September 9, 2019

Meet Koen van Renswoude and Alexandra Gove of Hygge Life in EagleVail, Colorado

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Koen van Renswoude and Alexandra Gove.

Koen and Alexandra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
How did Hygge Life come to be? It all started in a big blue camper called the Hygge Bus… well, actually it all started in Vail, Colorado.

Koen and I met and fell in love in this charming ski town and a year later we moved our lives to Amsterdam, Koen’s hometown. The Dutch use the word, gezellig, for which there is no direct English translation and is used to describe the coziness and comfort of an ambience, a person or a moment. Very similar to the Danish hygge. Life in the Netherlands was my first encounter with the Northern European way of slowing down, being present and genuinely enjoying every day moments. As you walk the narrow streets of Holland, the brown cafes are dimly lit, the decor is charming yet down to earth and the people are real. I was hooked.

In 2013, I traveled to Copenhagen with a dear friend in search of Danish design and inspiration. There were candles everywhere – in windows, cafes and on every table; nooks with comfy pillows, timeless chairs, plenty of good food and wine and happy people. This is where I found hygge. First I felt hygge without knowing that the word existed and then I discovered the word hygge, which sent sparks flying. It was as if I had found my life match, thus Hygge Life began.

I became obsessed with hygge spaces and the moments & good feelings these spaces provide for people. In Denmark, something as simple as a coffee or tea mug can make you smile. Things are made and spaces are designed thoughtfully yet simply and with hygge in mind.

In the summer of 2014, Koen & I bought an old 1971 Opel Blitz camper van, painted it blue, put our Hygge Life logo on the side and travelled Europe. We brought along a traditional poffertjes (Dutch mini pancake) cast-iron grill and made our way through France, Spain and Switzerland, selling poffertjes, Turkish textiles and other treats. This was our first Hygge Life venture. We were seeking & creating hygge with pancakes, textiles and our happy blue bus.

Since then, Hygge Life has evolved into an online and brick & mortar shop with a collection of European home décor inspired by hygge moments. We continuously search for and curate a collection of home décor items from artisans nearby and abroad that we hope will inspire people to adopt the Danish way of living well: the hygge life.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
People not knowing how to pronounce your business name was a bit of a struggle at first. In business school you learn to pick a name that is catchy and easy to work with… But then Hygge became more of a trend really and with that much more public awareness around the word as well.

Balancing an online shop & brick and mortar store isn’t that easy. For both there is a big competitive market out there and it is a challenge to keep both performing well.

Hygge Life – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We basically try to spread hygge with everything that we do. This translates into multiple practical things we do.

The retail shop is one way through which we do this. Through picking and sharing the items we love, and telling the stories of the makers behind the products we try to communicate intentional design. We believe that you can create a home that is designed to your needs in order to make moments.

This summer, 2019, we added a cafe to the brick and mortar shop in which we serve wonderful coffee and tea drinks. This creates a place where people can relax, or hygge (hygge – it’s a verb in Danish as well. e.g. “Let’s go to the cafe and hygge for an hour”). A comfy bar seat, Good coffee – no wifi – a newspaper, magazine or friend to talk to is what it’s all about.

We host hygge dinners, during which we do some story telling and create an experience where people can feel and life hygge first hand.

Alexandra is publishing her first book on September 24, 2019 called ‘Dwell, Gather, Be – design for moments’. The book is written about how to make a home that’s a reflective of you, and your lifestyle in order to create meaningful moments.

When people start living a more hygge life, and using the word to describe moments of contentment and joy, because they have come across it through our business – this is when we feel most joy and pride. But really, it’s contagious to seek moments coziness, joy and contentment.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Growing from having a market booth selling a few products, to having a beautiful shop and cafe where people feel inspired and the community can hygge.

Pricing:

From a Danish candle for $0.60 to a Denver handcrafted dining table for $4,000 – we believe we can serve anybody whether it’s finding a unique gift, or decorating your entire home.

Contact Info: