DISCLAIMER: The currency conversion is provided for illustration purposes only It is meant only as an approximation based on the latest information available and should not be relied upon for any other purposes We are not responsible for any loss that you may incur as a result of relying on these currency conversions All property prices are as stated by the listing agent we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links Axel Vervoordt is—at his core—a storyteller even if his austere design approach and he himself may indicate otherwise: “My work is about silence and strength,” declared the polymathic Belgian designer between sips of coffee on a recent afternoon Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month which he recounts with both gusto and a twinkle in his eye Sitting at a long table in his headquarters at Kanaal a former distilling hub just outside Antwerp launches into story after story about his life “All my life I liked aged things—things that are aged by time,” he explains I think a piece with a base patina is contemporary art It just took 200 years to look like that.” In the case of Vervoordt’s empire—which now consists of an interior design practice as well as art galleries in Antwerp and Hong Kong—it took 50 years Vervoordt fostered an unusual proclivity for timeworn things beginning with a 16th century iron trunk he purchased when he was a teenager he had already embarked on an ambitious restoration project rehabilitating a row of 16th century houses in Antwerp his career quickly expanded to encompass restoration all fueled by his discerning eye and his unquenchable curiosity "I think a piece with a base patina is contemporary art It just took 200 years to look like that.”—Axel Vervoordt Vervoordt is quick to give credit to his wife May (who once endured a day in Amsterdam while he purchased some 7,400 pieces of china) and his sons Boris and Dick who now head up the Vervoordt company’s gallery and real estate operations Sitting in delightfully mismatched chairs in Kanaal’s dining room where the company’s employees congregate for communal meals Vervoordt shared with AD PRO some of his favorite photographs and memories and Sister Hedwige (eight years Axel’s senior) during a family outing to the seaside “My father was a businessman; he was a horse trader,” Vervoordt says and she loved to be surrounded by artists and musicians.” 1954.“This is me and my mother when I was a small boy,” Vervoordt says She started restoring some small houses in town that she rented to artists I’m sure I’ve inherited talents from both my parents.” mid-1960s.Because his father was a horse dealer Vervoordt cultivated a love of riding at a very young age—a skill he has maintained his entire life Like his predilection for Eastern art and architecture horsemanship is a zen-like experience for Vervoordt horse riding is almost like meditation,” he says I try to become one with my horse and block out all the rest.” 16th century.Vervoordt began collecting antiquities from an early age demonstrating a prodigious ability to spot diamonds in the rough “I decided to start my own business 50 years ago but I actually got my start when I was even younger,” Vervoordt explains “This iron chest was one of the things that I bought when I was very “An old lady in Antwerp used to sell things on the first floor of her apartment That same morning I had seen an exhibition of Yves Tanguy and I still remember how I fell in love with those very simple works And that same day I found this chest where one key moves eight locks was a shock—an old piece that looked like contemporary art.” Contemporary art made me look at those old things in a different way than most art dealers I was looking for the universal—things that are always contemporary [This trunk] was the major thing that made it very clear to me what my taste was.” 1969.Vervoordt’s business took off in earnest during the spring of 1969 when he spotted a row of 16th century houses on a medieval alley in Antwerp called Vlaeykensgang The collection of buildings desperately needed restoration “I had some money from buying and selling antiques to the friends of my parents And then I fell in love with Vlaeykensgang,” Vervoordt recalls “I wanted to buy two houses in this private little street but back then I could only buy the whole street or nothing I had the courage to do that—I was so in love with it “[This photo shows me] in the ruin of the Vlaeykensgang I am looking at the reconstruction of the beams and how to restore it.” Vlaeykensgang was a real ruin and in a very poor quarter of Antwerp,” Vervoordt continues “But I always wanted to have a private hidden house in 1984 when we decided to move to the castle it was cheaper to move there and rent these as apartments.” circa 1979.Shown here is the sitting room where Vervoordt and his family lived throughout the 1970s on the back of it he had already written ‘Urbino.’ And I had spontaneously said that And he canceled the sale with the other person [laughs].” Vervoordt continued to cultivate a successful antique-dealing business We always stayed true to ourselves and always searched to be better and better That’s why we’ve had clients from royalty to Kanye West.” 1981.“Once we had a Vogue photographer come to Vlaeykensgang,” Vervoordt remembers “They took pictures of the house and then they said I will take a picture of your family.’ May quickly put on jewelry and a big dress and also dressed up the kids 1984.A surprising purchase helped launch Vervoordt’s company into its next chapter Vervoordt went to Amsterdam to view the sale of some 10,000 pieces of blue-and-white Ming Dynasty porcelain discovered in a 17th century shipwreck by Capt “It was not like other china where everything is the same These were spontaneous—almost like zen drawings or action paintings that in a lot of 100 that there were 88 good pieces everyone in the room was looking at me: ‘If he wants it we all want it.’ I was fed up with that so when it was a bad lot ‘I want it.’ And then they all bought the bad lots she went to the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum She thought I was totally crazy because I bought 7,400 pieces.” Vervoordt decided to show all of this blue and white porcelain at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris Such displays highlighted Vervoordt’s pioneering approach to art and antiques he would strip his space back to its bare elements allowing whatever was on view to speak for itself “King Faisal [of Saudi Arabia] came with all his daughters The china sold like hot cakes—unbelievable We had to ask extra people from Antwerp to come help pack everything they were buying This is me with Jacques Chirac during that fair in Paris.” the experience spurred a change of mind for Vervoordt when it came to blue-and-white china: “I kept a selection of the best pieces for myself Vervoordt purchased the Kasteel van ‘s-Gravenwezel—a medieval castle located 8 miles outside of Antwerp—and relocated his family there Purchased on a firm handshake before witnesses Vervoordt considers himself the happy caretaker of this magical place “Without the investment in the Hatcher China I would have never dared to do it,” he remembers “But in the end it worked out so well because we had a very good profit and it paid for a lot of the restoration late 1990s.“I thought you could never buy a castle,” Vervoordt says thinking back to his meticulous restoration of ‘s-Gravenwezel In the mid-’80s Vervoordt purchased the intricate floor shown here in a garage north of Paris the castle was published in the October 1986 issue of Architectural Digest Vervoordt soon received a surprise phone call from the French authorities: The floor Though the designer had purchased the floor in good faith the floor is a replica of that ill-fated one 1984.Though the castle restoration was a challenge and I had organized the first picnic there.” 1988.“This is a picture from a party we had at the castle We were just on little boats around the castle moat.” Vervoordt has been fascinated with Eastern art were driving through the English countryside en route to the Glyndebourne opera house to see a production of Don Giovanni they got lost and stopped at a rural farmhouse for directions An elderly man answered the door and set them on the right course but he also showed the couple this lacquer Japanese sculpture he learned that the sculpture likely depicts the monk who founded Shingon Buddhism More than three decades after that serendipitous discovery the statuette still stands proudly in van ‘s-Gravenwezel castle’s library something in harmony with the cosmic being,” he says Vervoordt purchased a 19th century distillery complex to become the new home of the Axel Vervoordt Company “We bought Kanaal’s buildings over a 10-year period—all the industrial buildings—because it took so long to get permission 2000.The move to Kanaal and the scale of the complex’s industrial buildings gave Vervoordt the opportunity to exhibit art publicly he sought to transform these vast spaces in order to house permanent installations there is a round building at the center,” Vervoordt explains “For me it’s like the Guggenheim a little—the center that everything turns around I decided I wanted to exhibit major artists like how the Menil family made their Rothko Chapel [His work] is always about the balance of the void and about the meditation He gives body to the void more than anybody else a monumental fiberglass installation from 1998] was a major piece “I never had heard of Gutai,” Vervoordt recalls “But never in my life was I so deeply impressed by its importance I saw the missing link—[the European artists at the time] had this link with the Far East “I need to go to Japan and see all the Gutai people and if you want to They sold me their best works because I promised them that I would bring the art to an international market It happened quicker than we could have ever thought.” Vervoordt mounted an exhibition concurrently with the Venice Biennale co-curated with Matijs “Tijs” Visser (the curator who introduced him to Gutai) was housed at the Palazzo Fortuny—a Gothic palace once owned by the late Spanish fashion and textile designer Mariano Fortuny—and accompanied by salons and think tank-style discussions Vervoordt and his team tapped artist El Anatsui for a custom facade installation “The Venice Biennale was a very major event in my life,” Vervoordt explains Your vision is like that of an artist.’ So he convinced me to do an exhibition during the Venice Biennale.” 2007.“There’s a great story about how I got to host it at the Palazzo Fortuny,” Vervoordt says “I had looked everywhere in Venice to find a great place for the exhibition I managed through friends to have a meeting with Massimo Cacciari [the mayor of Venice at the time] ‘I only have 15 minutes with you because I have an opera to go to Let’s go to La Fenice [opera house] where we can talk.’ So we’re sitting there in these horrible gilt chairs and I start telling him about the concept for the exhibition—how time is an artist and how time changes things and we have to respect that And we continued talking till the end of the opera ‘But what kind of place are you looking for?’ and I said ‘I would love something unrestored—where time really does the job I think something like Palazzo de Fortuny,’ and he said you can get Palazzo Fortuny’ And that’s how it went!” 2007.Shown here are the curators of the inaugural exhibition at Venice (from left to right): Jean-Hubert Martin Daniela Ferretti (current director of Palazzo Fortuny) and Giandomenico Romanelli (the former director of the Musei Civici di Venezia) Vervoordt and Ferretti went on to produce exhibitions at the next five biennales The gallery was so successful that it opened up an outpost in Hong Kong in 2014 and later relocated to Kanaal in 2017 It represents a number of Zero and Gutai-affiliated artists and has collaborated with the likes of Richard Serra “He’s a Portuguese Lusitano—one of the oldest breeds of horses 2018.Vervoordt’s love of Raio is evident as soon as you enter Kasteel van ‘s-Gravenwezel the designer commissioned the Belgian artist Michaël Borremans to paint this portrait of the beloved equine Kanaal has expanded to house the Vervoordt family empire including exhibition spaces for the Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation and 100 private residences this special place—finally completed in 2017—is a way to share the family’s vision for appreciating and living with art he approached the restoration just as he would a rare found object or piece of furniture “It’s the idea of accepting things as they are Jackie Daly selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter “I’ve just fallen off my horse.” Axel Vervoordt appears over video link, clearly intact as he strides into his office with an energy that is obscene for a septuagenarian. He collapses in his chair, laughing. As on most days, the Belgian designer art dealer and curator has been putting his stallion through his paces in the grounds of his 12th-century castle Today’s gallop through 62 acres has not gone to plan “I love horses – my father was a horse dealer – but I’m a little less passionate today,” he jokes Vervoordt’s ability to laugh through mishap puts me in mind of his book Stories and Reflections (Art de vivre & Voyages) in which he describes “inheriting happiness” he movingly recounts the story of his mother and her sudden decline in health due to a heart attack She had attended a party at her son’s home the evening before “Happiness runs in the family,” she told him before regaling him with the story of his great-grandfather who apparently died on the spot when presented with a medal by the King of Belgium and wine served in antique glasses or gilded beakers,” Vervoordt says of the Soviet ballet dancer “That was the way May and I loved to receive guests in those days I have a problem with minimalism that is too dogmatic “My son Boris leads the art and architecture business and his brother Dick runs the real-estate part of the family with my daughter-in-law,” Vervoordt explains “Their involvement has been the best present of my life.” Vervoordt in the hallway at ‘s-Gravenwezel with his English springer spaniel Inu in front of a painting of his horse by the Belgian artist Michaël Borremans © Mous LamrabatVervoordt’s business acumen was evident early on At the age of 14 he began buying and selling antiques which he’d track down while staying with family in England during the school holidays “There were a lot of sales in the 1960s due to inheritance tax I brought back pieces I loved on my shoulders and in suitcases,” he recalls he had bought and sold his first Magritte (“That was around the time I realised I was a born art dealer,” he jokes) and started renovating a street of 15th- and 16th-century houses in the centre of Antwerp (“I made a deal and ended up buying the entire street which set him on a path to restoration and interior design The loft in the outer buildings at ‘s-Gravenwezel. On the slate table is Signal, an iron sculpture by Takis (1958) © Mous LamrabatHe