Highgate Road Studio, London | John Pawson


This live/work house at the northern end of Kentish Town, Camden, is a hidden minimalist gem in London, designed by John Pawson in 1986-87, when the architect was in partnership with Claudio Silvestrin. The property is currently on the sale list of The Modern House agency of London.


The building, a former brewery for the adjacent pub, was converted into a studio for the Dublin-born conceptual artist and painter Michael Craig-Martin, known for his stylised and brightly coloured canvases of everyday household objects.



The approximately 120 sq.m. of space are divided on two floors. The property is approached from a small gravelled garden that leads to the entrance of the raised ground floor. This level reveals a spectacular double-height reception room - studio with an original vaulted ceiling. The lower ground floor contains the kitchen area, and the open space of the double bedroom, dressing area, shower room and extensive storage.


The house is one of the partnership’s earliest works, little-known and never published. However many of the hallmarks of Pawson’s minimalist architecture are there, including white walls with shadow gaps, bespoke joinery and masterful manipulation of natural light.
It also features unique pieces of furniture such as the iconic Pawson sofa-desk and the classic Hans Wegner wishbone chairs, CH25 lounge chairs (all by Carl Hansen) and the Ox Chair (by Erik Jørgensen). 


All photos © The Modern House


 















Source: The Modern House