Jef Van den Bossche captures the lingering echoes of decades-old décor.
Jef Van den Bossche works as a real estate photographer, among other things, and often finds himself in dated living rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms—spaces that are either destined for demolition or in desperate need of renovation. Some rooms transport you straight back to the 50s, 60s, or 70s.
Every now and then, Van den Bossche takes an extra photo, stripping away its “real estate context” for his portfolio. These images led to the series Hier vloekt men niet—which translates to One does not curse here.
That motto seems to apply just as much to the colour schemes of these interiors. Soft pastels, beige walls, and an abundance of tone-on-tone dominate the spaces. And while the overwhelming mix of patterns might occasionally seem to “curse,” it is quickly forgiven, as the faded wallpaper reminds us that these questionable design choices were made decades ago.
Jef Van den Bossche (1993) is a Belgian documentary photographer whose recent projects include documenting communal spaces emptied by the pandemic, and capturing Belgium’s vanishing café culture over a 2 year period.
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