Ibiza has long been known for its vibrant energy and global appeal, yet for many, the island reveals something far deeper over time. In this exclusive conversation, American interior designer and entrepreneur Breegan Jane shares her personal journey with Ibiza – from a spontaneous first visit at nineteen to envisioning the island as a place to call home.

Through her reflections, she explores what truly defines a home beyond aesthetics, the importance of community, and the unexpected ways Ibiza lends itself to family life. From long summer tables filled with friends to simple days spent at sea, her story offers a fresh perspective on the island – one rooted in connection, freedom, and authenticity.

This interview explores family life in Ibiza, the island’s quieter sense of luxury, and what matters when choosing a home or trusted property partner.

You are known for your refined yet warm design aesthetic. When choosing a place to live or spend time, what matters most to you beyond beauty?

Beyond beauty… I think it’s how the house functions. Whenever I’ve come to Ibiza, I’ve always invited a large group of family and friends to join us. One of the rentals that I’ve rented more than once – because I do like to try different places on the island and different houses, and Prestige has always given me that ability – is a home that has the most perfect imperfect kitchen. It’s got a dining table in the middle of the kitchen.

And I realised that as a family we tend to gather there, because there’s a place for all of us to sit together. The tile isn’t what people would expect from my design aesthetic. The appliances are not the most up to date. But the way we actually gather in the space and use it makes it a home that I want to spend more time in. It’s an unusual design because the kitchen is large and spacious and all the appliances and sinks are up against the walls, almost in a half circle. That leaves enough room for a six-person dining table right in the kitchen area.

So while somebody’s cooking, the kids can be eating. While somebody’s cooking, we can be drinking wine together. It becomes a social space – a space for everybody coming together is really a big part of what I’m looking for in a home.

When did you first discover Ibiza? Do you remember your very first impression of the island?

I found the island – or I like to say the island found me – when I was nineteen. I was on my first real backpacking trip through Europe as an American. For us it’s a far place to travel, so we don’t usually do that until after high school. I came with a friend and he kept telling me about this island in Spain that we had to go to. And it ended up being the last stop after about a month-long trip. I just completely fell in love with it.

We had seen beautiful places already. We had gone to Italy, to France, all over Spain. We had done Capri and the Amalfi Coast. But when I got to Ibiza there was this sense of my nervous system relaxing. There was an immediate sense of safety that I felt here.

I think as a young girl travelling, safety is always part of how you experience a place. If you’re on edge in a big city, even if it’s cool and exciting, you’re always looking over your shoulder a little bit.
When I got to Ibiza it was like everything just relaxed. I knew I was safe. There was so much more community here.

Back then you could sit down in La Marina, with busy streets, and people would tell you what parties were happening. It was so community-based. Ever since that trip at nineteen I was always trying to find ways to come back to Ibiza as often as I could.

At some point Ibiza became a tradition for you and your family. How did that begin?

I travelled back to Ibiza several times after that first trip, and eventually I started coming every year with my kids. When my children were one and three years old I was a single mom, and everyone around me was planning their summer vacations. But my single friends were planning trips without kids, and my married friends were usually inviting other couples with children.

I realised that if I wanted the kind of summer I imagined, I would have to create it myself. I remember renting my first five-bedroom house. It was just me and the kids and our nanny, and I invited all the friends that mattered a lot to me. Some had kids, some didn’t. Some were married, some were single. And I remember thinking: "Will any of them come?". I was honestly a little terrified. I thought, well, if nobody shows up then it will just be me and the kids in Ibiza. But they did. And those same friends have been coming every summer for almost ten years now.

For me, it became proof that sometimes you have to build the life you want and invite people into it. As a parent one of your biggest worries is: "what if I’m not here one day? Who will tell my kids who I was?" So it’s very special, the kids are growing up together and they’re also growing up with the adult friends in my life, forming their own relationships with them.

My kids play a lot of cards and chess at the dining table with my friends. When they were little it helped to have something to do, but now I love watching them interact with the adults around them. They’re developing relationships with people who are photographers, playwrights, creatives – people with passions and careers that are different from mine.

I can only show them my world and my interests. But through these friendships they get exposed to so many other perspectives. And I love that they feel these people are their friends, not just their mom’s friends. When they were six or seven I used to ask them what they loved most about summers in Ibiza. And they said: eating with everybody.

In America we just don’t really have that culture. There’s a kids’ table and a parents’ table. There’s a kids’ party and a parents’ party. But in Ibiza everybody sits together. And I think kids really want a seat at the table. If you give them that opportunity to sit with adults and listen and participate in conversations, they grow from it. It almost started out of desperation because as a single mom you’re not always invited to everyone else’s table. Sometimes people just don’t quite know where to place you. So I thought: "Ok, I’ll build my own table". And I love the people who sit around it now.

How have you seen the island evolve over the years?

