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.

About the Authors:

Axel Vervoordt is a collector, antiquarian, designer, and curator. His previous books include Timeless Interiors, Wabi Inspirations, Living with Light, and Stories and Reflections.
Michael James Gardner contributed to Living with Light, At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt, and Stories and Reflections.
Laziz Hamani contributed to Wabi Inspirations and Living with Light.

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Portraits of Interiors is a book about the oasis of home and includes seventeen projects in America, Belgium, England, France, Italy, and Spain, as well as Axel Vervoordt Company’s first work in India, Russia, and Japan.

The book’s guiding concepts are seeking a universal spirit of life and the emotional feeling of oneness that a home can provide. Through 320 pages, the images and text explore the search for an equilibrium between architecture, art, and nature to create the environment of home in which people make the difference.

Published in the fiftieth year of the company’s existence, the firm has been a pioneering leader in the evolution and exploration of diverse cultural traditions and eras to create singular homes all over the world. Demonstrated in this new book, the company’s projects feature a range of traditional, Wabi, and contemporary elements that are rooted in the past and connected to the future.

Photographed by Laziz Hamani with text by Michael Gardner, the featured interiors range from urban penthouses in New York and London to a Wabi barn in Flanders and a Venetian palazzo, to a coastal home in New England and an island retreat in Ibiza. Each home’s unique atmosphere inspires serenity and blends art, architecture and nature in an alchemy of Vervoordt expression.

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, interior devotees will gain new insight from this tribute to the designer's latest sources of inspiration for the home.

Step behind the scenes with Guendalina Litta -- a preeminent party designer who has invented magical moments for her rarified clientele for more than thirty years.

Guendalina Litta is a veritable dream maker and a sought-after bespoke event planner. From the simplest decor to an extravaganza spread over a vast locale, her unique gatherings are conceived for delight. Follow a candlelit path into an enchanted forest for an evening under the stars, take cues from a masterpiece painting for an immersive experience, dine at a glass table embedded with riotous flowers in an elegant greenhouse, or be transported to an exotic land while never leaving your own property. Guendalina never ceases to reinvent her signature art of entertaining, cultivating a welcoming, convivial atmosphere that brings people together as she masterfully orchestrates the magical celebration.

Guendalina's creativity and style, combined with logistical prowess, are unparalleled. She and her exceptional team of artisans--caterers, florists, interior designers, architects, calligraphers, costumers, artists, and performers -- attend to every detail in order to create ephemeral experiences that will linger forever in the memory of each guest.

This new book, featuring previously unpublished photography of her most recent events, serves as an artistic mood board to inspire event planners and creatives of every stripe. The pairings of behind-the-scene and front-of-house photographs create associations designed to spark creativity, and the clothbound cover reproduces a custom-designed, hand-painted fabric from one of the celebrations. Guendalina -- who has crafted experiences to mark life's treasured moments for thirty years -- shares her inimitable style and expertise with readers.

About the Authors:

Guendalina Litta is a preeminent bespoke event planner for clients from around the world who has created exceptional celebrations for thirty years. She published Guendalina Litta: The Art of Celebration (Gourcuff Gradenigo, 2016).

Axel Vervoordt is a collector, antiquarian, designer, and curator. Architectural Digest selected him for their AD100 Hall of Fame. His books include Timeless Interiors, Wabi Inspirations, Living with Light, Stories and Reflections, Portraits of Interiors, and At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt.

Priscille Neefs is a senior creative director and consultant specializing in print and digital communications. She designed books including Alice Temperley: English Myths and Legends, True British: Alice Temperley (Rizzoli, 2017 and 2011), and Guendalina Litta: The Art of the Celebration; she also worked for Assouline.

Michaël Ferire is an analog film photographer who specializes in portrait, craftsmanship, and event photography.
 

This monograph on the life and work of iconoclastic Japanese artist Shiro Tsujimura demonstrates how, in his signature self-taught manner, he has reinvented the classic ceramic art form.

Shiro Tsujimura is a vanguard contemporary ceramic artist. While his creations and techniques are deeply rooted in traditional Japanese and Korean styles, his independent streak defines his practice with a sense of freedom, playfulness, and self-confidence that results in decidedly unique works. This monograph takes readers inside his studio and home to discover his artistic practice and lifestyle. Axel Vervoordt, Alexandra Munroe, and longtime friend Hiroshi Sujimoto each contribute a highly personal essay, providing rare insight into this magnetic artist. Tsujimura himself shares his approach to ceramics, deeply linked to both his training as a monk and his fierce independence, which drove him from his spiritual practice to become an artist. Each of his creations is pure and spiritual, where the passing of time and the art of imperfection play an important role.

Tsujimura has held solo exhibitions around the world and his works have been acquired from Japan to Berlin to New York by the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Met and The British Museum.

About the Authors:

Axel Vervoordt is a collector, antiquarian, designer, and curator who regularly incorporates Tsujimura’s work into interior design projects. Alexandra Munroe is curator of Asian Art at the Guggenheim in New York. Hiroshi Sugimoto is a renowned photographer and architect. Shiro Tsujimura is an eminent Japanese artist and potter. Laziz Hamani is a luxury still life photographer who has contributed to more than thirty books. Shouya Grigg is a fine art photographer and cinematographer based in Hokkaido. Jan Liégeois is a photographer specialized in interiors and architecture.

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.

A rare insight into the stunning interiors created by one of the worlds leading antiques dealers. Axel Vervoordts Castle of sGravenwezel and his Kanaal gallery in Belgium attract visitors from all over the world.

Previous books on Vervoordt have brought the splendid objects on display in these remarkable locations to an even wider audience. In this new work, the great antiques dealer reveals for the first time the other interiors he has created in locations both in Europe and the United States. The extent of Vervoordts talent is revealed in the unique atmosphere of the twenty-three houses presented in this book.

The variety of styles reflects Vervoordts love of eclecticism, and his authentic and welcoming interiors are inspirational for amateurs and professionals alike. From a Swiss chalet to a Miami mansion or a Bordeaux château, Vervoordts creations are perfectly in tune with the character and history of each space.

A rare insight into the stunning interiors created by one of the worlds leading antiques dealers. Axel Vervoordts Castle of sGravenwezel and his Kanaal gallery in Belgium attract visitors from all over the world.

Previous books on Vervoordt have brought the splendid objects on display in these remarkable locations to an even wider audience. In this new work, the great antiques dealer reveals for the first time the other interiors he has created in locations both in Europe and the United States. The extent of Vervoordts talent is revealed in the unique atmosphere of the twenty-three houses presented in this book.

The variety of styles reflects Vervoordts love of eclecticism, and his authentic and welcoming interiors are inspirational for amateurs and professionals alike. From a Swiss chalet to a Miami mansion or a Bordeaux château, Vervoordts creations are perfectly in tune with the character and history of each space.