Axel Vervoordt facts for kids

Axel Vervoordt (born June 29, 1947 in Antwerp) is a Belgian interior designer and antique and art dealer who is a member of the AD100 Hall of Fame. He is the interior designer of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's house. In addition, his client list includes Robert De Niro, Bill Gates, Sting and Calvin Klein. He has an interior design practice, a private foundation called the Axel and May Vervoordt Foundation and art galleries in Antwerp and Hong Kong.

Early years

He was born on June 29, 1947 in Antwerp, Belgium to Jos, a horse trader and businessman, and Mani. He had one sister, Hedwige. In 1969 bought a collection of 16th century houses on a medieval alley in Antwerp called Vlaeykensgang. He restored the homes and this started his business.

Career

In the 1970s and 80s he focused on his antique-dealing business. In 1984 he bought 7,400 pieces of blue-and-white Ming Dynasty porcelain and displayed it at the Biennale des Antiquaries in Paris. The same year he purchased the Kasteel van 's-Gravenwezel, which was a medieval castle near Antwerp. He relocated his family there and the castle was featured in the October 1986 edition of Architectural Digest. In 1999 he purchased a large 19th century distillery complex which became the location for the Axel Vervoordt Company. In 2007 he created an exhibition with the Venice Biennale entitled Artempo: Where Time Becomes Art. In 2011 he then founded his own art gallery in Antwerp and then another gallery in Hong Kong in 2014, which then relocated to Kanaal in 2017.

His books include Axel Vervoordt: Portraits of Interiors, Timeless Interiors, Wabi Inspirations, Living with Light and Stories and Reflections.

Personal life

He is married to May and they live in a 12th-century castle near Kanaal. They have two sons, Boris and Dick who are now in charge of the Vervoordt company gallery and real estate.