Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors

Belgian antiquaire extraordinaire AXEL VERVOORDT is not only a charismatic dealer; he is also a master of the mise-en-scene. A new book by Armelle Baron and Christian Sarramon, Axel Vervoordt : Timeless Interiors (Flammarion; $75), reveals him to be a virtuoso of light and an alchemist with color - and a very good decorator, to boot. In an Antwerp house (above), Vervoordt contrasts a Ming dynasty chair with a 1955 Le Corbusier stool and a modern slate table, never failing to enchant the eye. Tycoons, rock stars and quite a few renowned decorators have visited his castle and his complex of warehouses, both outside Antwerp, to ogle objects spanning th ecenturies, not to mention the simple pieces Vervoordt designs. Yes, he makes furniture too. -- Town & Country 2007

"A new book by Armelle Baron and Christian Sarramon, Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors (Flammarion; $75), reveals him to be a virtuoso of light and an alchemist with color--and a very good decorator, to boot." -- September 07 Town & Country

Today, in addition to dealing in art and antiques, he and May, with sons Boris and Dick, operate an eighty-five-person design practice, a multidisciplinary center of decorative arts and crafts in the Kanaal, a complex of restored nineteenth-century warehouses and silos near the castle keep, all of which the writer Armelle Baron and lensman Christian Sarramon celebrate in their new book Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors.

Baron, a journalist who has had unprecedented access to Vervoordt, and Sarramon, whose camera was welcomed around the world for this book, have assembled an elegant, quite dreamy volume that includes twenty-plus projects by Vervoordt and his talented team. These are places to fantasize about, to learn about, to cultivate in memory - exceedingly fine, powerfully beautiful and well loved without being overstuffed. -- Veranda

examines the Belgian dealer-decorator's influential patrician rooms, everywhere from a medieval chateau to a Tuscan farmhouse." -- ELLE DÉCOR October 2007

Product Description
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.