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.

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.

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.

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.

An elegant guidebook for finding clarity, wisdom, and simplicity in everyday...

Long a prominent design aesthetic, Japanese minimalism stands at the core of Wabi Sabi, both a world view and aesthetic based on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. In recent years this has fueled the desire for raw interiors, modern spaces that bridge East and West and soothe the soul with their beautiful simplicity and eclectic decor. This book features approximately 30 international projects that exemplify this modern approach to Wabi Sabi, ranging from houses and apartments to commercial spaces, restaurants and hotels and featuring some of the most influential architects and interior designers in the world.

Wabi Sabi, a little cat in Kyoto, Japan, had never thought much about her name until friends visiting from another land asked her owner what it meant. At last, the master Says, "That's hard to explain." And That is all she says. This unsatisfying answer sets Wabi Sabi on a journey to uncover the meaning of her name, and on the way discovers what wabi sabi is: a Japanese philosophy of seeing beauty in simplicity, the ordinary, and the imperfect. Using spare text and haiku, Mark Reibstein weaves an extraordinary story about finding real beauty in unexpected places. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Ed Young complements the lyrical text with breathtaking collages. Together, they illustrate the unique world view that is wabi sabi. A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2008!

“An antidote to the veneer of perfectionism so often presented by books of its kind, Wabi-Sabi Welcome offers readers license to slow down and host guests with humility, intention, and contentment.” —Nathan Williams, founder of Kinfolk Wabi-Sabi Welcome is sharing a pot of tea with friends. It is preparing delicious food to nourish, not to show off. It’s keeping a basket of cozy slippers at the door for guests. It is well-worn linens, bouquets of foraged branches, mismatched silverware, and heirloom bowls infused with the spirit of meals served with love. In this lush entertaining manual, author Julie Pointer Adams invites readers into artful, easygoing homes around the world—in Denmark, California, France, Italy, and Japan—and teaches us how to turn the generous act of getting together into the deeper art of being together. In this book, readers will find: unexpected, thoughtful ideas and recipes from around the world; tips for creating an intimate, welcoming environment; guidelines for choosing enduring, natural decor for the home; and inspiring photographs from homes where wabi-sabi is woven into daily living.

Over the past three decades, Vincent Van Duysen has become an important force in design through his expressive architecture and serene interiors. This book documents the source of his inspirations and ongoing laboratory: his own homes. Vincent Van Duysen has had an outsized influence on the world of architecture and design, from the rarefied echelons of interiors to highly successful collections for Zara Home and a nearly decade-long creative directorship of Molteni&C. Through his spare use of pure and tactile materials, Van Duysen employs a unique stylistic language that is both monastic and sensual, brutal and elegant, primal and refined. His commissions have included product design for numerous international brands, and commercial and large-scale architectural projects, among them high-end residences, a hotel, and retail spaces. Uncompromisingly contemporary and endlessly inventive, Van Duysen’s residences are both his design laboratories and highly individualized spaces. This is especially true of his own homes, the subject of this very personal book. From his base in Belgium, where Van Duysen has carved out modern spaces from a centuries-old former notary office, to his ground-up Casa M in Portugal, where living spaces flow between elemental walls, Van Duysen conjures residential projects from concrete, natural stone, wood, and light. In collaborating with the photographer François Halard, Van Duysen presents a truly personal vision of his own practice and point of view, where he becomes the architecture, and it becomes him.

Would you like to be at peace with your imperfections and to find happiness in the tranquility life has to offer? Wabi-sabi is for you! With Japanese and Buddhist roots dating back hundreds of years, wabi-sabi is a worldview that centers on the acceptance of the changeability and imperfections of life, of self, and of the world around us. Finding beauty in that imperfection and in that changeability has been the key to thoughtfulness, peace, and tranquility for many since its use has become more widespread. By embracing the unpredictable nature of life, many have been able to channel that acceptance into an artistic aesthetic, bringing beauty to the world in unexpected and imperfect forms. In this book, you will learn about the origins and uses of wabi-sabi, you will find practical applications for the mental and aesthetic calm it has to offer, and you'll find ways to connect with others who share your views and philosophy on a simplified lifestyle. Presented in logical order, this book covers critical topics like: Origins of wabi sabi Exceeding perfection State of Mind Soul Nurturing Design Wabi-Sabi Art and more...! Don't let yourself be tired and stressed over the pressure to be perfect. Embrace the imperfection and the calm that life and nature have to offer you and start enjoying life the way you were intended to. Buy your copy of Wabi-Sabi today!