Inside Architect John Pawson’s Minimalist Cotswolds Kitchens—Yes, There Are Three of Them

The architect and designer behind high-profile projects like the recently-opened West Hollywood Edition and London’s Design Museum, John Pawson is known for his light, minimalist touch. Pale woods. Clean lines. Never an overstuffed sofa. And the new Cotswolds country house he shares with his interior designer wife, Catherine, is no different—as evidenced by their latest project, Home Farm Cooking (Phaidon). The book of 100 recipes—from gooseberry fool to venison pappardelle—showcases their rustic, restrained home, as well as the meals they make there.

This isn’t John’s first foray into cookbooks. Twenty years ago, the architect collaborated with food writer Annie Bell on Living and Eating, a publication that combined his pared-back aesthetic with simple-to-make recipes. The 2001 title went on to become a cult classic, inspiring a second iteration. This time, it’s all about a project with Catherine, which celebrates the minimalist home (and kitchen, of course) they’ve created in the Cotswolds. “Twenty years on, we thought, now could be time to do a new one,” says Catherine on a call from their Cotswolds home.

After all, they had this fabulous new house with, count them, three kitchens. In converting the complex, originally built in 1610, John joined the farmhouse with its neighboring barn to form one long structure, integrating a kitchen at each end, as well as within the guesthouse. “We ended up having three kitchens because it’s so elongated,” he explains. “Both the farmhouse and barn kitchens are open plan, with their kitchen, dining, and sitting areas all in one long line.

“The kitchens have quite different atmospheres,” says Catherine. “The barn kitchen is very lofty and can seat up to 24, whereas the farmhouse kitchen is low ceilinged and cozy.” During winter, they use the cozier farmhouse kitchen—a space that was formerly a dairy. In the summer, they move to the double-height barn kitchen with floor-to-ceiling sash window opening the space up to the outdoors. Elm runs across all the kitchen floors.

Throughout the home, John created stripped down spaces in which “the eye feels as comfortable as the body,” and Catherine led the charge on furnishings and interiors, incorporating certain items—crockery, in particular—that John had designed himself. “I have an ongoing program of designing new stuff,” he enthuses. “I can experiment here in a way I can’t with clients. It’s become a kind of laboratory."

This laboratory of sorts is now documented in the architect and interior designer’s new cookbook, which Catherine explains, “is about sharing ideas,” says Catherine. “We’re giving people this book as a source of inspiration,” John concludes. “It’s a reflection of who we are.”