A 1930s Spanish Colonial Home in Santa Barbara
Images by Seafina LoGiacco
This week on the Journal we’re back vicariously visiting California through the eyes of photographer Serafina LoGiacco as we meet her friend Jaymee Harney, an accountant whose love of paper and design has become ‘Jaymes Paper’ a boutique stationery brand and successful side hustle. We spoke to Jaymee about her beautiful home in Santa Barbara that she shares with her husband Reis and one year old daughter Noa, finding a balance between her love of numbers and creativity and her aspirations as we head into the New Year.
Jaymee wears an IN BED 100% linen shirt and pants in kohl.
“We moved to Santa Barbara from Santa Monica in March of 2020. We lucked out and found a 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival style home on Craigslist and absolutely fell in love with all of the charm and character built into every corner. It was crafted by an Italian stonemason and all of the original touches make it really special. The arched doorways, giant windows and natural light create such a cozy environment we are lucky to call home.”
Jaymee's bed is dressed in an IN BED 100% linen duvet cover, pillowslips, fitted & flat sheets in dove grey.
“Simplicity was the goal when designing our bedroom. It’s not a very large space so we attempted to keep things to the bare minimum. The majority of our furniture in this room has been thrifted or found at an estate sale — I absolutely love finding unique, lived-in pieces with a story. I’m on a perpetual treasure hunt! Our bed is right in front of the window and we wake up when the early morning light flooding the room. I love the view out to the backyard, it’s a very calming place to start the day.”
Simplicity was the goal when designing our bedroom
“Most of the art in our home has some kind of sentimental value. We have framed a few photos from our travels and they all represent a special place and happy memories. My husband is from Hawaii and when we were visiting a few years back, our good friend (who is also a very talented photographer) shot a photo in the water of him and his 3 childhood friends in the lineup. The photo is super subtle — you can’t make out who anyone is if you didn’t know — and that’s even more reason why it’s so special. The photo is the first thing you see when you walk in the house and I will cherish it forever.”
Jaymee splits her time between her full time role as an accountant working with a fashion brand and her own creative outlet, Jaymes Paper, a boutique stationery brand.
“Right out of college, I worked in public accounting for four years and quickly realized cubicle life and Corporate America were not for me. I quit my job and pursued creative endeavors for the next four years, then found myself back in accounting, this time in-house, for the hat designer Janessa Leoné. I found the job listing by way of Craigslist (!) of all places — I’ve found a lot of good things on that website. We were a team of 3 working out of her living room and shipping hats out of her garage! It’s been so exciting to see our team and the brand grow to the place it is today (we now have 16 employees & a real office). It’s the perfect blend of numbers & analysis in a creative environment.”
“I’ve loved graphic design and paper for as long as I can remember — I was the strange kid who would spend weekends looking up fonts on the internet and making homemade cards on the computer for all of my friends and family. As much as I genuinely enjoy being in excel and spreadsheet-land for my full-time job, I also have a passion for creating and designing, which led me to start Jaymes Paper in November 2019. In an age of digital & instant communication, I think a handwritten card means even more and can make someone feel really loved. I keep a box of cards people have given me over the past 20 years — I love how cards can be such a special keepsake for the recipient.”
“When I first dreamed up the brand, the goal was to create a line of simple and timeless greeting cards on fine papers using unique printing techniques. I get inspired for Jaymes Paper at random times and keep a notepad in my phone dedicated to all of my sporadic thoughts and ideas. I love traveling to places with a lot of history and character — age old classic typography on buildings and signs provides so much inspiration. Designing a card usually starts with a visual idea in my head that I write down and eventually interpret into a design in Illustrator. From there, I tweak it multiple times and revisit it each day — when the day comes where I still love the design at first glance, the file gets finalized and submitted to the printer. I call it my sleep test!”
When I first dreamed up the brand, the goal was to create a line of simple and timeless greeting cards on fine papers using unique printing techniques.
“Santa Barbara is a truly a dream — my husband and I met here while going to college 13 years ago and I am so glad we found our way back. It’s the perfect place to raise a family and the proximity of beauty surrounding us is surreal. Our ideal Saturday is grabbing coffee from Caje, Merci, or Dune, picking up a few treats from Oat Bakery, walking over to the Farmer’s Market, and spending the rest of the afternoon at Miramar or Leadbetter Beach.”
“I truly cannot believe we are already in December — how!? The past two years have been the weirdest passing of time. I’m looking forward to more time spent with dear friends and family and watching my baby girl grow into her little self. She’ll be two next May and watching her develop each month and seeing her personality come out has been one of the greatest joys of my life.