The Story of Home me

How the Home me brand was born

The Home me bed linen brand was born out of passion — and quite unexpectedly. One autumn day, Oleksandra Derhousova, the brand’s founder, was standing beside a large bed linen display in a stylish home store in New York. She looked at the way the bedding was presented and at the variety on offer, and thought: “Why don’t we have anything like this in Ukraine? It’s such a shame…” The very next thought was: “Then I’ll create it.”

Oleksandra is a person of action. Once she decides on something, she immediately brings it to life.

It is worth saying a little about her, because Home me is an expression of who she is: her view of the world, her passion for natural fabrics, her love of quiet luxury, her demanding attention to detail, and her life and business experience.

At the same time, Oleksandra was furnishing her own home — her first home of her own. She put her whole self into it. She travelled often and brought something home from every part of the world. At the time, there were very few high-quality pieces in Ukraine that matched her taste. Buying quality bed linen in Ukraine was almost impossible: there were only a few very expensive brands and plenty of low-quality textiles made for a single season.

Oleksandra recalls with humour how she brought an acrylic turquoise bucket from New York as a decorative object, cutlery from Vienna and tea from every country she visited. That is simply who she is.

Of course, launching a brand from scratch when you have never manufactured anything before is a major challenge. First, you need to understand how everything works and in what order: choose the range, find partners and achieve the quality you want. By then, however, Sasha already had ten years of experience creating and managing an iconic wedding agency, so she knew that the word “impossible” did not exist. She simply needed somewhere to begin. It was 2015. She lost a year after initially meeting the wrong people, who led her off course. Yet that experience helped her learn and become certain about what she truly wanted.

We consider 2016 the birth year of our brand, because that autumn we received the first batch of our incredibly cozy and stylish bed linen. Naturally, most of the work needed for the launch happened before then. We want to tell that story because, when we hold a product in our hands, we do not always know the journey it has made or how much love has gone into it.

We have also shared the story behind the first Home me bedding separately.

Our choice of fabrics was never accidental

While planning the fabric range, Oleksandra literally bought bed linen around the world and tested every option in order to choose only the best fabrics. Naturally, they had to be made from natural fibres.

Beyond natural composition, the main criterion was tactility: the fabrics had to feel pleasant because that contact shapes how a person experiences being in bed. Our aim was not only to create quality bed linen, but linen that changes the way people feel about sleep and sets the highest possible standard. We wanted people to feel relaxation, happiness and pleasure when they got into bed — and to wake up smiling, reluctant to leave it.

Aesthetics mattered too: the fabric needed to remain neat even after long use. So did durability, because that is part of conscious consumption. It is better to buy one set that will last for years than to replace your bed linen every year.

Sasha set herself the task of creating an entirely new standard: bedding that would become a true love mark. She never said this openly, but all her products are like that. If it is a wedding, it is one others look to for inspiration; if it is bedding, it is not merely high-quality bed linen, but something people fall in love with.

Sasha was among the first in Ukraine to discover washed cotton. She found it through a Japanese brand and then spent a long time searching for it at major trade fairs. No one could understand which fabric she meant, but she would not have been herself if she had not found it. The first batch was unusual because only one manufacturer could supply the fabric at the time. Later, we began to see many brands actively selling washed-cotton bedding. It feels special to know that you helped introduce Ukraine to a new fabric. For some reason, this bedding is often marketed as bedding “for lazy people” because its naturally crinkled texture means it need not be ironed. We see it differently: ironing reveals the true magic of the fabric. It becomes soft and enveloping — the kind of comfort that makes you reluctant to leave the bed.

We also introduced Ukrainian customers to another fabric that is now one of our bestsellers: bamboo. More and more people are discovering its beauty, softness and pleasantly cool feel.

We could talk for hours about every fabric we create, because each has its own story.

Take Basic cotton percale. Premium percale has long been, and remains, a bestseller. It is not only durable — it has a distinctive feel. Some customers buy several sets and even take them to their homes abroad. Sasha loved this bedding, but after becoming a mother she noticed how difficult it was to leave the bed once she had settled her baby to sleep. Premium percale has a characteristic rustle. Just as the baby began to drift off, Sasha would try to leave quietly and the sound would wake him. Every mother knows the feeling. Sasha set herself a goal: retain the fabric’s qualities while making it quiet, soft, gentle and comfortable for the whole family. That is how a new favourite joined our range.

We began with the essentials — Premium cotton percale, washed cotton and linen. Today the range also includes Basic percale, hypoallergenic bedding, bamboo, silk and more.

There is a reason satin is not part of our portfolio, although it was one of the questions we heard most often in the early years. We prefer cotton percale for its tactile qualities and durability.

In the same way, although we started only with bedding in basic configurations, we gradually began to see what you — our beloved customers — wanted. Over time, we added towels and robes, pillows and duvets, and more. Every one of these products has its own origin story.

Colour — part of the brand’s character

Colour is another of our distinctive strengths as a brand. Every shade is chosen with intention. We never create collections from ready-made fabrics sitting in a warehouse; that kind of bedding has no character. We develop our collections by observing people’s preferences and global trends.

One of Oleksandra’s favourite aesthetics is quiet luxury: nothing loud, nothing showy. Instead, it is about things that draw the eye through depth, colour and thoughtful combinations. This became the foundation of the brand — self-sufficient solid colours that can complement any interior, enrich it or create the desired accent.

