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Axel Vervoordt Portraits of Interiors | Wabi Sabi Design Book

In stock
Sale price$159.00

Axel Vervoordt has spent half a century arguing that a room should feel found rather than decorated. Portraits of Interiors is the book that marks fifty years of the Vervoordt company, and it is the closest thing there is to a manual for the aesthetic so many of us keep circling back to.

The Belgian designer, antiquarian and collector built his reputation on rooms that hold centuries-old objects and contemporary art in the same breath, all in a palette of plaster, stone, unbleached linen and weathered timber. His guiding belief is that a home should be a personal expression of its owner rather than a display of taste, and the private family homes documented here bear that out. Text is by Michael James Gardner, with an afterword by Boris Vervoordt and photography by Laziz Hamani.

Is this the same as wabi-sabi?

Closely related. Vervoordt was among the first Western designers to take wabi-sabi seriously as an interiors philosophy, and the imperfection, patina and restraint that run through his work come directly from it. If that is what draws you, Perfect Imperfect makes an excellent companion, and the two together cover the territory properly.

Is it practical or aspirational?

Honestly, aspirational. These are significant houses, including a converted seventeenth-century barracks. But the principles translate downward better than most high-end design books, because the ideas are about light, texture, negative space and restraint rather than budget. You can apply the thinking in a two-bedroom apartment.

At roughly 31 by 23cm and just over two kilograms, this is a substantial volume and it gifts extremely well. It suits the friend renovating something old, anyone furnishing a first serious home, or the person whose taste runs to considered, quiet interiors. Significant birthdays, anniversaries and housewarmings all justify it, and it browses well in the wider Books collection alongside our other interiors titles.

Why You'll Love It

  • Marks fifty years of the Axel Vervoordt company
  • Private family homes, photographed by Laziz Hamani
  • The definitive reference for patina, restraint and quiet luxury interiors
  • Text by Michael James Gardner with an afterword by Boris Vervoordt
  • Large-format Flammarion production, weighty and beautifully printed

Styling the Shelf

Give it room. At this scale it works as the base of a coffee table stack with nothing more than a small sculptural object on top, or displayed face-out on a low shelf where the cover can be seen. The palette inside is all plaster, stone and unbleached linen, which is exactly the palette it sits best within, so keep the surrounding objects tonal and matte. Avoid crowding it with anything glossy or high-contrast. For home stylists, it is the one book that immediately signals the direction of a room.

Axel Vervoordt Portraits of Interiors wabi sabi design book front cover
Axel Vervoordt Portraits of Interiors | Wabi Sabi Design Book Sale price$159.00

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