Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1545488
K asteel van 's-Gravenwezel s i t s n o r t h e a s t o f Antwerp, its medieval towers and 18th-century façade reflected in the still water of its moat. Axel Vervoordt, the renowned Belgian designer and antiquarian, has lived there since 1984, and the castle, with its ancient stone floors and lime-plaster walls, is where his philosophy of wabi-sabi is most fully expressed. It's closed to the public, but designer Brandon Fontenot was granted a private tour. He came away certain of one thing: This was the vibe, he thought, for a project waiting back in Houston, a new build in Hunters Creek. The clients, an Indian-American couple, are deeply spiritual people whose culture, Fontenot says, is rooted in "herbs and plants and great energy." The couple envisioned their home with the grandeur of a museum and the serenity of a monastery; such spaces were built throughout the centuries to inspire awe and humility in those who entered. "They wanted to feel small inside it," he says. The house offered Fontenot little to work with, at least architecturally. What had begun as a remodel became a new build on the original slab after a storm took out The entry's antique apothecary cabinet was sourced in Düsseldorf. Antique Swedish armoire. Chairs slipcovered in Axel Vervoordt Belgian linen. 40 In the living room, the hammered travertine fireplace was milled in Mexico. Nineteenth-century French workbench coffee table, José Zanine Caldas chairs, and antique portrait. Limewash and mineral paint on walls from Axel Vervoordt collection, through Chateau Domingue.