Design
The five architecture and design books you should be reading this summer
Top up your design knowledge and spruce up your coffee table with these five Monocle-recommended monographs.

Latest
Design tours: Lithuania’s modernist city
As Lithuania’s second city, it’s not often Kaunas gets much international attention. This, however, could be about to change. Kaunas has been named one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture for 2022; a title it’s…

Yinka Ilori’s 3D-printed basketball court
Designer Yinka Ilori discusses the design inspiration behind his temporary installation in London’s Canary Wharf and the importance of play in adulthood. Hear more on ‘Monocle on Design’ on Monocle 24.

Rebuilding Beirut
After the devastating port explosion of 4 August 2020, Beirut's creative community is battling to rebuild amid power-cuts and petrol shortages. A year on from the blast, Monocle joins its designers and architects on the…

The 2021 Monocle Art Survey
From gallerists to artists, collectors to auctioneers, we check in with industry players to find why – digital innovations or not – seeing art in real life matters, how the past year has shaken…

Christchurch School: sunny modernism
We explore a New Zealand take on mid-century modern architecture that fused British brutalism with a Scandinavian aesthetic. The simple construction methods of the Christchurch School’s creative homes have endured changing tastes – and…

A different view with David Alhadeff
Perched above the buzz of Beverly Hills sits Casa Perfect, a gallery of contemporary design set in a spectacular modernist home. Its founder David Alhadeff shows us the wealth of remarkable art and architecture…

The international icon: Kengo Kuma
The beauty of Japanese design has won fans around the world but it takes great panache to translate it to large-scale projects. We sit down with architect Kengo Kuma in his Tokyo office to…

The bold business owner: Takeshi Yamanaka
In 1928 Maruni Wood Industry was born out of a fascination with the masterful carpentry in ancient shrines. Today its furniture is found in the Californian headquarters of Apple as well as airport lounges,…

The future of Japanese craftsmanship
To celebrate our book about Japan, we are presenting a film series that dives into the intriguing ecosystem that has preserved Japanese traditional skills over centuries. Meet the people who are future-proofing the age-old…

Building a place for culture
We visit a Kengo Kuma-designed art museum in Eskisehir that’s set to become Turkey’s new cultural hotspot.
