bedMATE of the month #32: Berry Dijkstra

Every month we visit a creative and inspiring person. They are the "bedMATE of the month."

The bedMATE is the most iconic item in our collection. This extra-long pillow serves as a headboard, but also as a cuddle buddy, a supportive friend.

We're climbing into bed with the "bedMATE of the month." We'll take a look inside their homes and their colorful (bed)rooms. We'll talk about how they experience the SUITE life. What's on their minds? Where do they find their inspiration? And what color do they dream in?

This series has been running for three years now. After countless visits to Dutch and Belgian creatives, we're now taking a look under the Spanish sun, in Valencia. That's where composition artist Berry Dijkstra lives and works. A first for everything: we weren't there this time – Berry photographed himself. We've been fans of his installations for years, in which he literally lives.

I live in Valencia in a classic Spanish apartment with mosaic tiled floors, high ceilings, and original details. When I got the keys, it was full of furniture; I put it in a side room so I could bring my own things and truly make it my home. I love being surrounded by my own collection; it feels familiar and is an important foundation for my photography and work.

In my daily life, I work as a composition artist. I create temporary furniture installations, removing functional objects from their original purpose and using them as building blocks. The focus is on form, color, material, and the dialogues that arise from new combinations. I work on commissions for shops, brands, and galleries, and also curate design shows.
in which I give young designers a platform.

I studied communications and then worked as a graphic designer. Then I switched to interior design. That field is all about functionality, and in contrast, I started experimenting with my personal collection in my free time: tilting, stacking, and combining objects into temporary furniture compositions, based purely on form, color, and material. I photographed these compositions from the front and low angles and shared them on Instagram. That's how my current work gradually evolved.

I was invited by Wonder Festival in Kortrijk to design a furniture installation featuring work from companies in the Kortrijk region and supplemented with work from designers. Given the
The size of the space, a former classroom, becomes an installation that you can walk through as a visitor.

Furthermore, just like last year, I'll be opening my home to design enthusiasts during Valencia Design Week at the end of September. The concept is living with design, and I'm inviting local/Spanish designers and brands to showcase work from my collection, creating a dialogue and providing a great excuse for cava!

What's on your interior wishlist?
Art Deco on my mind! This movement is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and I have been fascinated for some time by this movement, which is a mixture of all kinds of directions, but where the
combining craftsmanship and technology for the first time. The interplay of
clear lines and space for ornament.

Can you tell us something about your favorite place in the house?
The bed! Not to flatter you, but I find the bed perfect for reading, daydreaming, watching movies, and of course, sleeping. In my current apartment in Valencia, all the rooms are connected, so the bedrooms are visible from every angle and flow seamlessly into the living and dining room. It feels very natural to transition from the dining room to the bed.

Do you have a favorite architect?
I've rediscovered Sybold van Ravesteyn, known for his work at Rotterdam Zoo, among other places. What resonates with me is that, based on the New Objectivity, which sought pure form (without ornament or decoration), he developed a uniquely Dutch style by incorporating undulating lines, plastered walls, and ornaments and embellishments. I see a parallel with my own work: combining different worlds, always with that minimalist layer as the foundation.

How would you describe your interior style?
Rich in contrast. Just like in my work, I love to combine different worlds, time layers, and colors.
I'm never really concerned with what I need, but more with what makes me happy,
However, I do have a strict purchasing policy. I approach my interior as a collection and
A collection of memories; every piece of furniture, object, and item has a story and I can connect it to a moment or period in my life. Through my work, I'm constantly exposed to new designs, and I often buy work from a designer whose work I've used for a shoot or show. As a tangible memory and also as support for the designer. With my work, albeit on a nanoscale, I promote designers, but at the same time, I want to show people the importance of buying locally.

What's your favorite color combination? And why?
Blue for the win. A grayish-gray wall and a more Yves Klein-esque furniture. Blue combines so easily with other colors. Pair a bright green with a grayish-gray blue, or a saturated brown with a blue. It works.

Which item in your home says a lot about you?
I can't reduce this to one item, but looking at the collection, all the designs are consistent in quality, detailing, and materialization.

Where would you love to sleep someday?
Casa Axis! A space-age villa from 1975, just outside the city of Valencia. The design is by self-taught architects Antonio Segura and Pascual Genoves. The eye-catcher is an indoor swimming pool in
the living room!

How do you use the BedMATE? (couch buddy? pregnancy? cuddle buddy?)
For coziness and very practical as a back support or as a cushion, I drag it along between the two beds in my apartment.

What's a must-have on your bedside table?
A book, glass of water, earplugs, alarm clock, but actually it's more about what I absolutely don't want on my bedside table: smartphone.

What is your biggest work-related dream?
That I'll have access and free rein to all the works stored in a museum depot (are you reading this?) and can create a composition with them. It's no longer about the context or the story of the individual object, but how the works come together and enter into a dialogue based on their appearance.

Your favorite movie/book/song?
I recently discovered the work of Peter Greenaway. One random evening, I saw the title "A Zed & Two Noughts" on Mubi. The still—a woman sitting in bed flanked by two naked men in a symmetrically styled space—was all I needed to click "watch." The film is a visual journey, largely shot in Rotterdam's Rotterdam Zoo (hence the film's title), within which an absurdist story unfolds, filled with
symbolism, sublime soundtracks, fantastic scenography and still photography.

What snack do you always have at home?
I always have pickles and kefir on hand, but I don't consider them a real snack. I prefer to buy fresh produce at the local market, and every now and then I run downstairs a few minutes before the supermarket closes for banana chips or jelly kisses.

How do you relax?
I have the beach and the sea at my disposal and an 8 km long park right through the city, so I'm good.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Architect! My mother reminded me of that recently. I was always drawing cities and
then mainly towers, supplemented with dragons. Architect never got around to it, but when I zoom in
In my installations, I see cityscapes in them. A collage of volumes and shapes that together form a skyline. Architecture and urban planning also play an important role in my hobby. I simply love the city and how all its functions converge, how layers of time unite, and also the friction and chaos, which you can also experience.
translate back to my work.