{"product_id":"axel-vervoordt-portraits-of-interiors","title":"Axel Vervoordt Portraits of Interiors | Wabi Sabi Design Book","description":"\u003cp\u003eAxel Vervoordt has spent half a century arguing that a room should feel found rather than decorated. \u003cstrong\u003ePortraits of Interiors\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs this the same as wabi-sabi?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eClosely 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, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fluxboutique.co.nz\/products\/perfect-imperfect-book-wabi-sabi-interiors-karen-mccartney\"\u003ePerfect Imperfect\u003c\/a\u003e makes an excellent companion, and the two together cover the territory properly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs it practical or aspirational?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHonestly, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 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 \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fluxboutique.co.nz\/collections\/coffee-table-styling\"\u003econsidered, quiet interiors\u003c\/a\u003e. Significant birthdays, anniversaries and housewarmings all justify it, and it browses well in the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fluxboutique.co.nz\/collections\/books\"\u003ewider Books collection\u003c\/a\u003e alongside our other interiors titles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarks fifty years of the Axel Vervoordt company\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrivate family homes, photographed by Laziz Hamani\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe definitive reference for patina, restraint and quiet luxury interiors\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eText by Michael James Gardner with an afterword by Boris Vervoordt\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLarge-format Flammarion production, weighty and beautifully printed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eStyling the Shelf\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive 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 \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/fluxboutique.co.nz\/collections\/for-the-home-stylist\"\u003ehome stylists\u003c\/a\u003e, it is the one book that immediately signals the direction of a room.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54110857036094,"sku":"9782080203755","price":159.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0374\/0149\/files\/AxelVervoordtPortraitsOfInteriors.jpg?v=1787716175","url":"https:\/\/fluxboutique.co.nz\/products\/axel-vervoordt-portraits-of-interiors","provider":"Flux Boutique","version":"1.0","type":"link"}