“I didn’t want to simply adapt to a new life. I wanted to create something of my own.”
As featured in British Vogue
My name is Iryna Hrynevska. I’m a Ukrainian entrepreneur and the founder of PAWEAREA.
PAWEAREA was born at a moment when I had to start my life over.
After moving from Ukraine to Europe, almost everything changed: the country, the language, the people around me, the rhythm of everyday life. At some point, I realised I didn’t want to simply adapt to a new reality. I wanted to build something of my own — something that reflected who I am.
I have always been deeply sensitive to design, materials, quality and space. I live with dogs, including a German Shepherd, so I know how naturally the things we choose for our animals become part of our homes and our everyday lives.
Yet I kept seeing the same compromise: beautiful interiors on one side, pet products on the other.
I didn’t want to accept that.
I wanted to create pieces for pets that you would never feel the need to hide.
That is how PAWEAREA began.
To me, a dog bed is not simply a place to sleep. It can be part of an interior. A carrier is not just a functional bag, but a true accessory. Pet products deserve the same attention to beauty, materials and craftsmanship that we expect from furniture, fashion and design.
Designed in Vienna. Handcrafted in Ukraine.
For me, those words are deeply personal.
Vienna is where I am building my future. Ukraine is where I come from — and a part of me I will never leave behind.
I want to show Ukrainian craftsmanship through quality, not sympathy. I want people to choose PAWEAREA because the product is beautiful, well made and worthy of its place among strong European brands — and only then discover that it was made in Ukraine.
Not a perfect path
There have been mistakes, financial pressure, decisions I had to change, and moments when the original plan simply stopped working.
But that taught me something essential:
You don’t have to stay loyal to your first plan. You have to stay loyal to what you want to build.
When British Vogue discovered PAWEAREA less than two years after the brand was founded, it didn’t feel like I had arrived.
It felt like proof that an idea built almost from nothing could still be seen.
I am still building this brand.
And that, to me, is the most important part of the story.
PAWEAREA is not a story about having already made it.
It is a story about starting over without losing yourself. About turning uncertainty into creation. About bringing the past and the future together in one brand — step by step.
This is PAWEAREA.
And this is only the beginning.
— Iryna Hrynevska, Founder
PAWEAREA — Luxury Pet Interiors
Because every paw matters.