Explore A Private Sanctuary in the Philippines

LOCATION Philippines ARCHITECTURE John Pawson PHOTOGRAPHY Harry Crowder WORDS Megan Rawson

A private sanctuary in the Philippines reimagines the archetypal enclosed garden while embracing a shifting narrative of light.

Carrying echoes of a medieval monastery, revered British architect John Pawson and his team have created a Southeast Asian home in a cloister-like arrangement of single-storey spaces defined by scale, axis, rhythm and repetition.

Here, the architecture and interior design emphasise the interplay of square and rectangular geometries, with recurring forms that instil a harmonious balance of line and proportion, creating a serene and reflective environment. “This project represented a powerful opportunity to distil the essence of thinking that has shaped the work from the beginning: to achieve a state of absolute purity, where the quality of the space is everything,” Pawson says.

Evoking the spirit of a medieval monastery, the home's ambience and its rolling, verdant landscape harmoniously reflect its surroundings.

Set on a flat expanse of land, the home preserves existing trees. It reimagines the site as a 'tranquil domestic universe' with spaces that look inward to an enclosed courtyard and outward towards a reflective pool while thoughtfully embracing its surrounding locale. “The early phase of the design process focused on researching aspects of Filipino history, culture, climate, flora and vernacular forms, with the ultimate aim of marrying a sense of the local with the development of an architectural language that transcends time and place—that combines eastern values with a northern sensibility and vests equal significance in spiritual and visual harmony,” Pawson says.

An enclosed courtyard offers a serene space for contemplation, enhanced by the repeated use of square and rectangular geometries that create a harmonious balance of line and proportion.

Patterned aluminum screens enhance the home's façade, offering both privacy and adaptable shade.

A reductive yet natural material palette including Carrara marble, concrete and timber lays a quietly elegant foundation for the home. “Carrara marble became an important component of the palette—for the floors, the courtyard bench and the water feature,” Pawson says. Other key elements include handwoven Abaca rugs crafted by local Filipino artisans and aluminium screening that form part of the façade of the home, serving a functional purpose by providing privacy and shade. “The home counterpoints openness with intimacy, light with shade, public with private, embedding instinctive patterns of movement into the house's fabric,” Pawson says. His signature restraint carries into the interior, where a pared-back approach further highlights proportion, surface, and light. Extending beyond the architecture, the home’s interior is furnished with pieces crafted from natural materials, focusing on timber. Highlights include minimalist designs such as Pawson's solid timber Frame dining table.

A stone Omphalos coffee table, designed by John Pawson for Salvatori echoes the home's reductive palette, while an oversized Le Mura sofa, designed by Mario Bellini in 1972 for Tacchini, completes the simple yet sophisticated setting.

The home’s atmosphere and undulating, lush landscape directly respond to its location. For Pawson, the project offered an appeal and vitality in stripping back to essentials, where the primary perspective is grounded in the interplay of proportion, surface, and light. “Combined with the ceaselessly shifting narrative of light and the ability for the eye to travel without interruption, the experience of moving around the different spaces between a garden and courtyard is quietly exhilarating.”

A minimalist palette of Carrara marble, concrete, and timber forms a quietly elegant foundation for the home, with the dining area featuring Nikari's solid timber Frame dining table by John Pawson and Linea RMT6 chairs by Rudi Merz.

The primary suite features a custom solid timber bedhead, a Viabizzuno Roy wall light, and handwoven Abaca rugs crafted by Filipino artisans.