Jenna Bush Hager’s Long Island Dream Cottage That Reminded Her of Texas

Jenna Bush Hager shares a Long Island cottage with her husband Henry Chase Hager and their three kids: Poppy Louise, Margaret “Mila” Laura, and Henry “Hal” Harold.

The couple, married for 15 years, combined pieces from the Bush and Hager families for their cozy cottage. While decorating the walls with her dad’s paintings, they also added new paintings for their girls.

Jenna Bush Hager made her cottage a real dream house for her family as she and her husband like to spend time on their patio, grilling, chatting with friends, partying with family, and more.

The daughter of former President George W. Bush and Henry met in 2004 at her father’s re-election campaign. Even though he had a girlfriend at the time, their mutual friend set them up, and when he showed up, she thought he was cute.

Henry, who worked for her father, also has political roots. His father, John H. Hager, was the former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services and the former lieutenant governor of Virginia.

However, Jenna thought Henry was too old by their first meeting because he was three years older. They had become friends by the election day, but their relationship moved swiftly, and a source said they were an item by the inaugural day.

After three months of dating and a Christmas cocktail, Jenna told Henry they should get married. He turned her down by saying he was crazy about her but that she was too young.

In 2007, Henry finally proposed to Jenna after seeking permission from her father. On May 10, 2008, the couple married at her family’s 1,600-acre ranch near Crawford, Texas.

On April 13, 2013, Jenna and Henry welcomed their first child, Margaret ‘Mila’ Laura, and they named her after both their mothers: Margaret “Maggie” Hager and Laura Bush.

Two years later, on August 13, 2015, they welcomed a second daughter, Poppy Louise. They named Poppy after Jenna’s grandfather, George H.W. Bush, who had Poppy as his nickname when he was a child.

On August 2, 2019, they welcomed their son, Henry ‘Hal’ Harold. They named him after his father and paternal grandfather whose middle name is also Henry. However, they named Harold after Jenna’s maternal grandfather.

After over a decade of being married, Jenna and Henry still share a love that she calls “solid.” She once revealed that her husband’s love is simple yet thoughtful.

The couple also spends time together, soaking up as much family time as possible. Jenna is always grateful for her family of five.

After spending almost six summers renting with her husband, the couple, who were not looking to buy a house, fell in love with a cottage that reminded Jenna of Texas.

She had learned from her mother that every house had a feeling, and the cottage brought back a sense of familiarity. Once her husband saw the four-bedroom home, he knew it was perfect for them.

Besides the beautiful and lush greenery, the picturesque landscaping of their property would make anyone with an eye for beauty envious.

Once they bought the place, they overhauled the kitchen, replaced appliances, cabinetry, and fixtures, and gave it a greater sense of openness.

Jenna’s new kitchen features granite countertops, mint-colored cabinets, and a large table. The new house and environment made Jenna want to cook and entertain more.

And she does entertain almost every weekend in the summer by hosting a poolside party game at their pool which has an open-air pool house.

The couple plan some of their parties, and others spring up. While Jenna and Henry love to entertain and throw dinner parties, he loves to grill, especially in the summer.

When they are not hosting or celebrating with their families and friends, Jenna and Henry spend time with their kids and appreciate the beauty of nature around them.

When designing their home, Jenna and Henry made sure they had a lot of space and a play area for their little ones. The kids can play in the backyard, which also houses their luxurious pool and patio area.

Even though Jenna spends a lot of time in New York for work, her Long Island home is a dream come true, and it provides the perfect escape from the city.

They filled their living area with plenty of comfortable couches, a massive bookshelf, and a television. Here, Jenna added a refurbished late-20th-century sofa from her family.

The sofa got a new life with blue velvet upholstery and tassel fringe, while Henry added a pair of wingback chairs from his family. The wingback chairs feature an Indian embroidery pattern.

For Jenna, who loves things with history, these additions from their families were perfect. They contacted their friend Traci White, a Dallas-based designer, to further transform their home.

White and Jenna were college roommates at the University of Texas and had worked together on several projects. They sorted through the Bush and Hager family pieces to find the perfect items for the home.

From the Hager family, Jenna, who inherited an eye for design from her mother, also found a mahogany sideboard to compliment the wingback chairs.

While decorating, Jenna also worked with her mother to find the perfect art pieces. Her mother went through the former president’s paintings to pull paintings that shared native commonalities with Long Island.

Among the paintings were textural landscapes of Maine’s rocky coast and statuesque birds to brighten the walls. These were a part of a series commissioned by her mother, depicting animal and plant life found at Camp David.

Amid old art, there are a couple of new artworks as Jenna’s friend Natalie Erwin Art painted portraits of Jenna’s daughters, which hang in their room.

They also found a pair of fancifully painted chairs in the house, and they keep these in the entry hall. In addition, they found a beautiful cache of iron furniture, which now stays outside and sometimes serves as the seating area for their parties.

White revealed that Jenna and her mother enjoy considering pieces individually to find the beauty in them and are never thinking of always buying new things.​