Honestly, for me the spirit has remained the same. Change is going to happen regardless of the city you live in or how the world turns. But the heart of Ibiza, for me, is still that pure hippie, artistic community vibe. It hasn’t lost that. Of course I’ve seen busier summers. I’ve seen hotter summers. And I’ve seen the months that I like to visit change as well. Now May and September are probably my favourite months, whereas in the past I only wanted to travel in July.

But that’s also part of life – as we grow, our relationship with places changes too. One thing I think Ibiza does very well is that it protects the island. It hasn’t overdeveloped with massive buildings where suddenly you can’t recognise it anymore. For example, it took me until this year to realise that Lío used to be El Divino. El Divino was the first place I ever went out when I was nineteen. And for years I kept saying I wanted to go back to El Divino again – not realising that I had been going to the same place all along. It just looked different, but somehow it still called me back.

Now that I also spend winters here, I see another side of the island too. You see hiking groups cleaning up the island. You see the rain washing everything clean. It makes you realise how much people care about preserving the island. And that’s special, because so many places in the world change beyond recognition. Ibiza has managed to evolve without losing its spirit.

In the United States, Ibiza is often associated with nightlife. What would you like Americans to understand about the island?

That it’s actually a family place. I tell people this all the time. In the States people often associate me with Ibiza because I talk about it so much. I’ve mentioned it in interviews, in television shows, in articles. I’ve been talking about Ibiza as a family place for years. But the first reaction is always: "Oh, the party island." And I used to really try to push back against that. But now I explain it differently. What is your perspective of what a party is? For example weddings. A Wedding is a party too. And it’s one of the most beautiful kinds of parties because it’s multi-generational. Everyone is celebrating together, celebrating love.

If people want to call Ibiza a party island, I would say yes – during the summer it’s a celebration. It’s a multi-generational celebration of life. And who doesn’t want to go to a wedding? People sometimes use the word "party" negatively, like it means young people doing drugs. But the kind of party I see here is people being happy and celebrating life. You go to lunch and you end up leaving with friends from three different tables. If you need something, someone helps you.

There’s this community and a feeling that everyone is here to enjoy life together. And the other thing that surprises Americans when they arrive is the nature. Friends who think it’s only about clubs are always shocked when they see how green and natural the island is: the trees, the cliffs, the ocean views…That’s something you really only understand once you are here.

As a mother of two boys, what did you discover about Ibiza once you began spending everyday family life here?

One thing I really had to learn was how to heal my anxious American city brain and understand that it’s OK to feel safe. I’m used to living in Los Angeles, where I worry about homelessness, I worry about crime, I worry about guns. So the idea that I don’t have my eyes on my boys every single second is not my normal setting. Here I’ve had to retrain my nervous system a little bit. You sit at lunch and the kids run off somewhere. Maybe they go to look at something nearby, maybe someone shows them something interesting.

At first, as an American, you’re thinking: "Where are they? Why aren’t I watching them?". But here you slowly realise that there’s a community around you. A waitress might take the kids over to show them the lobster cage. And your first reaction is almost like: "Wait… why is the waitress taking my son?". But it’s not strange here. It’s just curiosity and community. It gives you a moment to breathe, to have a glass of wine, to finish an adult conversation with your friend. And over time you learn to trust that.

We also recently got six chickens and two goats. I never imagined that I would have farm animals. But I’ve realised that going outside, collecting eggs, feeding the animals, talking to them – it’s actually really grounding for me. And it’s wonderful for the kids as well. Now I almost feel like everybody should have a farm. It’s good for your soul.

Ibiza is just a very warm place. My kids have now been to about twenty-five different countries, which is actually quite unusual for American kids. My youngest says he wants to reach fifty countries before he turns eighteen, so we have some work to do. But no matter how much of the world we see, Ibiza has always been the place we want to come back to.

Eventually I realised: "Maybe this is where we’re meant to be". And I think everyone knows when they find that place. If it’s not Ibiza for you, then I always encourage people to travel until they find their place – because it might be somewhere unexpected, or it might even be your own backyard. But you won’t know unless you go and look.

You travel to some of the world’s most luxurious destinations. How would you describe Ibiza’s particular sense of luxury?

Ibiza has a very different definition of luxury. As a designer who has worked on both luxury homes and very approachable products, one of the things that fascinates me about Ibiza is that the luxury here is actually in the simplicity. It’s the feeling of freedom. It’s the feeling of coming out of the sea and having wet money in your board-short pocket. There’s something about that that feels very real and very relaxed.

Ibiza has this prestigious vacation energy, but without the snobbery. You don’t walk around wondering: "Do I fit in? Am I cool enough? Am I wearing the right thing?". Of course, I always recommend that people book their restaurants in advance when they travel here – but that’s not about exclusivity. It’s simply because there are limited places on the island in summer, and once you have a table it’s yours for the whole day or evening. It’s very different from some places where you feel like the "cool" places are almost too cool. Ibiza isn’t like that. Ibiza, in its luxury, still maintains a certain kind of approachability that makes a lot of people feel comfortable.

In a way it reminds me a little of California, especially Los Angeles. People walk around barefoot. People are in their bathing suits. And yet you’re surrounded by incredible beauty and very luxurious properties. The billionaire on the yacht might look exactly the same as the person captaining the boat or the person on the dinghy.

