Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

CHAPTER TEN
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
Kitty stood in the middle of the space, staring at the exquisite alchemy of furnishings,
objets, nature, and light. There was an elegant purity to the way everything was arranged,
and the room emanated a calm and quietly invigorating energy. “This is what I want! This
is how I want Tyersall Park to be,” she told Oliver. They were in the midst of wandering
through Kanaal, a nineteenth-century complex of industrial spaces next to a former grain
silo on the Albert Canal that had been breathtakingly transformed into the atelier and
private showroom of Axel Vervoordt, one of the world’s most esteemed interior designers.
“We’re already halfway there, Kitty. Tyersall Park has amazing bones, and it’s got that
perfect patina of age that no amount of money can buy. We wouldn’t have to import any
new floors or create new walls that look like they came from the seventeenth century. But
look how this bronze ax from the Neolithic period changes the whole vibe of the room.
And these simple ferns wilting beautifully on this refectory table. It’s all about placement,
and Axel is the master of all this.”
“I want to meet him right now!” Kitty said.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be here very soon. Didn’t you hear what his assistant said? He’s
having lunch with Queen Mathilde of Belgium right now,” Oliver whispered.
“Oh, I couldn’t understand his accent. I thought he said he was in the middle of reading
Matilda. I was thinking, why is this man reading a children’s book when I’ve flown all the
way here to meet him?”
“Axel’s work is held in such high esteem, his clients include many of the world’s
crowned heads,” Oliver informed Kitty as they wandered into a dramatically lit chamber
that was, coincidentally enough, filled with nothing but ancient Buddha heads carved out
of stone.
“Can we do this somewhere in the garden? I think it would be so cool to wander
through the forest and just find a bunch of Buddha heads everywhere,” Kitty suggested.
Oliver chuckled to himself, trying to imagine how Victoria Young might react to the
sight of dozens of Buddhas scattered around Tyersall Park. Still, Kitty’s idea wasn’t half
bad. Maybe the way to really launch Kitty into the social stratosphere would be to style