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Monocle’s Global Design Directory 2025: Where to find designers around the world

Need an architect in Athens or collectable furniture in Copenhagen? Our new Design Directory connects you with vetted creatives on every continent. From emerging studios to market leaders, skilled craftspeople to cutting-edge brands, this guide delivers contacts for transforming any space – an address book for navigating the world of design.

Europe

Regional design identities remain strong in Europe. The continent’s design capitals maintain distinct visual languages – from Scandinavian minimalism to Italian luxury – shaped by local materials, cultural heritage and the peculiarities of each market.

Amsterdam

The Dutch capital plays host to some of design’s brightest minds, from the Amsterdam School’s community-minded architecture to its savvy housing scheme.


Antwerp

Belgium’s diamond capital layers cutting-edge contemporary structures on art nouveau mansions. Meanwhile, the city’s famed fashion academy plays an outsized role in shaping its creative scene.


Athens

Ancient craft traditions meet a contemporary design renaissance in the Greek capital, with marble and ceramic workshops influencing modern furniture makers.


Barcelona

Gaudí’s fairy-tale modernisme might be Barcelona’s calling card but the Catalonian city has never coasted on past glories, with a host of contemporary firms creating illuminating architecture, furniture and objects.


Basel

Despite the city’s compact size, celebrated international designers including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando have worked in Basel. Swiss engineering prowess is also evident in the precision of the construction of its skyline.


Berlin


Copenhagen

Far from resting on the laurels of its mid-century designers, Copenhagen continues to export outstanding creative talent worldwide, thanks in no small part to its respected design schools.


Geneva

A lakeside city where French and German architectural traditions merge with Italian influences, Geneva also has a watchmaking heritage that brings mechanical flair to the city’s creative scene.


Helsinki

Finnish design’s reputation was built on the backs of companies such as Iittala and Artek, which embraced the country’s glassmaking and timber heritage – a trend that continues to evolve today.


Istanbul

Radical design has flourished on the Bosphorus for centuries, creating a patchwork where 1950s international style sits alongside 16th-century mosques. Its craft scene, defined by carpet weaving and kilim making, adds texture to interiors and the fabric of the city.


Lisbon

Portugal has a rich design heritage defined by a deep appreciation for craft and a recent influx of expats in the capital is enlivening the city’s artistic milieu.


London

The UK capital continues to attract global talent thanks to its world-class educational facilities and the diversity of its creative communities. The result is innovation in fashion, graphics, architecture and furniture.


Madrid

Grand boulevards and ornate fountains sit alongside village-like plazas and narrow streets in this city of contrasts. This varied inspiration shapes the work of its creatives.


Milan

Home to the famed Salone del Mobile, Milan continues to have far-reaching influence on global design trends and industries. Against this business backdrop is a city of impressively varied architecture, spanning from the gothic spires of the Duomo to Liberty decoration and Gio Ponti’s modernism.


Munich

From Olympiapark’s landscape-embedded stadiums to corporate headquarters, function precedes aesthetics in the Bavarian capital. The result? Practical industrial design and smart, contemporary architecture.


Oslo

Sustainable timber construction and landscape-integrated buildings reflect the Nordics’ love for nature. It’s an outlook embraced by Oslo’s leading furniture makers.


Paris

An appreciation for beauty and craft shapes Paris’s outlook on design, whether in the work of haute-couture ateliers or the magnificent rooftops lining Haussmannian boulevards.


Prague

A post-communism creative renaissance saw a design boom in the Czech capital, where Bohemian glass traditions and heritage woodworking and ceramic practices have been adapted to suit modern needs.


Rome

The Italian capital has a long history: Roman ruins and Renaissance churches join baroque basilicas. But new constructions in the city prove that its design know-how extends far beyond its ancient foundations.


Rotterdam

The Dutch city owes its reputation to the post-Second World War construction boom in which the city became an architectural playground filled with bold, experimental design.


