna Bush Hager has given people a glimpse insider her beautiful summer cottage when appearing in a spread with Veranda magazine.
The co-host of Today with Hoda and Jenna, 37, has been on maternity leave for the last couple of months after welcoming her son Hal, two months, in August. She took time to show off her Long Island’s North Shore cottage to the magazine after she acquired the home by stumbling upon its open house years back.
‘I inherited this habit from my mother: We go to open houses for fun,’ Jenna told the publication.
New digs: Jenna Bush Hager, 37, has given people a glimpse inside her beautiful Long Island summer cottage when appearing in a spread for Veranda magazine
Throwback: Jenna purchased the cottage after visiting the open house one day when visiting Long Island’s North Shore. The home inspired her to also purchase a station wagon to drive around the small town
Important quality: She fell in love with the four-bedroom home and its large backyard her three children could run around on
Jenna continued: ‘She has an incredibly strong sense for design — I think she was an architect in a different life — and we both love to look at a space and imagine what it might be. She always says when you visit any house, there’s a feeling you get.
‘There was something about it that reminded me of Texas, of being outside. Even this close to the city, there was a remoteness to it.’
The former first daughter grew up in Dallas, Texas, and even attended college in the state before moving to New York City to work with NBC.
Escaping away from the hustle and bustle of the city has become a priority for Jenna and her family, and she found an idealistic escape in the summer cottage just outside NYC.
The summer cottage boasts four bedrooms and a big backyard with a pool for Jenna’s children — Mila, six; Poppy, four; and Hall, two months — to play in.
Another bonus of the home, Jenna revealed, was the birdhouses scattered throughout the backyard.
‘I come from a long line of birders,’ she said. ‘My parents bird for fun, and my grandmother Jenna was a naturalist. She would teach my sister, Barbara, and me about birds, rocks, every constellation in the sky.’
The magazine included shots of Jenna’s two daughters running around on the home’s spacious green lawn.
Stunning: The home has four bedrooms and also comes with a pool and pool house, making it the perfect summer escape from the bustling city
Adorable: Jenna’s two daughters — Mila, six, and Poppy, four — share a bedroom in the summer cottage
Magical: ‘There’s something magnificent about sitting under there with your friends and kids watching the rain,’ Jenna said. ‘You’re outdoors and you’re barefoot. It’s how Henry and I grew up, and it’s what we want for our children’
And Jenna explained how having a backyard to hang out in was a priority for both herself and her husband, Henry.
‘There’s something magnificent about sitting under there with your friends and kids watching the rain,’ Jenna said. ‘You’re outdoors and you’re barefoot. It’s how Henry and I grew up, and it’s what we want for our children.’
The home also comes equipped with an open-area pool house, making it a great destination for the family to host parties and BBQs.
Jenna worked with Dallas-based designer Traci White to help turn to cottage into a home with the family.
‘Jenna inherited her mother’s eye for design and is drawn to things with character and a history she can trace,’ Traci said.
Together, they worked to combine furniture from both the Bush and Hager family to furnish the home — such as a 20th century sofa from Jenna’s side and a pair of wingback chairs from her husband’s side — while also purchasing other pieces that fit with the aesthetic.
All in the touches: Jenna worked with Dallas-based designer Traci White to help turn to cottage into a home with the family
Proud friend: Hoda Kotb and her guest co-host Maria Shriver bragged about Jenna’s magazine spread on the Today show Thursday morning
‘Jenna and her mother enjoy considering pieces individually, in finding beauty in what’s there,’ Traci said. ‘It’s never about “new, new, new.”‘
The home even includes multiple paintings crafted by her father, George W. Bush — a hobby he took up after leaving the White House in 2008.
Hoda Kotb and her guest co-host Maria Shriver raved about Jenna’s spread on the Today show Thursday morning after the magazine hit newsstands.
‘They have a new station wagon,’ Hoda gushed about the magazine spread. ‘It is so cute that they have a station wagon. I love that throwback, man.’
She continued: ‘And just beautiful pictures of the family and her kiddos and her cute husband.’
Hoda actually got the chance to visit the home when meeting Jenna’s newborn son.
‘I went to her cute house…everyone is barefoot,’ the co-host said about the experience. ‘And it’s fun. It’s a cool place to be.’