Sizes and set configurations

This has been another long journey. At first, the market was chaotic and matching bedding to a bed was difficult. Sasha wanted to create sheets that would not bunch up at the foot of the bed or make it untidy, but would tuck in fully and stay securely beneath the mattress. Such details matter in everyday use. We began with a standard King size that was large enough for any double bed: a sheet, two pillowcases and one duvet cover. Later, we realised that many people sleep under two separate duvets, which led us to introduce family sets. We then added larger, smaller and single sizes. Over ten years, we have expanded the range to offer a broad choice.

Quality is the foundation

For Sasha, quality is fundamental. If something cannot be made well, it is better not to make it at all. Sometimes she is demanding beyond what seems strictly necessary, but for her it is a matter of principle. She has never worn counterfeits or copied others. Drawing inspiration from global experience and the best examples is one thing; copying is quite another. Every seam, every design and every detail must be made to the highest standard. Of course, it is impossible to follow every single piece, but we do everything we can to improve quality continually. As you can see, the selection and natural composition of the fabrics, together with the colours, make Home me products distinctive. At the same time, you can always rely on professional advice, fabric specifications and practical guidance — and, of course, bedding designed to serve you for years.

Packaging — a small but important detail

Above all, we wanted the packaging to be conscious in terms of consumption, free from unnecessary plastic, aesthetically pleasing and functional. Through trial and error, we arrived at the packaging we use today: every Home me bed linen set comes in its own fabric bag. Beautiful and pleasant to the touch, it extends the positive experience beyond sleeping in the bedding to the very first moment you hold it.

Most importantly, when choosing bedding in our showroom or through one of our partners, the bag immediately reveals the colour and tactile qualities of the set inside: each bag is made to match the bed linen it contains.

The bags can later be reused for storage, transport and travel, including for packing your personal linen. Bed linen should be stored correctly if it is to last: direct sunlight should not reach the fabric, as it may cause areas of the colour to fade. The bag is genuinely useful here.

Details and emotions — that is also who we are

Details always make the difference. If there are buttons, they should be discreet and pleasant to the touch. If it is packaging and delivery, the experience should make you smile. Some decisions may go unnoticed, but behind them lies a long process of testing, mistakes, corrections and research, all to find the best solution.

At one point, for example, we realised how difficult it was to choose bed linen without touching it, no matter how many photos or videos we created. That is why we developed fabric samples that can be ordered free of charge, allowing you to feel the materials and choose the option that suits you.

More recently, we explored that experience in greater depth and launched TEST DRIVE FABRICS. It is a set of five pairs of pillowcases in different Home me fabrics, so you can do more than simply touch them: you can sleep on each one and discover your favourite. Sasha used the same approach and knows that sometimes one night on a particular pillowcase is enough to form your own impression.

And that is not all. This is more than a fabric test drive: it can also help extend the life of your existing sets, because pillowcases are usually the first pieces to wear out. And finally, a little variety in life never hurts. New colours and fabrics bring new impressions and a change of mood.

From online sales to a deeper study of sleep

This is how we developed step by step: from online sales to showrooms and partnerships. Participating in Heimtextile and working with GoodWine are all part of our journey. Our next direction is to expand our presence across Europe and the United States.

Despite her passion for the products she created, Sasha once treated sleep much as many people in the modern world do: as a pause between tasks, a chance to catch her breath before moving on. At a certain point in life, however, she began to focus actively on her inner state, give more attention to philosophical questions, and explore people and different aspects of our existence. She became more conscious about health, nutrition, the way the body and brain work — and, of course, sleep.

The awareness of the Home me brand evolved alongside her. Where the brand had once focused on quality, aesthetics, tactility and coziness, our perspective gradually widened. We began to look more deeply at family values, the meaning of home and the importance of moments that truly matter. Naturally, we also began exploring health and how sleep works in depth: how sleep affects life, performance and health, and how to improve its quality.

Everything we know and share grew from personal experience. Through her own path of reflection and re-evaluation, Oleksandra set herself the goal of bringing these ideas to as many people as possible. She wants people to stop treating sleep the way she once did, and to receive not only knowledge but practical tools and guidance for rebuilding their relationship with sleep and beginning to recover more fully.

Sleep quality affects many aspects of life: how we perceive what happens to us, our energy, effectiveness and health. It is an essential foundation that each of us will need to address sooner or later. Better to do it early and consciously than wait until the body demands attention and the consequences become more difficult.

Recently, Sasha came up with something seemingly simple but remarkably practical: reminder stickers designed to support you as you change the evening habits that gradually steal precious sleep time. You might not imagine the journey we took to bring the idea to life. Creating an attractive product was only half the task; we still had to find a way to manufacture it.

That was when we discovered that no printing house in Ukraine had the technology to produce the stickers exactly as we envisioned them. Months of searching and negotiation did not stop us. We found a printer in Germany and placed the order there. The joy of finally bringing everything together and offering a product filled with love and care for your health and mood was immense.

Home me today

This is how Home me gradually became a brand that explores sleep in depth: we research, experiment and keep discovering new things. At the same time, we continue to make everything aesthetically beautiful, so people can not only learn to respect sleep but genuinely fall in love with it.

All of this is Home me — who we have become over ten interesting, eventful and varied years.

If you would like to understand your own relationship with sleep, we have created a detailed, clear and engaging sleep test that may reveal something new.