Axel Vervoordt

Seventeen homes demonstrate how Axel Vervoordt incorporates nature, art, and timeless interiors to create living spaces that encourage self-reflection, inspiration, and happiness. For a half century, Axel Vervoordt's vision has been defined by a continual quest for harmony, beauty, and the creation of interior atmospheres that are rooted in the past, connected to the future, and imbued with today's comforts. These eighteen residences--from an urban New York penthouse or Moscow apartment to a waterfront estate in New England, and from a Tokyo dwelling to a Bordeaux wine château or a Wabi-Sabi farmhouse--reveal how art complements architecture and the elements of nature in an alchemy of Vervoordt expression. Portraits of each residence--including the Vervoordts' own homes in Venice and Belgium--feature sweeping vistas of the surrounding landscape and a tour through the interiors. Each detail--from the materials used to the graceful placement of a well-chosen object--offers deep insight into the Vervoordt design approach and abiding principles for living and working well.

Following the best seller Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors, this volume of twenty new interiors expands on the Vervoordt vision for creating exceptional homes that combine natural elements, antiques, and fine art. The art of harmonious living is extolled in this volume through twenty bespoke interiors designed by the Axel Vervoordt company. Each room incorporates natural elements—light, water, metal, wood—blended with a modern aesthetic and punctuated with fine art. The Vervoordt concept of the home is revealed through a refined balance between art and nature to create timeless living spaces. The range of featured properties includes homes by the sea as well as in urban and rural locations, demonstrating a breadth of styles possible within the essential Vervoordt design principles. Photography by Laziz Hamani brings into focus both the unique design details and the carefully constructed interiors that fuse to create each striking setting. These exceptional residences are rich with inspirational ideas to incorporate into your own home so that you can celebrate your living space in the singular Vervoordt style.

Eminent tastemaker Axel Vervoordt recounts the pivotal moments in his life that formed the foundation of his mindful philosophy and signature aesthetic. Axel Vervoordt is one of the world’s foremost tastemakers. Revered for his discerning eye in art and interior design through a career that has spanned more than fifty years, he is renowned for his captivating minimalist interiors. An iconic figure at the most prominent international art fairs and exhibitions, he incarnates a singular philosophy for how to live mindfully and with style. Axel recounts stories from the people who most influenced his life—his family, friends, patrons, artists, colleagues, clients, and unforgettable mentors—in this memoir that is personal, funny, insightful, and permeated with humility, wisdom, and lessons learned. He reflects on the key moments in his life—Rudolf Nureyev’s visit to the Vervoordts’ castle, Axel’s youthful acquisition (and subsequent sale) of a Magritte, his discovery of Japanese Gutai art, his legendary Venice exhibitions, and his experience working for notable clients and friends. He details his greatest successes and his personal regrets, while offering firsthand insight into the work that has forged his reputation. Axel is a larger-than-life and inspiring man, and this book offers snapshots from his life, painting an overall portrait of his guiding philosophy.

Interior design guru Axel Vervoordt shares his latest inspirations for the home. Axel Vervoordt’s intense curiosity has fueled his work as an interior designer, spurring him to explore and draw inspiration from cultures around the globe. He was first exposed to Eastern art and philosophy years ago, but today it has become the guiding principle in his work, particularly the concept of Wabi. Developed in the twelfth century, Wabi advocates simplicity and humility, the rejection of all that is superfluous or artificial. Through extraordinary photographs from Japan and Korea to Belgium and Switzerland, Vervoordt invites us to explore the elements that inspire him: natural materials and time-worn objects that evoke the essence of Wabi. Today, together with the Japanese architect Tatsuro Miki, Vervoordt carries the principles of Wabi into his remarkable interiors. As Vervoordt reveals how he infuses his current creations with a fundamentally oriental approach, interiors devotees will gain new insight from this tribute to the designer’s latest sources of inspiration for the home.

In the same understated, covetable style as her husband’s interiors, May Vervoordt’s recipes bring out the essence of fresh ingredients in simple yet exceptional dishes. Over the past twenty-five years, Axel and May Vervoordt have cultivated a reputation for excellence in the fields of art, interior design, and entertaining. In this contemporary cookbook, May shares 107 seasonal recipes for entertaining in style. With an emphasis on the essence of individual ingredients and cooking in harmony with the seasons, May—in typical Vervoordt fashion—demonstrates that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Her dishes are easy to prepare, original, and healthful, and still allow the home chef time to enjoy the meal with guests. Grouped by season, the recipes offer a broad selection for all occasions, from Mango and Sweet Potato Salad or Sesame-Tarragon Chicken to Chocolate Fondant Cake with Pear Sorbet. Close-ups of the recipes are complemented by lifestyle photographs offering a glimpse inside the elegant Vervoordt residence.

Axel Vervoordt began purchasing antiques in his teens and has steadily built a vast collection of exquisite objects from around the world. He is renowned for his prestigious exhibitions at major world antique fairs, including the New York Design Fair and TEFAF Maastricht. His interior designs, in both traditional and modern settings around the world, combine antiques from all continents with a Zen sensuality, and they blend the old with the new to create harmonious interiors. His unusual pairings may include Chinese porcelain with English furniture or a Roman relic alongside a 1930s Flemish painting. The extent of Vervoordt’s talent is revealed in the twenty-three homes in Europe and the United States presented here through Christian Sarramon’s photographs. The variety of styles reflects Vervoordt’s eclecticism, and his authentic and welcoming interiors are inspirational treasure troves. From the rustic charm of a Swiss chalet to the classic finesse of a Bordeaux château to the modern allure of a Miami mansion, Vervoordt’s creations are perfectly in tune with the character and history of each space.

'Proportio' features specially commissioned artworks by contemporary artists, 20th century masterpieces, Old Master paintings, archaeological artefacts, as well as architectural models and a large library of historical books on proportions. All these works provide a lens to help us see what proportion can teach us about the essential design of the present and how we can use this knowledge to create a blueprint for the future. This exhibition is an opportunity to explore universal proportions and an invitation to reflect upon the interconnectedness of our universe. 'Proportio' includes newly commissioned installations by contemporary artists such as Marina Abramovíc, Anish Kapoor, Massimo Bartolini, Rei Naito, Michaël Borremans, Ettore Spaletti, along with existing masterpieces by Ellsworth Kelly, Carl André and Sol Lewitt, as well as antiquities, Old Masters and antique architectural models.

The trilogy as conceived by Axel Vervoordt establishes a perfect balance through the natural time-flow between its three chapters. 'In-finitum', will traverse into the other realm as it reaches into the universe of the unfinished and the infinite.