John Pawson on Minimalism as a Way of Life

For the British architect John Pawson, minimalism isn’t just a design philosophy, but a life philosophy—with his 1996 book, Minimum, serving as a defining jumping-off point. Over the course of more than four decades, Pawson has quietly amassed a global following by distilling spaces, objects, and things down to their most essential. With projects ranging from his career-defining Calvin Klein Collection flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City, completed in 1995, to a remote monastery complex in the Czech Republic he’s been building for Cistercian monks of the Trappist order for more than 25 years; from hotels in Los Angeles, Madrid, and Tel Aviv to London’s Design Museum; from private homes in Colorado, Greece, Japan, Sweden, and beyond, to a chair and cookware; from lamps and linens to doorknobs, bowls, to even a steak knife, Pawson’s tightly focused yet seemingly boundless practice places him in a category all his own. On the episode—our fourth “site-specific” taping of Time Sensitive, recorded at Pawson’s country home in the Cotswolds—he discusses the problems he sees with trying to turn minimalism into a movement; his deep-seated belief in restraint, both in life and in architecture; and his humble, highly refined approach to creating sacred spaces. Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. Show notes: [08:06] Tetsuka House (2005) [08:06] “John Pawson’s Approach to Making Life Simpler” [08:06] Shiro Kuramata [08:06] Katsura Imperial Villa [08:06] North York Moors [12:41] “Minimum” (1996) [12:41] Sen no Rikyū [17:35] Calvin Klein Collections Store (1995) [17:35] Ian Schrager [17:35] Paul Goldberger [17:35] Cathay Pacific (1998) [20:59] “Elements of Style” (1959) by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White [20:59] “Plain Space” (2010) [20:59] Raymond Carver [23:08] Bruce Chatwin [23:08] “Wabi” [23:08] Chatwin Apartment (1982) [26:26] Deyan Sudjic [28:12] Ryōan-ji [31:11] “John Pawson: Making Life Simpler” (2023) [30:16] Neuendorf House (1989) [30:16] Tilty Barn (1995) [37:19] Claudio Silvestrin [37:51] Philip Johnson [40:49] Home Farm (2019) [40:49] “Home Farm Cooking” (2021) [47:18] Bill Brandt [55:46] Hester van Royen Apartment (1981) [56:36] Casa Malaparte [56:36] Mies van der Rohe [56:36] Barcelona Pavilion [59:356] The Design Museum (2016) [59:356] Farnsworth House [59:356] “Inside the Brick House, Philip Johnson’s Private Playground” [1:02:26] Pawson House (1999) [1:05:53] The Feuerle Collection (2016) [1:10:33] Abbey of Our Lady of Nový Dvůr (2004) [1:21:54] Pieter Jansz. Saenredam