"Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries."
For his third collaboration with Tekla, British designer John Pawson has designed a tranquil bedding collection and bed frame, inspired by his home in the Oxfordshire countryside.
John Pawson is a renowned designer celebrated for his minimalist aesthetic, with recent works including the refurbishment of the east London 18th century church, St Johns at Hackney, and the renovation of the 17th century farmhouse and 18th century barn comprising Home Farm. The light and architectural details of this latter project have served as inspiration for his previous collaborations with Tekla. Now with his third collaboration, Pawson continues in this way, focusing on the tranquil sleeping spaces of Home Farm and designing a complete bedding collection inspired by it, plus a bed frame.
We spoke to the designer about space, light and the collaboration.
What is a bedroom to you?
Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries. Every aspect of the way they are designed – the proportions, the fall of the light, the spatial configuration, the material palette, the colours and textures – contributes to their atmosphere and to the way we feel in them. Comfort is the primary objective; for the body, the eye and the spirit. I am restless by nature, I look to the bedroom to induce a state of calm.
What is important in a bedroom?
When I am designing, regardless of scale, I always have in mind the surfaces the hand will touch. Where the bed setting is concerned, the hand becomes the entire body. Every detail of the cloth, the stitching and the seam construction has the potential to enhance or compromise this sensory engagement.
How does this manifest in the bedding collection you have designed together with Tekla?
We developed a custom texture for the cotton bedding that gives the feel of linen. I like the way the special mitred corner detail quietly speaks of the architectural origins of the thinking.
How did you approach the design of the bed?
I approach everything in the same way, whether it’s an entire building, a ballet set or a bed. For me, it’s all architecture. With a design like this, I’m not trying to reinvent the archetype. It’s all about identifying the transformational small details. I wanted to make a piece that could also function as a daybed, but for this shift of use to be achieved as simply as possible.
How do you balance light and darkness in the bedroom?
The ideal conditions for me in a bedroom are total darkness for the hours of sleep and scope to open the space to natural light at other times.
