Photography by Carmen Troesser
The Van Bergen family
At 24, Rebecca van Bergen, a native of St. Louis and a graduate student at Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work, founded Nest. Sixteen years later, the nonprofit with a global reach aims to help entrepreneurs working in the creative realm—mostly women—grow their businesses and connect them with top brands and retailers such as Target, Patagonia, West Elm, and Madewell.
According to van Bergen, the ripple effects of such partnerships “impact families and communities and boosts cultural preservation.”
So, when it was time to settle her family into their new home—a custom-built house in the heart of Kirkwood—Rebecca wanted it to be a direct reflection of her professional work, which puts the spotlight on artisans and small-batch makers in the U.S. (including St. Louis) and 120 other countries. Rebecca, husband Chris van Bergen (Nest’s chief financial and operating officer), and their children, Ella, 9, and Sawyer, 7, returned to her hometown in 2021.
Before then, the Nest offices were located in Manhattan and the van Bergens commuted from their house in Westchester County. A year into the pandemic, however, the lease on their office space was up and most of their employees had transitioned to remote work. “We polled the staff, and no one wanted to return to the office full-time, so we decided not to reopen. We thought, If we don’t reopen, why are we here?” Rebecca recalls.
The family decided to return to St. Louis to be closer to Rebecca’s parents and to run Nest from a new home. Though Chris is originally from New York, he had spent seven years in St. Louis as a freelance trumpet player before meeting Rebecca, so it was a bit of a homecoming for him as well, in addition to a full-circle moment for Nest.
In 2006, Rebecca was completing her master’s degree in social work. “I thought I wanted to be a social worker, but I was really interested in women and children and international development,” she says. That same year, Muhammad Yunus, a social entrepreneur from Bangladesh, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, providing further inspiration. Serendipitously, Wash. U. held a combined social enterprise/business plan competition, which Rebecca won, providing her with seed capital to fund Nest.
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Photography by Carmen Troesser
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The van Bergens chose Kirkwood for its walkability, great schools, and family life. They were attracted to their home, built in 2021 by Ellie Cade Custom Homes, for its detail and craft, open living space, and proximity to the Kirkwood Farmers Market.
Nest’s influence in the home is both obvious and subtle. Artisan pieces, such as the baskets handwoven by the women the van Bergens work with, sit atop tables. Framed artwork, including a wedding gift, adorns the walls.
“There are many tenets of Nest that have influenced my style, both in the interior of my home and in my fashion and my lifestyle,” says Rebecca. Heritage is also an important theme. “Both my husband and I have rich craft histories in our family.”
She points to a Midcentury Modern armchair handed down from her mother-in-law, who wove its upholstery fabric, and to a pair of classic Eames rockers dressed in the same color scheme. One was inherited from her grandparents; in a stroke of serendipity, the couple found its near match one day while vintage shopping. A wood dining set, made by one of the longest-standing furniture makers in Maine, belonged to her grandparents. “A lot of our stuff is passed down from our family,” she says.
Any purchase is made with great intention to align with the values of Nest. “When we have to supplement, we use companies we work with,” says Rebecca.
One such place is West Elm, one of the first large retailers to invest in craft and partner with the company. West Elm’s CEO serves on the board of Nest.
Feathers and florals adorn several rooms in the house. Look no further than the hand-illustrated nature-inspired wallpapers by Rifle Paper Co. everywhere from the laundry room to the bathrooms.
Photography by Carmen Troesser
Since the move to St. Louis, Rebecca has made it a priority to become more involved in supporting local artisans, working with the Maker District on Delmar and managing a program called Makers United, which is centered around equity and inclusion within the makers movement. Last spring, Nest hosted a workshop series for a diverse group of local makers led by experts from Hermès of Paris, a longtime Nest partner.
In addition, small local makers—including Chelsea Wilkins of Scavenge + Bloom and Lisa Dolan of Lark Skin Co.—have sold goods on Madewell through the Nest program Hometown Heroes. “I chose the name Nest as I love the imagery of a nest providing a warm, nurturing environment as birds grow before liftoff,” says Rebecca. “Similarly, we’re building safe, supportive communities for women and creative entrepreneurs to help them invest in their businesses.”