Stockholm

Thriving creative neighbourhoods are scattered across the Swedish capital, defined by rusty townhouses, sky-splitting spires, baroque palaces and Nordic classicism.


Venice

A global standout in terms of urban design and architecture, the city is also home to the Venice Biennale’s famed International Architecture Exhibition, while its glassmaking scene on the island of Murano continues to inspire.


Vienna

The legacy of the city’s golden age at the turn of the 20th century laid the foundations for the Austrian capital to remain full of vibrant creativity.


Warsaw

A hub of Eastern European talent, Warsaw’s modernist architectural heritage, informed by postwar reconstruction, continues to influence its contemporary design.


Zürich

The international typographic style – a graphic movement that prioritised clarity, order and legibility – had a significant influence on Zürich. Today, those effects on its foundational home can still be seen, from architecture to print.

Middle East and Africa

From Accra to Riyadh, a new generation of designers is drawing on millennia of artistic heritage and traditional craft to produce work that is deeply contextual, sustainable and forward-looking. The region's creative scene is imbued with a bold sense of optimism about the future.

Abu Dhabi

Emirati traditions meet ultra-modern aspirations as contemporary designers reimagine the city’s cultural heritage, using everything from traditional Islamic geometries to mashrabiya latticework.


Accra

Ghana’s capital embraces both traditional craft and Africa’s best new design. Vibrant textile traditions and local hardwoods, such as mahogany, shape the furniture industry.


Beirut

At the crossroads of Mediterranean culture with a proud emphasis on Middle Eastern traditions, the Lebanese capital plays host to a design scene that is constantly rebuilding and reinventing itself.


Cairo

Five millennia of design heritage converge in Cairo, where specialist schools foster new talent while artisans in workshops across the city adapt ancient techniques for contemporary markets.


Cape Town

South Africa’s design capital has a creative scene full of manufacturing know-how and resourcefulness that produces architecture and furniture rooted in craft.


Dakar

Creativity blossoms in Senegal’s coastal capital, where designers are increasingly looking to work with local and indigenous materials, reducing reliance on imported goods.

Q08 Design Store
Curated design shop, connected to art and design centre Studio Quatorzerohuit, showcasing contemporary African design.
12 Avenue Georges Pompidou, Dakar
+221 78 100 14 08


Doha

The Qatari capital’s rapid transformation from fishing village to global creative hub is remarkable, with the city home to an international design festival and grand works of architecture by the likes of Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas.


Dubai

The UAE’s creative centre is a dynamic city where global starchitects inspire a new generation of design talent and regional manufacturing expertise is combined with an international outlook.


Lagos

Nigeria’s megacity is home to one of West Africa’s strongest creative scenes. Here, rapid urbanisation and development work hand in hand with innovation.


Marrakech

Berber, Arabic and French design traditions collide to shape Marrakech’s design scene. Artisans can be found adapting ancient woodcarving and metalworking skills for contemporary furniture markets, while architects embrace traditional building techniques.


Nairobi

Nairobi’s creatives are resourcefully responding to its rapid development in this East African design hub. Local hardwoods and traditional basketweaving techniques inspire contemporary furniture making.


Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s capital is on track to achieve its goal of becoming a global creative contender. Design schools and an emerging design week are nurturing a new crop of talent.

North America

From Chicago’s modernist heritage to Mexico City’s mid-century modernism, North America boasts an enviable variety of design influences. While Los Angeles and Vancouver draw inspiration from nature, New York and San Francisco push technological boundaries. The region remains a global leader in shaping the built environment.


Los Angeles

Abundant natural light and a balmy climate combine with car culture and the entertainment industry to inform southern California’s airy design aesthetic.


Mexico City

Home to arguably North America’s most vibrant design scene, Mexico City is where colourful mid-century modernism meets sustainable contemporary architecture. There’s a focus on local craft too, with furniture makers working hand in hand with manufacturers.


