PoBo Lifestyle co-founders, Filipe and Joana, are the creative geniuses behind the one-of-a-kind and coveted music consoles; they started with a desire to create things that evoked their passions, a combination of everything they love about life. Their move from Portugal to Boulder proved to be another source of inspiration, starting with the name and overall aesthetic of their brand.
“What better way to pay homage to both places than to incorporate them into our brand? That’s how PoBo was born: from Portugal to Boulder”, says Joana. The idea to move began with an invitation for Filipe to come work in the western part of the US. During the choosing process, they watched a video of a college student praising Boulder. “That was it! We were hooked.”
Boulder possesses that certain European je ne sais quois that continues to influence their creativity, while making them feel right at home. Upon arriving, they found that The Rocky Mountains, crisp open air, and snow covered landscapes contribute to the cozy and comfortable environment that enables them to create in the way they do.
Their music consoles merge mid-century design with world class sound systems, to bring timeless pieces that elevate the overall music listening experience of your home, as well as the quality of the home itself. The pleasing to the eye music pieces double as practical pieces of decorative furniture, exuding the coveted chic European appeal.
Joana and Filipe embody the PoBo Lifestyle through the love and dedication put towards their own home, and the joy they find in filling it with beautiful things that please them. “We enjoy being surrounded by friends and sharing long dinners over homemade Portuguese cuisine, good wine, and a lot of laughter around a firepit to the sound of records spinning on the turntable”, says Filipe.
In essence: PoBo Lifestyle allows them to share this passion with others, all connected through the universal power of connection through music.
While Joana leans more towards rock and indie rock and Filipe gravitates towards soul and funk, it would be wrong to think they limit themselves musically. They’ve been able to expand their musical horizons through their work on the consoles, discovering new music every week.
“Music is life! It’s a constant in our house and there’s room for all types of genres.”
Joana recalls how organically they came to start creating these consoles.
“Filipe has always been very good at all sorts of manual work and he knows his way around sound systems. Plus, he can’t stay still. So, when he found himself with extra time on his hands, he started to renovate a music console for our home. 1 turned to 2, 2 turned to 3… eventually, we had 8 consoles.”
Naturally, Filipe and Joana found themselves faced with 2 choices: either move to a bigger house, or start a business. Their friends were instrumental in that decision when they began to take interest and encourage the creation of these consoles. Luckily, Joana’s natural marketing skills were a perfect fit to launch a business. “She is responsible for the website, the photos, design, copy, basically all PoBo marketing”, explains Filipe. From there, word of mouth marketing did its thing, and did it well, to share the musical magic of these consoles.
Their clientele began to expand outside of their friendship circles, eventually growing to include musicians. “We develop a very close relationship with our clients-to-be,” they say. “We are so proud that most of them end up being our friends.”
For the dynamic duo, inspiration comes from everything, everywhere, at all times. Memories of their world travels are essential in their creative process as well, as each Console is named after a city they have visited.
“We push each other’s creativity. Usually over a glass of wine, listening to music.”
Through the whole process, the end goal is and always has been to give each client the best experience possible when working with PoBo. From the moment they fall in love with a PoBo Console to receiving it in a custom-built wooden crate like any other piece of art, Joana and Filipe are constantly evolving with their business, trodding a path full of learning moments.
“It’s a never-ending commitment to ourselves, our brand, and our clients. If we can provide some of the magical moments that we share together on our evenings listening to music to our clients, we consider ourselves fortunate.”