Combining Passions of Photography, Interior and Vintage Design with Pieter Peulen

Name:
Pieter Peulen
Photography:
Pieter Peulen
Words:
Caroline Meeusen

Belgian photographer and interior designer Pieter Peulen has a natural curiosity and love for preloved objects. Combining this with inspirations such as modern sculptures and eclectic design, Pieter created a unique style and approach to interior design which is reflected in his own home. It were the Belgian designer’s parents who passed on their love for second hand objects to him when they took him to flea markets and auctions. Now, Pieter has been traveling all over Europe, going from market to market to look for unique and extraordinary objects. “It is so easy to go on the internet and order all the fancy and expensive stuff. It is much nicer to have the feeling of a catch. It is also much nicer if there is a story attached to an object or a scratch here or there,” Pieter says. He achieved a degree in interior and furniture design and became a photographer and social media expert as well.

His love for vintage and unique object is represented in his own interior. “The styling goal for my house was to create a museum environment. The background has deliberately been kept very clean and timeless. The individual objects in it change all the time. All the furnishings in the house are not the result of a mood board or the like. It is purely a combination of finds that I decide to keep,” Pieter says. A warm minimalistic aesthetic is composed by a mix of soft and raw natural materials such as wood, concrete, linen and leather and soft creamy colors. Pieter is very proud of the furniture and decorative items in his own home. “These are the ones that I find and keep. But of course, finding real design icons for €1 in a thrift shop is always the biggest thrill. Apart from that, my mother also gave away her vintage Joe Colombo spider lamp for my house, unfortunately I’m still looking for a suitable place for the item.” Pieter says that he’d love to add more Postmodern pieces to their interior as well. Yet he’s not quite sure how he could integrate such colorful items.

The photographer not only uses his love for vintage and one of a kind objects in his own interior, the designer combined this passion with his love and talent for photography and founded Orence Store in 2018, an online platform where he sells preloved objects carefully selected in Belgium. Unique geometric glasses and vases, marble trays, sculptures and torsos, objects in stunning materials and shapes, all one of a kind and selected by Pieter himself, that is what Orence offers. The products are always shot in a serene and minimalist setting, showing his skills as a photographer. “Initially, I was looking for a new challenge where I could do my thing completely. The things that made me happy were photography, interior design and social media. With Orence, I was able to put it all together. It started as a hobby with €100 and I have gradually expanded that way,” Pieter says. He describes the start of this business as rather impulsive and so is the choice of the name. “I was mainly looking for a name that sounded good, looked ‘nice’ and as easy to remember,” he explains. “In the end, it comes a bit from my favorite band Florence and the Machine, but without the ‘Fl’.” The most