Meet Marina Piche & Kris Cuyvers | Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marina Piche & Kris Cuyvers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina & Kris, how do you think about risk?
life is wrongly too often about risk avoidance, instead we believe that (taking) risks are what moves us forward and instead it is a process that needs to be managed. risks should not be avoided, but managed.

obviously we have failed at several initiatiaves and ventures, but these have brought us closer to success. our biggest achievements came from risks where especially friends and family considered us completely crazy… like buying a 200yo farmhouse in the French Alps.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We moved to Los Angeles in 2016, after a career in investment banking (Kris) and media (Marina). We were both drawn into LA and California for the weather and because it is a place where everyone can just be whoever they want to be… and reinvent oneself. That’s what we both wanted and needed: a new chapter, not casted for who we had been so far professionally.
But LA is hard. We both had and have plenty of business ideas but the cost of doing business is humongous. just try to get a commercial lease without signing in blood.
We both invested and entrepreneured in several ways and domains, with ups and downs. Until on a random Monday Kris was ‘zillow-ing’ on an international real estate site and came across a 200yo farmhouse in the French Alps. Kris loves cycling and skiing so there was a natural fit and interest, whilst Marina was born in France before moving back to Australia. We scheduled an appointment with the broker, flew in and bought the property on the spot. completely and utterly impulsive with no plan but plenty of good feelings and intuition. COVID broke out the month after the purchase and during the lockdowns, which we mostly spent in France at the farmhouse, we rediscovered the joys of living and life. the small things. working with your hands, doing things yourself. We created this organic mix of active lifestyle, food and wellness amidst nature, and realized how the American grind had burned us out and how much we were in need for a relax, reconnect and recharge. When we started talking (and demonstrating) our re found joy with friends in LA we got so much interest that we decided to organize short stays at the Farmhouse. 4 days / 5 nights immersive retreats with again the ingredients of active lifestyle, food, wellness (self care) and nature. We limit out retreats to 12 across the seasons and 6-8 people, since our retreats are so highly personal where we share our insights, energy and love for the region, the mountains and this way of life.
Since last year we have started to bring our design, art and home objects and antiques from France to LA. We have chosen from the beginning to renovate the Farmhouse with local antiques and barn finds (sometimes literally) and that passion is now rolling into LA where we offer our community similar French vibes at their homes with highly personal and unique pieces and events. This is called Enjoie L’Atelier.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In LA we love to visit Gjusta Bakery in Venice, our favorite order is the Baklava Croissant. Kris loves to cycle through the Topanga and Malibu canyons while Marina loves to spend a day going to Hauser and Wirth to wonder through the gallery spaces and then have dinner at Manuela. When we want to unwind on a Sunday, we often take a book and our dog Lloyd to Playa del Rey and sit on the beach and enjoy the LA sunshine.

For France – Alpe d’Huez, where the farmhouse is located is globally renowned as a skiing, hiking and cycling hotspot, also thanks to being featured in a Netflix show. Yet, we immediately take our visitors and guests “left” and away from the beaten path into the resort and “must dos” in the resort. There are so many incredible gems around us, we take people on a hike down a local trail, or cycle up the mountain across from us instead of Alpe d’Huez, or go skiing away from the crowded runs.
Our secret little hidden gem is Le Bijou, a very small restaurant run by Caroline who does everything from cooking to busing tables and is the heart and soul of the small village of Villard Reculas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our Shoutout is to Tina Grant – she’s always been supportive of the Enjoie.life brand, she’s been to the farmhouse in France, is a fellow cyclist and loves bringing community together through an active lifestyle which is something we do at the house. Tina is a creative, she works as a Props Master, she runs cycling community rides and also teaches. She’s been an advocate for us, so we would also like to be an advocate for her.

Website: https://www.enjoie.life

Instagram: @enjoie_thefarmhouse and @enjoielatelier

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enjoie-life

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569946103674