Minimum Title, Maximum Appeal: CMID’s special connection to John Pawson’s book
Minimum title, maximum appeal: CMID’s special connection to John Pawson’s book
CMID has a large library on display at home (reading resource aside, it’s also a great interior feature) and among our collection are many design-related books that continue to have a sizable impact on Charlotte’s own design point-of-view.
One well-thumbed publication – purchased 22 years ago – carries the title, Minimum. It is a book that has a special resonance for Charlotte.
Authored by British architect John Pawson and first published in 1996, Minimum surveys Pawson’s own work next to other examples of like-minded minimalist design. This aptly named book illuminates his case for reducing an interior to its core to accomplish clarity and simplicity.
Lasting effect
That assertion struck a chord with Charlotte on her first reading of Minimum at design school. It resonates deeply to this day, she tells The Interior Dispatch.
“By identifying the essence of a room, Pawson shows how it can be transformed into something that is visually appealing and highly functional. That sort of fundamental thinking really appealed to me during my studies – and it still does today”.
Charlotte’s signed edition of the book was acquired at the lecture Pawson gave in London in 2000; just days after Charlotte arrived in the UK. While still acclimatizing to her new environment, she happened upon the lecture notice in a magazine.
“This was a chance to see and hopefully meet one of my design heroes,” says Charlotte.
“At design school, I was among a number of students who referred to John Pawson with great reverence. I was in awe of his work and a big fan of his book”, she says.
Aspects of Pawson’s talk that struck Charlotte as especially notable include his easy and unassuming manner - an attitude some might suggest is rare among famous architects. She equally enjoyed Pawson’s use of family images alongside those of striking architecture and design to demonstrate a point. For Charlotte, this had the effect of further grounding Pawson in the presence of an admiring audience.
With the lecture concluded, and fuelled with a gumption not uncommon to New Zealanders new to London, Charlotte sought out Pawson after the talk with his freshly bought book in one hand and a pen extended for his signature in the other.
“At design school, I was among a number of students who referred to John Pawson with great reverence. I was in awe of his work and a big fan of his book.”
Pawson’s use of historical references throughout the book and his simplified outlook helped inform Charlotte’s thinking about interior design.
As a guiding principle, Pawson likes to distil architecture and design to its bare essentials, resulting in work that is both simple and calm, says Charlotte.
“Though Pawson is clearly in a different league and CMID is not a minimalist interior design studio, this is nevertheless the same sort of harmony that we seek in our own projects”, she says.
The Interior Dispatch encourages its readers to explore the wider world of design and will survey more of Charlotte’s own inspirational design library in coming editions.
To see more of John Pawson visit http://www.johnpawson.com/
Words: Craig Greaves