is now 73 and his earthy, eclectic blend of purity and impeccable taste continues to be sought-after, not least within celebrity circles. Most recently, he redesigned the Calabasas family home of hip-hop mogul Kanye West who is something of a design connoisseur himself sinuous interior to a “futuristic Belgian monastery”; he has filled it with a Vervoordt-designed table along with classic pieces by Jean Royère and Pierre Jeanneret with West describing his involvement in the project (with input from other notable designers) as a “coup” when the musician passed Vervoordt’s stand at the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht West recalls being captivated by the “very soulful It is the designer’s rich take on simplicity that provokes this emotive reaction “I have a problem with minimalism that is too dogmatic too black-and-white and edgy; the kind of interiors where you could almost hurt yourself if you touch them,” he says “I like things that age well because age adds softness.”  A sitting-room entrance in a house in Kerala with a Pierre Jeanneret chair A musican’s loft apartment in Kanaal Vervoordt’s warehouse complex near Antwerp Belgian sculptor Dominique Stroobant’s marble pieces La Sfera Schiacciata III on the floor and an untitled 1986 painting by Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch He refers to patina as if it were a rare precious metal “That’s why I love England and its architectural furniture because it was made by puritans and has a patina created by generations of waxing “It’s a little less fashionable at the moment but I would still buy a great piece with great patina and I am sure I will sell it in a few years I find objects that are a portal to the people who will own them” who at last count owns some 16,000 antiques and artworks (carefully stored at Kanaal for restoration and shipment) and who is known for buying around 200 pieces for the business per month from diverse eras and civilisations admits that he only ever purchases objects that he loves very few times in my life that I have bought a piece that I didn’t like because it was the thing that everyone wanted A glimpse of Vervoordt’s office – a plaster-pink, mahogany and art-filled room – brings these words home. It’s much brighter than the wabi-sabi inspired spaces he is known for “It’s an atmosphere I like to work in,” he says pointing out that there are 50 rooms in his castle Vervoordt in a dining room at ‘s-Gravenwezel with its painted corner cabinet by Huguenot designer Daniel Marot and Ming porcelain salvaged from a shipwreck © Mous Lamrabat“If it’s sunny I will go to sit in my Oriental room It’s very simple with great art all of the same spirit,” he says It means that I can travel in time and travel in styles I don’t feel the need to travel abroad anymore because I prefer to travel at home.” but that doesn’t mean I don’t also love the monk’s life juxtaposition is central to the designer’s aesthetic and he notes with great affection the inspiration he draws from old paintings where amazing Renaissance silver is mixed with a simple basket I love the idea of using a humble piece next to important silver makes the silver more interesting,” he says to be able to live with it and for it not to be ostentatious It takes on a special value because you want to be charmed by it and use it.” The 19th-century frescoes are now hung with custom paintings by Sadaharu Horio A new house in Ibiza designed by architect Tatsuro Miki with interiors by Vervoordt whose workshop made the walnut and slate coffee table – the textiles are by his wife Ma Vervoordt has become more attuned to the philosophical aspect of his work with time and reflection especially after writing my book [Wabi Inspirations I realise the importance of the beauty of imperfection,” he says it’s close to earth but in that way it is much more spiritual I never design a house just for show – it should belong where it is It’s a search for harmony and also a search for the people who own it.” is the greatest luxury: to be able to live a humble country life in the middle of a busy city,” Vervoordt says He is no less meticulous in his homes for lesser-known clients and has just completed a Manhattan apartment for a couple where 16th-century stone was sourced to create a large terrace “It looks like an old New York pavement,” he explains so we didn’t want to make it too rich but used fantastic old materials in a very contemporary way.” Vervoordt qualifies his use of the word “contemporary” constantly “It’s a contemporary way of thinking but not contemporary because it is fashionable It is more connected to a love of nature than a dogmatic idea,” he says “and my clients share this idea in many ways.”  