Sarah van Praag & Pieter Vlaeminck
Loving couple / Parents of Anna, Robin & Theo / Founders of Memorii / wandelgoesting.be
Hey Pieter & Sarah, how are you and what are the main projects you’re working on right now?
Sarah: We’re actually doing really, really well. We have a great work-life balance at the moment, especially for me because Pieter is staying home and taking care of the household and the kids.
Pieter: The good thing is that I love to do this! We always wanted to run our own b&b and now we have our own little b&b at home *laughing
Sarah: I’m busy shooting and working as a photographer, Pieter and I work together on Memorii (a subscription-based service whereby you can have your smartphone photos edited and printed to have a tactile, physical memory). We also go hiking every weekend (mostly on Saturday) and have a blog about it called Wandelgoesting.
Everything we do is actually all about creating family happiness for us and others!
How do you start your day?
Sarah: We start our day around 7AM, Pieter always starts his day with a mini workout. Pieter makes sure everything is all set for the kids and brings them to school. We traded in our second car for an Urban Arrow cargo bike and it was the best decision ever. We are lucky that we don’t have to rush to an office afterwards.
Pieter: If Sarah works at home, we make sure that we have lunch together. It’s our moment to connect again. Our days are actually pretty structured during the week.
Where do you get inspired?
Sarah: For my photography business I get a lot of inspiration from impressionism, like Monet for example and nature. I love to get all sorts of inspiration and learn a lot from podcasts, YouTube, …
For my own work, I don’t like pictures that are too posed, I love to see movement and connection in a photo. Instagram is, of course, also an inspiration, however I try to limit my time there because sometimes it also has a more negative impact on me. I don’t want to compare myself to others too much.
What are your favourite places? (To go on holiday, in Belgium, places to eat … ?)
Sarah: ‘Hoge Veluwe’ national park is a place where all our interests come together. Even our house is inspired by this place *laughs
Pieter: It’s the place where we really connect. We took an early morning walk once at 4am in the morning and saw 'bellowing' deer. It was such a wonderful moment. We discovered that we’re actually both nature nerds. *laughs
When we decided to move out of the city we thought we would go back a lot to the city, but we actually spend even more time in nature now.
However, for me food and going to restaurants are also still very important and I get a lot of inspiration from this.
Some of our favorite places in Antwerp are:
- Veranda
- Nage
- Camino
- Album
- The Jane Upper Room Bar
Also, the mountains and the sea are places we go a lot to.
Where do you unwind?
Pieter: For me, I don’t really need a specific place to unwind, but more of a certain feeling or vibe. I relax when there is harmony. Not only between the kids but also between Sarah and me. Of course there are places that have more of a chance of creating harmony *laughs.
Your favorite LN piece?
Pieter: definitely my first LN beanie. It became my identity. I also have a Christmas jumper from many years ago, and when I’m wearing that jumper I know it’s time to relax and time for some me-time. It’s the softest piece of clothing I own and it gives a very natural sort of warmth.
Sarah: My Lily jumper from last season is a big favourite! I have lots of LN pieces collected over the years. The wedding scarf that my mother got me from LN has subsequently served as a blanket for Anna.
Even the kids wear their LN pieces with pride!
Do you have a life motto?
Sarah: I learned this one from my sister-in-law: ‘Niks verwachten altijd prijs’ (ENG: Don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed) At first, I interpreted this expression negatively, but the moments you’re the happiest are actually the moments you didn’t expect anything and something wonderful came along. If that expectation is there, that fulfillment is a requirement and not a gift.
Pieter: For me it’s more every hour lost in a day is actually gone. I really try to make the most out of everything, everything is a micro-adventure for me.
What is your biggest dream or any things you want to achieve?
Pieter: I want to make Memorii a little bigger and take it to the next level with some freelancers. For me, this is my baby.
Sarah: For me my goal is more my photography. These 2 do match up nicely though. I want the space next to these work projects to make more time for Wandelgoesting. We’re dreaming about a book, podcasts for kids, …
A more personal goal is to discover Europe's beautiful nature during the school holidays in the van we bought recently.
Besides the goal of making things happen, we actually really want to preserve what we have right now. We have beautiful harmony, have found a peaceful balance, live by calm schedules… we’re really happy right now.
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