Everybody looks the same. Everybody treats each other the same. Kids are treated with the same respect by both of those people. It’s this coming together as equal human beings that I can’t find anywhere else. Even the houses here reflect that philosophy. Some of the most luxurious homes in Ibiza are built with concrete, wood and very natural materials. It’s minimal. It’s calm. The value often comes from the view or the setting rather than from marble and gold finishes. To me, that’s the real point of luxury. Luxury should allow you to relax and be yourself – and Ibiza does exactly that.

What do your children love most about being on the island?

Our favourite day as a family is what I call Boat Day. I sometimes tell friends that I want to show them my church – and my church is Boat Day. For us that means renting a small boat that fits about eleven people and filling it with friends and family. Sometimes we even take two boats, which is even more fun because you can see your friends right next to you out on the water.

What I love most is watching the colour of the water change. When we’re heading towards Formentera I’ll tell the kids: "Watch… watch… the water’s about to change colour". And suddenly that deep blue becomes this magical turquoise. That moment never gets old for me.

When you go to lunch in Formentera you don’t even wear shoes. You’re in beach clothes, you’re wet from swimming, the kids are running around. After lunch the kids jump back in the water, they look for fish, they swim. It’s such a simple day but it’s magical.

To share the ocean like that with my kids, and to do it in a safe place where there’s really no danger – there are no big waves here – means that even with little ones it feels very safe, and there are helping hands everywhere. It’s one of my favourite things to do with the kids on the island.

And I also appreciate that boating here is taken very seriously in terms of safety. The laws around captains’ licences and the number of people on board are strict. Water is something you have to respect. And Ibiza understands that balance between freedom and safety.

Over time Ibiza shifted from a holiday destination to something more meaningful for you. Now you are considering buying a home. When did this shift happen?

They say love grows slowly, and I think that’s true for me with Ibiza. Each year the island became more special. I looked forward to the next summer more and more. And every time I brought someone new, I got to experience the island again through their eyes. Eventually I realised something very simple. You only get one life. So why spend it somewhere that doesn’t make you feel good?

California has struggled in recent years – after COVID, after the fires – and I started to feel my community there changing. It made me question why I was holding on to what felt normal instead of following what felt right in my heart.

I also started looking more closely at older women around the world. The women I see here in Ibiza in their seventies – that’s who I want to become. When I look at women in their seventies in America right now, I’m not always sure that’s the life I want. So the answer became very clear to me. Where is my future? I want to be here.

What kind of property would be your ideal Ibiza home?

My thinking about this has evolved over time. Originally I thought I needed at least five bedrooms – preferably more – because I love hosting people. That’s been one of the challenges in finding a home here, because properties with that many bedrooms in the right location are not always easy to find. But as my kids grow up I’m starting to think differently. Maybe I invest in something that we can rent for now, and that I can live in later when the kids are grown.

One thing I absolutely will not compromise on is walkability. Prestige knows this about me very well. There are beautiful houses on the island where you need to drive everywhere. Some people love that privacy. But I hate driving. I need to be able to walk to a market or a restaurant. That’s non-negotiable for me. And as a designer I would actually prefer a house that isn’t completely finished. I want a project. I want something I can transform.

When buying property abroad, trust is essential. What do you value most in a real estate partner?

Loyalty. And someone who truly understands their client. In California I’ve worked with the same real estate agent for the last ten years. We’ve done many transactions together, and that relationship is based on trust. At the end of the day I know he has my back.

That’s what has made my relationship with Prestige so special as well. I started renting with Roody many years ago, and over time he really got to know me. Every year the houses got better or more suited to what I was looking for. He understood things like walkability, the fact that I bring lots of kids, the way we use a house. It became a relationship where he really knew what mattered to me.

Working with Roberta on the sales side has been the same. Even though my search has taken a long time, she knows what not to show me. She isn’t trying to sell me something that doesn’t fit. She understands what I want. And I’ve also loved seeing Prestige grow. When I first started renting you didn’t have the concierge service yet. Now everything – boats, cars, massages – can be organised through one place.

The team talks to each other. They know what I like and what I don’t like. Prestige is like an all-encompassing extended family and you don’t feel like you’re being sold. Nobody wants to be sold anything. At Prestige, you understand my needs – and you meet them with heart.

For further insight into Breegan Jane’s work and creative vision, you can explore her website.

Finding Your Perfect Home in Ibiza

For Breegan, Ibiza is more than a destination; it is a place that evolves with you, revealing new layers of meaning over time. Her story is a reminder that the true essence of the island lies not only in its beauty, but in the way it brings people together and allows them to live more freely and genuinely.

At Prestige Properties, we understand that finding the right home goes far beyond location or design. It is about choosing a place that reflects your lifestyle, your values, and the life you want to create.

If Ibiza feels like your place too, our dedicated team is here to guide you – helping you discover a home that feels not only exceptional, but entirely your own.