John Pawson, Own House, London, UK, 1994 (view in google map)

Architect’s house in London was designed like a Zen-like living space. Façade of the Victorian House remains untouched, with an exception of a new recessed font door. But interior is completely transformed. Everything was reduced to its essence. False walls hiding things that aren’t worth displaying. Natural light and the empty space seem to be able to speak more than one filled with lots of things. [1]

On the raised ground floor the original two reception rooms are converted into a single space, a stone bench set along the long wall acting as seating, hearth and light cove. Douglas fir floorboards are laid uncut from the front of the house to the back, extending onto the garden balcony and beyond, with table and benches constructed using identical timber. In another defining gesture,
the worktops in the kitchen are formed from 4.5-metre lengths of marble, with sinks cut into the thickness of the stone. [2]

It is clearly visible that for John Pawson, architecture is about reduction. As he says himself: “When you produce interiors with less in them the light becomes more interesting and there is a sense of freedom in the space.”

Links:

[1] http://minimalissimo.com/2010/02/john-pawsons-private-residence/

[2] http://www.johnpawson.com/works/pawson-house/

Reviewed March 2017 by:

Yue Shang

Xiaolin Lu

Lizhongyang Zhou

Adelina Muntean