New York

The grid system and vertical ambition drive this regional design capital, with skyscraper innovation, small-space solutions and cultural diversity.


San Francisco

The Bay Area’s technology industry pushes innovations in fields from furniture to architecture. It’s a drive to rethink the future that is supported by some of the country’s top design schools in Berkeley and Stanford.


Toronto

Canada’s best creatives converge in its biggest city, thanks to a strong manufacturing base and abundance of design-minded events and festivals.


Vancouver

The Pacific Northwest influences Vancouver’s nature-inspired design aesthetic. Strong environmental consciousness drives everything from sustainable furniture manufacturing to architecture.

South America

South America's contemporary design scene builds on the foundations laid by 20th-century modernists and a resourceful industry that embraces local resources. It's a continent of opportunity, where socially minded design and architecture exist in tune with the environment.

Medellín

The Colombian city’s 21st-century transformation demonstrates how building socially minded architecture, embracing greenery and car-free transport can heal communities and foster hope.


Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires has been shaped by European immigration, with Spanish, French and Italian architectural influences prominent throughout the Argentinian capital. Genius loci is embraced in the form of indigenous materials, prominently used in the local furniture-making scene.


Santiago

Mountainous landscapes and seismic activity inform Chile’s design culture, where earthquake-resistant construction meets European-influenced architectural aesthetics.


Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro’s design culture embraces indoor-outdoor living. Carnival culture influences the city’s colourful, celebratory interior designs, while favela innovations inspire adaptive housing solutions.


São Paulo

A modernist architectural heritage and a strong manufacturing base inform contemporary practice, cementing São Paulo as one of Latin America’s leading creative scenes.

Asia & Oceania

A blend of global influences and deep-rooted local traditions mean that architecture and design scenes are ever evolving in Asia and Oceania – almost always imbued with a strong sense of place and a growing respect for traditional practice.

Auckland

New Zealand’s biggest city trades on multicultural influences, with a strong embrace of local materials and microclimates, thanks to its spectacular waterfront setting and Indigenous history.


Bangkok

Complex urban waterways and a tropical climate have influenced Bangkok’s design evolution, where traditional teak architecture meets sleek contemporary malls and high-rise towers.


Hong Kong

East meets West in Hong Kong, creating a distinctive fusion of style, evidenced in everything from the city’s architecture to works by local creative studios.


Jakarta

Indonesia’s capital has smartly built neighbourhoods embracing greenery, with traditional batik textiles and carved furniture techniques informing the contemporary design of everything from furniture to graphics.


Kyoto

Japan’s former imperial capital retains links to its storied past through the numerous furniture firms working in the city, building on its legacy of craft.


Melbourne

Design seemingly permeates every corner of Australia’s cultural capital. There’s a strong understanding of branding, splashed across café windows and coffee packaging, with design-minded retailers and some of the country’s best architects.


Mumbai

India’s financial capital has an equally bustling creative scene, where art deco buildings provide the backdrop for contemporary design innovation.


Seoul

A regional powerhouse, Seoul has a strong manufacturing tradition thanks to a postwar production boom. It’s a legacy that translates to strong product design today.


Singapore

A distinctive blend of multicultural influences and a pragmatic approach to urban challenges results in a particularly innovative design scene in the Lion City.


Sydney

Sydney’s creative scene is shaped by its spectacular harbour setting, balmy climate and strong culture of outdoor living, producing optimistic and environmentally minded design work.


Taipei

The Taiwanese capital’s thriving design scene draws on the East Asian city’s historic resilience and a forward-thinking spirit that brings together tradition and innovation.


Tokyo

Fire, earthquakes and rapid economic development laid the foundations for Tokyo’s dynamic architecture and its design scene, which plays host to numerous bubbly branding studios and sleek architecture outfits.


Wellington

New Zealand’s cultural hub has a creative scene that is shaped by its waterfront setting and seismic conditions, which drive creative architectural solutions and flexible planning.

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