It’s here: today, we launch the new series of The Modern House Podcast, in which our co-founder Matt Gibberd invites architects, designers, artists, and creatives to share their top three living spaces in the world and discuss the timeless design principles that contribute to the success of their choices – from space to light; materials to a connection with nature. Our guest for the first episode of series two is John Pawson, the master of minimalist architecture. Listen to the podcast here.

John was born in a village just outside Halifax, west Yorkshire – an industrial landscape that escaped modernisation in the 1960s. His mother was a homemaker and a very natural cook, and his father worked in the family’s textile business. While he wasn’t an architect by trade, his father was always building things, including a beautiful and elaborate orangery, meaning design is – perhaps unsurprisingly – in John’s blood.

His path to architecture, however, was far from conventional. John spent his formative years travelling to far-flung places including Afghanistan and Australia, where he befriended the actress and singer Liza Minnelli. After spending time with friends and Minnelli in New York, John worked for six years with his father in textiles. One day, he came across an issue of Domus, the architecture and design magazine founded by Gio Ponti, and within its pages, the work of Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata. And so, feeling inspired, John set off for Japan. Following a very short stint at a Buddhist monastery, he arrived at the Kuramata’s studio which is where his foray into architecture truly began.

Now in his seventies, John is one of the most celebrated architects working today, and is famous for his clean and uncluttered approach. London’s Design Museum, the home of Karl Lagerfeld, the first-ever Calvin Klein store and several meditative religious buildings are just a select few examples of John’s extensive catalogue of work that showcases his career-long dedication to minimalism.

Speaking from Home Farm, John’s self-designed countryside residence in Oxfordshire, John reflects on his career – which he says is a “pure pleasure” – and selects his top three living spaces, which include a modernist masterpiece “up there with the pyramids”, a former Cistercian abbey, and one of his very own designs. Tune in to the first episode of the new series here.

And don’t miss the next episode of our podcast, which is a special edition. The conversation with John continues at his minimalist home in the Cotswolds, for a behind-the-scenes tour and a deep dive into its pared-back approach. And be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode, and if you could rate and review us, we’d be more than grateful. As always, happy listening.