bedMATE du mois #27 : Evelien Reich

Every month we visit a creative and inspiring person. She or he 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 crawl into bed with the 'bedMATE of the month'. We take a look at their home and in
their colorful (bed)rooms. In conversation we discover how they experience the SUITE life. What
is going on in their minds? Where do they get their inspiration from? And in what color
are they dreaming?

This month, all-round creative Nicole Huisman visited Evelien Reich, the former
editor-in-chief of ELLE Decoration in her self-designed house in Amsterdam
Timber ports.

'I call myself a 'design maven' these days - I actually do a lot of things in the design and interior world. I host events and podcasts, write articles, realize interior installations and so on. After having been in permanent employment for a long time, I really enjoy being unbound.'

Spend an afternoon with Evelien
Reich and you will be inspired without a doubt. Evelien's interior frame of reference is
huge and so is her sense of style.

Evelien studied at the art academy and then worked as a stylist for a long time,
she also wrote a lot for magazines. 'My most memorable project? Too much to list
to mention, I am blessed with incredibly fun work! But I am especially proud of what I
in the nine years at ELLE Decoration.' And now?

'I'm freewheeling now and I have some irons in the fire for the long term. More about that soon!'

'We bought our house when it was still being built, so we were able to do a lot ourselves.
We wanted a relaxed home that would be very warm and inviting, I think
did that work?'

When you enter through the hall you will find yourself in the
dining room, with the kitchen as (one of the) absolute USPs of the house: it is housed in a glass greenhouse.

And that construction process was no small feat. 'In a construction process you have to make decisions all the time
take. I'm not necessarily afraid of it, but at some point I was ready
with. Then you actually want to say to a contractor: 'You know what, go ahead.' But
you have to pay attention. My tip: take the time to think about what you really want
want. And choose from everything that you touch a lot with your hands, such as taps, handles and
door handles, the best quality you can afford. We had very cheap ones at first
door fittings, but that had to be tightened every month with an Allen key. Great
annoying. What else would I have done differently? I would have used the microcement floor from La
Nena, which we installed in the attic, we actually want to have on every floor.'

Back home. 'There are no white walls in our house, it's quite moody with lots of
grayish tones on the wall, which I really like. Do you find color exciting? Start
just be careful. Beige is a color too! If you let yourself get used to it first
soft shades then the step to a deeper color is suddenly much easier. And do
easy, you don't have to turn your entire house upside down right away.

A nice cushion on the couch or yes, cool new bedding in your bedroom is also a way to introduce color.'

Favorites? 'My favorite color is green, because basically all its manifestations
are beautiful. As a combination I always find light blue and bright red very chic and yet playful.
A pastel shade with a hard color is always nice. Brown with pink? Yum. Butter yellow with
bright green? Also delicious.'

That bedroom is a favorite - 'that's actually my living room. I think there are
There are three types of people in life: table sitters, couch potatoes and bed sleepers. I definitely belong in the
last category. I often think at dinner time: when can I call it a day? I'll go late
sleep and use the bed as a couch, sometimes even as an office. Bedding is incredibly
important and like to keep switching look and feel. One week there is
dark green linen on, the other week lilac percale cotton. The best moment of every week
is when I lie down in a freshly made bed.' Long live the weekend:

'I can laze around the house for ages; tidying up a bit, doing laundry, watering plants, reading the newspaper. The idea that you don't have to go anywhere: bliss.'

Your favorite movie/book/song
Empire of the Sun by Steven Spielberg / The Child in Time by Ian McEwan / California
Soul by Marlena Shaw

What snack do you always have in the house?
A Wasa sesame cracker with cheese is a regular feature and when strawberries are in season,
I like to eat them on rusk. I am diabetic, so sweets are difficult, but the sugar-free
Klene's licorice is very tasty.

Do you have a favorite architect?
That must be Luis Barragán.

What is a must-have on your bedside table?
A ceramic jewelry box, specially made for me by Kitty Huijzer.

The coziest/craziest/coolest place you've ever slept?
The coziest one is our own bed, the craziest one was probably a yurt in Mongolia, where I
woke up at night and discovered the blanket was full of crickets, and the coolest one was a
lodge in South Africa where elephants and giraffes roamed freely – they walked right in front of us
room along.

Where would you like to sleep someday?
I would like to rent the entire Trematon Castle, which is owned by the founders
from House of Hackney and bring friends and family to stay there with me. Or,
I would like to have it all to myself and try out every bed, Goldilocks style.