My Favorite Things

“I know how hard it is to design an object where all the details are perfect.”

“I function best with a uniform, and this has been my jumper of choice for many years. My natural preference is for the freedom that comes with not having to decide what to wear each morning.”

“Drinking tea is one of the great quiet pleasures of everyday life. The ritual of steeping leaves in hot water is such a simple act but one with scope for such sensory complexity.”

“The process of making books is not only about communicating the work to the world outside the studio. Each new publishing project is also a fresh opportunity to pause and reflect.”

“Once I find a version of something I like, I tend to stick with it.”

“Light is critical to the function, atmosphere, and emotion of a space, but it can be hard to find fittings that do not jar or disrupt in some way. I like the spare, industrial quality of this classic piece of midcentury design, which is based on a car headlamp and a fishing rod.”

“I bought a copy of this book when I started on the first of my monastic commissions but very quickly realized how the wisdom of so many of Saint Benedict’s observations extend beyond the walls of a monastery.”

“Earlier models of these New Balance trainers used to be my running shoes of preference, but now I wear them pretty much all the time.”

“I have one of these vases in my house in London. I love the way it casts constantly shifting patterns of light, color, and shadow, but its presence also has emotional resonance for me. I first met Shiro Kuramata in Tokyo when I was in my late twenties. The time I spent with him helped shape the course of the rest of my life.”

“My camera is an essential design tool—I use it as others use a sketchbook. Having a lens of this quality always to hand is something that’s easy to take for granted.”