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Axel Vervoordt is an iconic and internationally acclaimed interior designer, furniture designer and art & antiques collector, well-known for the incredible respect and distinctive use, throughout all his work, of the Japanese movement, wabi sabi.
A Japanese phrase derived from two distinct roots – ‘wabi’ means simplicity while ‘sabi’ refers to the on-going movement of time. Wabi-sabi is therefore a philosophy that celebrates the beauty found in imperfection, an aesthetic concept that transcends conventional design movements.
Quiet and slow, it observes cracks, ageing and above all, authenticity; an attitude that iconic Belgium interior designer, Axel Vervoordt has adhered to all his life.
“I find the spirit of things much more important than the look of things – I really don’t mind if things are ugly. They have their own beauty, if only one looks hard enough.” – Axel Vervoordt
An interior designer of incredible eye and influence, Axel Vervoordt has been inspired by the essence of wabi sabi since a boy.
Believing that everything needs a deep human reason, his focus upon authenticity and history is never swayed by the decorative or purely superficial, and his interior designs and enigmatic touch have grown his name and business into a design empire.
From private clients, to thought-provoking exhibitions like 2015’s Proportio, to the interior design of his own home - a moated Belgian castle, to the bespoke wabi-sabi penthouse in New York’s infamous The Greenwich Hotel, Axel Vervoordt is undoubtedly a design giant like no other.
The three-bedroom penthouse sitting atop The Greenwich Hotel in New York is an oasis of tranquillity, understatement and humility; an incredible architectural and design feat considering its position, floating amid a city that knows little of this.
Captivating in its intelligent simplicity and architectural intent, The Greenwich Hotel's Shibui spa is no different, housed within a 250-year-old Japanese barn shipped over from Japan and put up without the use of one screw or nail.
Adhering to the essence of wabi sabi itself, the creation of this New York penthouse and hotel spa took a long, long time; but afforded it by co-owners Robert De Niro and Ira Drukier, it is self evident that each element, every design detail and architectural angle, each crack, was well worth the wait.
Set among the wide streets and historic buildings of downtown Manhattan, for decades Tribeca has been an understated artist haunt, a fusion of easy-going European charm and New York ambition. Home to the iconic Greenwich Hotel, it is an artsy shopping district with its close proximity to both the city’s romantic waterfront promenades and the heart of many creative industries giving it the feel of a separate town within a major metropolis. Truly a design-lover’s dream for inspired shopping and the perfect place to stay when in NYC.
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Some design principles are so uncomplicated and understated that they can be found in different iterations, in different corners of the world. The value placed on craftsmanship is one of these; so is the use of natural materials that not only can last a lifetime, but also get more handsome with each passing year.
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New York's Greenwich Hotel is a design residence hiding hand-crafted artefacts, effortless heritage & evocative hidden moments, in its architecture and beyond.
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Salzburg’s striking Building Academy stands as a contemporary ode to Austria’s longstanding ability to wow us with her architecture and design.
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Just a few blocks off Tribeca’s main pathways, Grand Banks is more than a restaurant--it’s a chance to step back into NYC’s maritime history. Nestled at the southwest edge of Pier 25, this award-winning oyster bar and restaurant dwells inside the iconic wooden schooner the Sherman Zwicker, the last original salt bank fishing vessel still in use.
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Wabi sabi, the Japanese phrase derived from two distinct roots – ‘wabi’ for simplicity and ‘sabi’ for the on-going movement of time – is a concept that celebrates the beauty found in imperfection. Quiet and slow, it observes cracks, ageing and above all, authenticity; an attitude that iconic Belgium interior designer, Axel Vervoordt has adhered to all his life.
read more
Has legendary architect Peter Zumthor's famed Therme Vals lost it's 'soul', as he claims, or is it still as beautiful as ever? (We think the latter in abundance..)
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This summer sees the re-opening of the Pavilion Le Corbusier. Located in Zurich, architects Silvio Schmed and Arthur Rüegg took on the restoration of this iconic structure which pays homage to an architect who was the forerunner of urban design, a pioneer of sustainability, and a leader of modernism.
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The Italian architect has been in demand since he completed the French national museum of 20th century art, Centre Georges Pompidou, in 1971, which created ripples in the architecture world.
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New York Footwear brand Feit is a counterpoint to consumerism and over-production, instead it is a label where product integrity and sustainability come first, while also emphasizing craftsmanship and individuality.
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Even though it’s not always easy to spot, the architectural designs of Milan based Peter Pichler Architecture can be considered traditional in many ways. Their sleek, pointed and stark lines may not look it, but they are deeply inspired by nature and by the surrounding vernacular architecture.
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Escapism in the wilderness of Scotland is more accessible than ever, with a raft of design boltholes, boutique crofters’ houses for two and everyone’s-invited country piles offering a redefinition of the luxury Highland experience.
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