The Wake Up with…Rebeca Raney

Artist, Mom, Hilarious Human
Brooklyn, NY

Rebeca and I are both from Miami and in high school she dated my step-sister Jourdan's, cousin (we could have been sort of related) She is the Director of Education at Frieze, created a whole world called Raney Town at Art Basel, and collaborated with Madewell a handful of times. One of my favorite Rebeca Raney memories was at her art opening in TriBeca at least 10 years ago. She and Ithai (her partner and also an artist) performed a duet they wrote for the evening. I don't remember what the song was about but i remember Rebeca hitting some high notes punctuated with outstretched arms that opened her chest and allowed for another octave, at least. Rebeca is warm, funny and as wide-eyed and curious as the colorful creatures she creates. Stay tuned for a Rebeca Raney x Quiet Town collab launching soon.

Rebeca, was your bathroom always this bright and happy or did you have to do a lot of work when you bought it?

I was 9 months?! pregnant when we closed on our apartment and didn’t want to do much work. The original bathroom had this horrible red piece of furniture with basins glued on and the slate floor was textured and grimy. We couldn't renovate everything so we kept all of the fixtures and swapped out the lights, sink and toilet. And we got a new washer and dryer!

Your tile is rad. Tell me about it.

The tile vendor didn't have enough of the color I wanted in stock so I picked two colors instead. Ithai sat with the tile guy and had him make stripes. I wanted the bathroom to look like the bottom of a swimming pool or a locker room.

Your bathroom is pretty spacious for a Brooklyn home. Do you find yourself using for things other than bathing? 

I fold clothes Konmari style in the bathroom with headphones listening to My Favorite Murder podcast or watching some trash on Netflix. I love my washer and dryer. Some people would do a lot to conceal theirs but that just seemed ridiculous. After carting my dirty clothes to the laundromat for YEARS, there is nothing more luxurious than having my very own washer and dryer. The bathroom is a clean space and I happily spread out and fold clothes on the floor.

Where’s all your “stuff”? There’s nothing out in your bathroom. Did you clean up before we came? 

There is usually some shampoo, hair elastics, and hair brushes. We keep things neat so the bathroom is easy to clean. Less is more. We have a toothbrush holder that we send through the dishwasher every once in a while. Things for the bathroom tend to be plastic and I am trying to buy less of that. I want our bathroom to have a plant but so far most of the plants live in the kitchen besides the Mahogany in the studio.

I hear Ray has a lot of home decor opinions (you gave her an Ikea mat for her birthday this year, right?). Did she like the bath rug you chose?

Actually, the rug is currently in my daughter's bedroom next to her bed. She LOVED it and claimed it.

Quite an impressive tray of baby moisturizes you’ve got there. Do you use all of them?

We have so many products for Ray because they were/are given to us by many, many thoughtful people. When she was a baby she had eczema on her cheek, which promoted many people to pull their sworn-by creams and ointments out of purses and medicine cabinets. We had special things from Japan and France and Israel. None of it truly worked. We use Aquaphor and we try and keep her showers short and sweet.

Thanks, Rebeca! And now, our TMI Lightning Round…

Deodorant: Natural or Toxic? I use natural deodorant, which is purely symbolic because at the end of the day I totally stink.

Tooth Brushing: Shower or Sink? I have a Sonicare, so sink brushing only.

Toilet Paper: Eco or the Plush Stuff? Sometimes plush. Sometimes off brand that is scratchy.

Toilet Entertainment: Phone, Book or Deep thoughts? Never a Book.

A Smelly One: Light Something or Spray Something? Open the window.

View From the Shower? The door.

Bath or Shower? Shower.

Toothpaste: Fancy or Regs? Sensodyne

Towels: Terry or Turkish? Terry

Handsoap: Bar or Liquid? I like any kind of fat bar of soap.

Soap Vehicle: Loofah, Wash Cloth or our old friend, the Pouf? Our hands. Our soap has no vehicle.

Favorite products right now? The Wetbrush my daughter wants long hair and it's my job to detangle her nest.

Travel: Bring vs Wing-Ding? I always just buy soaps wherever I'm going. I've had things explode in my carry-on and the goop is never worth it. I Amazon the things I need to our destination if I am staying with a friend or family. Otherwise I am happy to visit a drugstore.

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