Swimsuit

Jena Sims’s Dream Home Is Perfect for Hosting

The 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie loves a good themed party, signature cocktail and floral arrangement.

Ananya Panchal

Jena Sims

Jena Sims.

Kickstart your New Year with SI Swimsuit’s 31 Days of Wellness! This January, SI Swimsuit will unlock exclusive offerings with brand models, wellness experts, fitness gurus and more, who will guide you through 31 days of rejuvenating workouts, recipes and self-care rituals.

2023 Swim Search co-winner Jena Sims has created the home of her dreams. The model and mom of one, who welcomed a baby boy named Crew last July, designed the house with her husband, pro golfer Brooks Koepka.

She and her husband moved in to their Jupiter, Fla., home in 2021, two years after builders broke ground on the property. We’ve been catching up with Sims over the past few weeks as she divulges the little luxuries in her space that make it feel like home.

From a wine fridge in the closet to an iridescent desk and multicolored fuzzy swing in her office, the entrepreneur says that anyone who knows her will describe her aesthetic as “rainbows and sparkles.”

This week, the 35-year-old walks us through her kitchen. While she is somewhat of an introvert and always needs to recharge alone after social events or nights out, she and Koepka, 33, love to entertain. Wellness to them means being surrounded by loved ones, having a good time and indulging in the pleasures of life, which often means hosting loved ones.

“It looks like we live in our home. When you come over, it’s not stuffy, it’s not perfectly clean, it’s very homey,” she says. “No one’s afraid they’re going to break something in our house because we fully live here.”

Themed parties

Sims says Asian food is her favorite cuisine. She recently celebrated her birthday by hiring a local hibachi company to prepare fresh seafood in her home for the occasion.

“I do not cook. But I do throw a lot of parties. I think the number number one with our parties and our events is there’s always a theme,” she shares, adding that she and Koepka like to go all out with decorations and presentation, but keep it casual in terms of outfits. “It’s a formal event, but the attire is never formal.”

Her most favorite hosted event, however, was a Mary Kate and Ashley-themed 1990s slumber party.

“Everybody wore cheesy pajamas and we had a pizza party and made signature cocktails and sat on the couch, just hung out as girls and it was so much fun,” Sims shares. “We fully committed to the ’90s [bit]. I wore pigtails and girls slept over. I took a moment to step back and just look at all of my friends in their pajamas, laying on the couch. We played Mary Kate and Ashley movies. No one was watching, everyone was just talking and giggling and certain groups were making TikToks.”

For her next social event, Sims is brainstorming clever themes for Galentine’s Day, but somewhere in the pipeline will be a “Fine as Wine”-themed party.

Sims’s best hosting tips

Sims gives a shout-out to one of her best friends, Maren McRoberts, who she says is the “reason we have perfected the art” of hosting. Her sister, Hannah Sims, also often plays a huge role in party planning. To plan a bash of your own, she advises the following:

1. Have a theme. It doesn’t need to be extravagant or include tons of decoration. But if everyone has some fun and unique inspo or reason to dress up, it’s “so much more fun and lightens the mood.”

2. Have a signature cocktail. It’s an exciting, simple and new touch that people love to indulge in, and it’s a super easy conversation starter. Get creative and try something new—and if you need an idea, try Sims’s spicy watermelon margarita, detailed below.

3. Decorate with flowers and candles. Sims encourages adding the two decorations around the house, but especially in the guest bathroom, if your budget allows for it. “It really elevates the look of everything. It’s just a nice touch.”

Sims’s spicy watermelon margarita recipe

The swimwear designer cautions that she eyeballs the amount of everything—she has made this drink (or variations of it) so many times that it’s almost muscle memory.

“I’d have to record it to even know how much of each [ingredient]. I have no idea,” she says with a laugh. “I literally can eyeball it and it comes out great every time.”

Ingredients

  • Watermelon water (she gets the Publix supermarket brand), or any sort of watermelon juice
  • Lime-flavored club soda (Sims prefers Perrier)
  • Tequila
  • Triple Sec
  • Muddled jalapeños
  • Lime juice
  • Tajín seasoning

Steps

Pour everything besides the in Tajín a pitcher, stir and taste. Add anything else you might need more of. Grab yourself a glass, season the rim with Tajín and sit back and relax as the compliments flow in!

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.

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