From his B60 Sloop sailboat, an architectural exhibition at London’s Design Museum, countless custom homes, religious spaces, and now a line of accessories for When Objects Work, world-renowned architect and product designer John Pawson has quite the resume. Taking a few moments from his busy schedule to chat with us, Pawson reveals himself as a focused mind, a family man, and a true minimalist – in the best sense of the word.

My favorite kind of project is…

In a sense, every project is your favourite when you are working on it. However, I always say that the Cistercian monastery in Bohemia is the project of a lifetime and it certainly threw up a lot of challenges. We are still working there, more than a decade on – and will be for years to come.

It’s Sunday morning. You’ll find me…

If I’m at home, I will probably be looking forward to having a family lunch with my wife Catherine, my daughter Phoebe, sons Caius and Ben and Catherine’s mother, Veronica, who I always say is the mother-in-law from heaven. Caius and his wife Molly are in the music business, Ben is interested in film production and Phoebe has gone back to school to study urban planning. It never crossed my mind that any of them would take up architecture.

The contemporary building I find most inspiring is…

The Kolumba Museum in Cologne, designed by Peter Zumthor. Every detail is beautifully resolved, which gives the place a very special atmosphere; and the materials are so gorgeous you find yourself reaching out to touch them.

The proudest moment of my career thus far…

Is still keeping my head down and trying to do the work.

On my nightstand you’ll find…

I don’t have a nightstand. The room has just the bed and a view of a tree and, since fairly recently, a Robert Mangold drawing on the wall.

I have an idea for a new design. The first thing I do is…

In my experience, ideas evolve slowly. I’m not someone who scribbles on the back of an envelope and shouts eureka. I just keep going until I reach the point where whatever I am working on feels right.

Currently, I’m most excited about…

If you aren’t excited about everything you do, it’s time to do something else. I’ve just started working with Christopher Kane on his first shop, which will open in London later this year. The greatest pleasure for me is always the pleasure of actually doing it. I love the point where you don’t know what’s ahead. There is the tension of not knowing how you will crack the design, just the determination that you will.

Aside from my collection for when objects work, my favorite SUITE NY piece is…

Hans Wegner’s CH24 Chair, also called the Wishbone or Y chair. Visually it’s incredibly refined and pared down, physically it’s light and strong, and everyone looks good sitting in it.