COLLECTION_ inspired by Jeroen Lemaitre’s home

collection_ inspired by jeroen lemaitre of animaux spéciaux

As you’ve probably seen in my latest insights blogpost about the interior of the man behind Animaux Spéciaux,  Jeroen Lemaitre has impeccable taste and an eye for the unusual.  It’s hard not to get inspired by the artist and entrepreneur’s intriguing interior.  Lucky for us, he doesn’t make it difficult to give our own interior that Animaux Spéciaux touch.  I’ve collected my favorite items from his webshop, that will certainly lift your interior to a higher level.  And there’s more good news: with the code AUPAYSDESMERVEILLES you’ll get a 5% discount in the Animaux Spéciaux webshop!  Happy shopping…

  1. Vintage inspired whales poster, for sale here.
  2. One of a kind duck wing lamp, designed by Jeroen, available here.
  3. Tobacco and patchouli scented candle in a vintage inspired apothecary jar, get it here.
  4. Kokodema, buy it here.
  5. Framed butterfly, order it here.
  6. The book Wonders are collectible, where Jeroen tells all about taxidermy.  Find it here.
  7. Anitque glass bell filled with exotic beatles.  For sale here.
  8. Industrial lamp, click it home here.
  9. Framed walking leaf bug, available here.

 

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INSIGHTS_ Jeroen Lemaitre

portrait of Jeroen by Eline Ros

Up until a few years ago, taxidermy was considered rather tacky and cruel.  If anyone is responsible for turning that image around, it would be Jeroen Lemaitre of Animaux Spéciaux.  He single-handedly updated taxidermy’s image by limiting himself to animals that died a natural death, combined with his impeccable taste and artistry.  Jeroen describes himself as a treasure hunter, someone who tracks down interesting collectables or makes them himself by hand, from colorful insects preserved under cloches or in frames, to taxidermy, intriguing accessories, exotic plants and even artworks.  These are all for sale in his beautiful shop Animaux Spéciaux in Leuven (which I blogged about earlier here) and his webshop.  Well… not all of them are for sale, as some of his most intriguing pieces ended up in his own home, which he was kind enough to show me.

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EXPLORED_ Animaux Spéciaux in Leuven

animaux speciaux in leuven - by hannelore veelaert for au pays des merveilles-7

During our weekend in Leuven, my friend Paulien and I stopped by Animaux Spéciaux.  This beautiful shop had only been open for two days and owner Jeroen Lemaitre was still getting used to his new surroundings, moving things around, asking my friend to hold a stuffed parrot so he could screw it into the wall and discussing possible future alterations to the shop with us.  At Animaux Speciaux you can get a peek into the fascinating world of taxidermy and see Jeroen’s work and work process up close.  While stuffed animals might be seen as creepy curiosa by some, Jeroen succeeds to take taxidermy to a higher level.  With the right frames, backgrounds and sometimes even a layer of gold paint, he turns animals that would otherwise have died an inglorious death into intriguing pieces of art.  That’s right, most of these animals are either roadkill or died from disease or age.

It’s not a craft that is easy to start with, and that is what makes Animaux Speciaux such a fascinating world of its own.  Intrigued with framed butterflies, Jeroen learned how to treat insects through youtube videos.  Thanks to enthusiastic reactions from friends and family, his newfound hobby soon turned into a passion and he was eager to learn how to stuff other animals as well.  After his job contract ended, Jeroen decided the time was right to follow his dreams and landed an internship in the Netherlands with an experienced taxidermist.

Fast forward to the present and it’s clear that Jeroen has found his calling.  Although he finds it hard sometimes to sell his creations, he doesn’t hesitate to share his craftsmanship with others: on Sundays he teaches how to stuff baby ostriches.  Curious yet?  Have a look at the pictures below to get pulled into the Animaux Speciaux atmosphere, or head to Leuven to experience his world (including jungle sounds) for yourself.

Animaux Speciaux, Mechelsestraat 73, 3000 Leuven - website - facebook - twitter - instagram

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