bedMATE of the month #37: Pauline Barendregt

Every month we visit a creative and inspiring person. He or she is the 'bedMATE of the month'.

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

We get into bed with the 'bedMATE of the month'. We take a look at their home and their colourful bedrooms. In conversation, we discover how they experience the SUITE life. What's on their mind? Where do they get their inspiration? And in
what colour do they dream?

This month we were invited to look inside 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. No exaggeration there. Hidden in a quiet street in the heart of the bustling Jordaan, Pauline's apartment indeed 'floats' – a studio with dynamic lofts and level changes, plenty of 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 tranquility; it's calm and tidy, with plenty to look at: stylish furniture, quirky design objects, and clustered nooks full of small collections ('I'm a collector, but I also like to keep things 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 idea-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 a team of about 30 designers in product design across all categories, which is a very broad scope. My team and I are 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, and I find it especially important that the people are nice and that you have fun with each other.'

'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 firm 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 great 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, 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 the mirrored donut by Oskar Zieta above my bed - I can't choose!'

On Pauline's wishlist? 'Tackling 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 things!'

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

Off to the bedroom. 'My favorite color is light blue, you can also see that 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 the clouds from my bedroom window, and so the light blue extends beautifully outside.' Pauline therefore chose Sky Blue for everything on the bed. 'Good bedding is clean, fresh, crisp and beautifully colored.

Back to her zeppelin. '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, the layout was already quite clever, so I mainly made color adjustments. I completely renovated the bathroom, though, to turn it into my own mini spa.' That worked out well. While we're there, the warm autumn sun cheerfully shines in. That's probably also why the bathroom is Pauline's favorite place in the house. 'Staring outside from my bubble bath in front of the open window in the sun is ultimate luxury.'

My morning ritual? I wake up with a coffee, a juice, and a pile of vitamin supplements, then a long shower, and then the day can begin.'