![Barbican apartment designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_hero-1-852x479.jpg)
John Pawson pares back Barbican apartment to "a state of emptiness"
British designer John Pawson has applied his signature minimalist aesthetic to a Barbican flat, which is simply arranged around a timber volume.
Set within London's brutalist Barbican estate, the apartment has been overhauled by John Pawson to feature pale surfaces and just a smattering of furnishings.
"The architectural reimagining of the space began with the idea of paring away everything to a state of emptiness and using three axes from the underlying structure to shape the new geometry," explained Pawson's studio.
![Barbican flat designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x647.jpg)
Prior to Pawson's redesign the apartment had contained a rabbit warren of rooms, which have been completely stripped back to create a singular open-plan living space.
At its centre is a large boxy volume crafted from bleached maple wood. It contains the apartment's kitchen, which features handleless white cabinetry, and a study area where the inhabitants can work from home.
Full-height cupboards have been integrated throughout so that personal belongings can be stowed away instead of cluttering the living spaces.
![Barbican flat designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_2364_col_7-852x1290.jpg)
The central volume also helps partially conceal the apartment's one bedroom – it was previously host to four.
A timber headboard and bedframe have been pushed up against an angled wall, directing sight lines to the surrounding cityscape.
![Barbican flat designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_2364_col_3-852x1277.jpg)
A Buddha figurine is displayed on a chunky marble plinth in the corner of the room, one of five personal items that the clients wanted to spotlight in their home.
It joins three artworks and a grandfather clock, all of which Pawson is hoping will serve as "waypoints" in the otherwise sparse interior.
![Barbican flat designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x646.jpg)
The other side of the central volume bears the living room, which is dressed with an oak wood-framed sofa and a coffee table topped with Carrara marble. These materials have also been used to craft a dining table that can be moved around different points of the apartment.
Surfaces throughout have been painted white, while the floor has been completed in grey as a subtle nod to the building's concrete exterior.
![Barbican flat designed by John Pawson](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2019/08/barbican-apartment-interiors-minimalist-john-pawson-london_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x1262.jpg)
Designing for over 30 years, John Pawson has in recent months created gallery-style interiors for an accessories store in Milan and produced a pared-back iteration of an oil lamp.
He joins a handful of designers and architects that have put their stamp on the renowned Barbican flats – back in 2017, Emulsion updated a triplex apartment on the estate to include a mezzanine level and walls painted in Corbusier-inspired colours.
Azman Architects also refreshed a one-bedroom apartment on the estate with colourful zigzag carpet and sliding cherry wood partitions.
Photography is by Gilbert McCarragher.