In the realm of how people really want to live and inhabit spaces, I can think of no one more influential than Axel Vervoordt. His tastes, passions, and overall phi- losophy have been reverberating internationally for several decades now and are so widely referenced in both residential and hospitality design that many people may not even realize he originated the serenely distinctive aesthetic. The Belgian master of minimalism and wabi-sabi forever changed the design of sofas, and his way with rough- hewn wood furniture and beams, pale linen, an earthy palette, and a masterful blending of East and West and antique and contemporary are now canonized among profes- sionals. Also a renowned curator and dealer of art and antiques, Vervoordt displays his own formidable collection in his residence, the elegant Castle of ‘s-Gravenwezel outside of Antwerp, a place that design aficionados and clients have been making pilgrimages to since he and his wife, May, acquired the stately structure in 1984.