bedMATE of the month #37: Pauline Barendregt

Every month, we visit a creative and inspiring individual. He or she is 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 get into bed with the 'bedMATE of the month'. We take a look at their home and
their colorful bedrooms. In conversation, we discover how they experience the SUITE life.
What's on their mind? Where do they draw their inspiration from? And in
what color do they dream?

This month, we had the pleasure of peeking into the home of Pauline Barendregt, Head of Design at
HEMA. 'I'm a dreamer, I see something and then my mind automatically starts rattling in a different direction.'

A zeppelin above the city, is how Pauline Barendregt described her home on Instagram.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Tucked away in a quiet street in the middle of the bustling Jordaan area,
Pauline's apartment indeed 'floats', a studio with dynamic mezzanines and
varying ceiling heights, abundant natural light from all sides, and an amazing view over all of
Amsterdam. 'I find that view over the entire city indescribably cool. I can
gaze endlessly', says Pauline.

Her place radiates peace, it is calm and tidy,
with plenty to look at: beautiful furniture, quirky design objects, and clustered
nooks filled with small collections ('I am a collector, but I also like to keep it
tidy'). And it smells wonderful ('I love scented candles, currently I'm into
Darling by August & Piers').

When I ask Pauline how she would describe herself in five words, she says:
'Mother, thinker, observer, listener, and ideas-box.' As Head of Design at HEMA, where she is
responsible for the design signature - from baby rompers to tableware -
all of these qualities come in handy. 'I lead the team of approximately 30 designers in
product design across all categories, which is a very broad scope. Together with the team,
I am currently fully engaged in HEMA's product design for winter 2026.'

'I enjoy working with people who have fun and are open to looking at the usual in a
different way. Work takes up a large part of my
life, so I find it especially important that they are nice people and that you have fun
together.'

‘After graduating from fashion academy, I started as a designer at various fashion
companies, including ten years as Head of Design at G-Star Raw, where I managed
the international design team. In 2010, I founded a strategic design consultancy
agency where I advised various fashion and design brands on the interpretation of
their brands and their translation into product design,’ says Pauline.

‘For the past 6 years, I was creative director at Fatboy, and together with the product
development team, I conceived many new products and initiated exciting product
collaborations, such as with Daily Paper, Longchamp, but also with designers like
Chris Kabel, Erik Stehmann, Kranen/Gille, Roderick Vos, and Carole Baijings. In early
2025, I started as Head of Design at HEMA.’

As mentioned, Pauline is a fan & collector of beautiful things. Her favorite object?
'Oh, that's difficult. My Joe Colombo Elda chair (which I've owned for decades) or my
Maarten Baas X Walter van Beirendonck chair, or my dresser by Teun Zwets, or Oskar Zieta's
mirror donut above my bed - I can't choose!'

On Pauline's wishlist? 'To tackle the kitchen! It will be a wooden wall with a built-in coffee bar.
Tip for (future) renovators: do as much as possible before you move, because once you're in,
everything becomes a hassle. And... go for fewer, but beautiful items!'

To people who find color (in the home) daunting, she says: 'Just do it. Use a calm, neutral color as a base on which you can showcase a striking color. Light blue, for example, combines beautifully with brown, with green, and is interesting in combination with red. Color evokes emotion in me. I can really enjoy a beautiful color or a beautiful color combination; it makes life more fun.'

Let's go to the bedroom. 'My favorite color is light blue, which you can also see in my
house. My entire bedroom is light blue, from the walls to the ceiling. Light blue gives
me peace and feels very clean and fresh. Because I live on the fifth floor, I can see the sky and clouds from my
bedroom window, and so the light blue beautifully extends outside.' Pauline therefore chose Sky Blue for everything on her bed. 'Nice bedding is clean,
fresh, crisp, and beautifully colored.

‘My children had all left home, and then I wanted a
place for myself, with only the things I love. Where I feel peace and safety
and can dream away. When I bought this place, the layout was already quite smart, so I mainly
made color adjustments. I did completely renovate the bathroom to turn it into
my own mini spa.’ She succeeded beautifully. While we are there, the
warm autumn sun cheerfully shines in. That is probably also why the bathroom
is Pauline’s favorite place in the house. ‘Staring out the open window into the
sunshine from my hot tub is the ultimate luxury.’

My morning ritual? I wake up with a coffee, a juice and a mountain of
vitamin supplements, then an extensive shower, and then the day can begin.’