An apartment on the Belgian coast – the oval dining table was also designed by Vervoordt Vervoordt in the Old Orangery one of his favourite rooms in the  outer buildings of ‘s-Gravenwezel his and his wife May’s 12th-century castle near Antwerp Vervoordt designed the table from an old piece of wood The painting above the sofa is by Japanese Gutai artist Norio Imai © Mous LamrabatMuch of his work as a designer is about knowing his clients on a deep level “I want to understand what they really want and how I can help them discover another level in their lives I think that is because I bring something extra to their lives,” he says furniture and objects that are portals to the people who will own them” But he also listens to his instincts: “For me the only way to be creative is to be open-minded.” And his plans for the future “When I look forward I don’t know what is coming next Comments have not been enabled for this article The Dutch Bronze Medallist at the 1999 European Championships has found a new facility for his dressage horses Teeuwissen is moving from his beautiful Fort Oudaen in 's Gravenwezel where he transformed an old war fortress into an exclusive dressage stable lies in a protected nature area in Belgium meaning that Teeuwissen is not allowed to build an indoor arena "We live in a sea climate in Belgium and we have rain almost 9 out of 12 months We can't do without an idoor arena," Teeuwissen said After the final refusal of building permit for an indoor arena Teeuwissen and his life companion Frank Garristen were decided upont staying in Belgium as they love the bourgeois life-style of the Belgian people The purchase certificate has already been signed but they are still waiting for the results of a soil research Images copyrighted: Arnd Bronkhorst - no reproduction without permission/payment Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot 2013Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors View Slideshow We treasure things that are made by time,” says Axel Vervoordt offering as good a summary as you’ll get of the antiques dealer and interior designer’s celebrated style—which favors muted tones and a mix of ancient and modern artworks that share abstract Among the world’s most influential tastemakers Another one: “There are no rules to what we do—it comes from the heart.” the Belgian maestro recounts his discovery of an Yves Klein fire painting he purchased this summer 200 pieces of furniture and works of art per month At present his inventory runs to a staggering 16,000 objects own a palazzo on Venice’s Grand Canal and a chalet in Switzerland but live primarily at Kasteel van ’s-Gravenwezel their Belgian castle surrounded by sprawling gardens and woodlands a waterside complex of industrial buildings in the Antwerp suburb of Wijnegem while Boris oversees the growing interior design department (35 employees some 50 active projects) and the art and antiques business which will be expanding with a new gallery in Hong Kong at the end of the year Increasingly Axel is taking a backseat role (“My father is much more of a mentor to the company,” affirms Boris.) But he is still directly involved in certain interior commissions especially for high-profile clients like Robert De Niro for whom Axel and architect Tatsuro Miki are crafting a penthouse atop New York’s Greenwich Hotel based on wabi-sabiprinciples of purity and simplicity Highlighting some of the firm’s finest recent work is the book Axel Vervoordt: Living with Light (Flammarion) including a house in Provence once owned by Picasso It also emphasizes minimalist spaces where precedence is given to exquisite compositions of sculptural furnishings and art which in the 19th century was the largest distillery in Europe Currently the Vervoordts are overseeing a $130 million project on the site creating 100 apartments—some inside six towering former silos—the first of which will be ready next fall Kanaal will also be home to the Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation’s planned 54,000-square-foot museum And the designer is devising the next installment of an influential series of thematic exhibitions he began in 2007 with “Artempo.” Planned for 2015 a subject he is busy analyzing along with a think tank of scientists In the meantime the Vervoordts continue to make acquisitions for the foundation, ranging from an early-Cycladic head more than 4,000 years old to a 15th-century Thai Buddha hand to postwar works by artists from the Zero group in Europe and the Gutai movement in Japan. “I’ve always looked for what’s universal in art, what’s timeless,” asserts Axel, citing Kazuo Shiraga, Lucio Fontana, Günther Uecker, Jef Verheyen, James Turrell A recent find is the Gutai artist Norio Imai Boris notes that art has become a more prominent part of the company’s work as his team often plays a curatorial role for clients—though it’s not in the business of scouting up-and-coming talent “Our mission isn’t to find cutting-edge creations by 21-year-old kids,” he says “We are coming from a spectrum that spans from ancient Egypt to today We prefer to look at artists where we can already feel a career “Through art, we make clients discover things they didn’t know before,” adds Axel. “But once they discover it, it’s like they’ve known it forever.” axel-vervoordt.com Click here to view the slide show of Axel Vervoordt's interiors.