Lisbon-based architect and artist Joana Astolfi takes us on a journey into the Portuguese word “desenrascanço”, meaning to find an improvised solution to a problem. She explains what it says about Portuguese culture and how it’s embodied through an unusual structure in Comporta. Read more stories from the country with Portugal: The Monocle Handbook.

Spain is one of the countries that our editors have consistently begged to visit over the years as they attempt to understand its wholesome hidden depths. Here are 10 things that have us hankering for more.

Part of a new series, Portugal: The Monocle Handbook is a practical guide that will introduce you to the best the country has to offer as we present our favourite spots across the country. Order your copy today.

Monocle’s October issue is all about making an effort, whether that’s designing a distinctive uniform for your business, decking out your apartment so that hosting is easy or sharpening up your autumn style. We cover it all. Plus: Will Brazil stick or twist as election day nears? Grab a copy today from The Monocle Shop.

Monocle has its eyes on new frontiers, from health-tech breakthroughs in France to growing coffee in Sicily. Refreshed and revitalised from a summer break, we get back to work in three new media HQs and meet Dries Van Noten. Plus: the thinkers and fighters plotting Ukraine’s renaissance. Grab a copy today from The Monocle Shop.

The Monocle Companion has 50 inspiring essays to improve everything from your vacation to your vocation. Our first-ever paperback is packed with long-reads, inspiration and cheery ideas to make you happy. Get your copy today from The Monocle Shop.

As Paris embarks on a project to clean up the Seine ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, we look at the process of readying the city’s river for its water-seeking dwellers, explore how it could affect the city and meet the guerilla urban swimmers who welcome the move.

Join us for a whirlwind tour around the cobbled streets, cocktail bars and jazz lounges of Paris to explore how to enjoy the small things in life and find out why hedonism (in moderation) matters.

Monocle has so far resisted the temptation to open a hotel – but that doesn’t mean that we don’t spend time thinking about who we’d hire to oversee a renovation, run the bar or design the uniforms. With this in mind, here are the six house rules we’d strictly enforce to keep things civil and serene around the pool, in the lobby and on the balcony.

Mont Blanc is one the world’s most famous mountains – and its deadliest. We asked French photographer Alexandre Guirkinger to create a portrait of this mountain and the people who dwell in its powerful shadow. In our latest film, Guirkinger speaks about the process behind the assignment and how he captured the peak’s enthralling, luring mix of beauty and danger. Discover more with The Monocle Book of Photography, which is available to buy today.

See if your city made the cut for our annual Quality of Life survey in Monocle's July/August issue, where we crunched the numbers and hit the streets to rank the world's most liveable cities. Elsewhere explore the business of language learning, brush up on the brands to help you stay sharp and see what songs should be on your summer soundtrack. Grab a copy today from The Monocle Shop.

Monocle’s seventh Quality of Life Conference brought together bold thinkers and daring creatives from around the world, who were all hosted at Chanel’s Le19M complex in the sunny French capital. Here are some of the highlights.

The Monocle Book of Photography draws on the best of our visual stories from an archive 15 years in the making. A handsomely produced linen-bound edition, the book also features original reporting about each of the assignments, as well as first-hand accounts from the photographers and editors involved. Order your copy today.

Monocle’s latest issue sets out the benchmarks (and benches) for a better world as we put the 50 recipients of this year’s Monocle Design Awards in the spotlight. Elsewhere, we visit the rugged terrain of northern Norway to witness one of the biggest military drills in Nato’s history and George Town to explore how Malaysia’s tropical tech hub is booming. Order your copy today from The Monocle Shop.

Housing co-operatives are numerous in Denmark, providing residents with affordable places to live, keeping community spirit strong and cultivating samfundssind: the Danish concept of putting society’s needs ahead of individual interests. Monocle visited the Jystrup Savværk co-housing community, an hour outside of Copenhagen and designed by Vandkunsten, to explore the meaning of the word. Discover more stories and ideas from the region with The Monocle Book of the Nordics, which is available now from The Monocle Shop.

Monocle’s April issue features our annual retail survey, a report from France ahead of its presidential elections, an interview with Fiat’s CEO on his electric ambitions and a visit to America’s oldest independent art school, plus much more. Order your copy today from The Monocle Shop.

Chanel’s annual métiers d’art collection is an ode to craftsmanship and a tribute to the specialist ateliers with which the house works. We go behind the scenes to watch the creative process and witness the innovation.

Designed by French architect Rudy Ricciotti, Chanel’s new creative centre in Paris is dedicated to preserving traditional skills and nurturing opportunities for a new generation. We visit the specialist ateliers to witness the savoir-faire unique to fashion in France.

The first step in hosting is putting together a guest list: a delicate operation that requires diplomacy and some social engineering. Daphné Hézard, founder and editor in chief of Regain magazine – a French journal about countryside, agriculture and farming – takes an editorial approach by drawing up a large list and whittling it down to an ideal collection of diverse personalities. To achieve a clean and serene environment for both making your list and welcoming guests, choose the LG SIGNATURE Smart Wi-fi Enabled Air Purifier. Find out how to become the consummate host with LG SIGNATURE in our five-part “The art of hosting” series.

We travel to Mipcom, the annual tradeshow in Cannes, to meet the movers and shakers defining the future of the film and television industry.

The newly opened La Grande Epicerie on the Parisian rive droite celebrates the importance of physical retail. Monocle Films pays a visit to admire the heritage brands and tasty produce.

Paris is not all about picture-perfect cobbled streets and romantic vistas. Our guide seeks to cut through the clichés and steer you away from the tourist-thronged sites to discover the “real” Paris. Published by Gestalten, The Monocle Travel Guide to Paris is available now at The Monocle Shop.

As an unprecedented heat wave beats down on France, fashion exhibitors are back in Paris’s tradeshows and showrooms to present their 2016 spring-summer menswear creations. Here are some highlights.

Cannes may be best known for its film festival but for those in the property business the city is famous for one event: Mipim. One of the world’s biggest property fairs, it draws a mix of developers, civic leaders and architects. Here are five key themes from this year’s show.

Biannual design and homeware treasure trove (and trade show) Maison & Objet brings the great, good and design-minded of the retail world to the Parc des Expositions in Paris each January. Here are a few things that caught our eye at this 20th anniversary edition of the fair.

Do you want to wear the best-made shoes in the world? Then you need to visit a quiet corner of France that has become the home of luxury shoe-making. Here's how it happened.

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld talks to Monocle’s editor in chief Tyler Brûlé about the industry, the media and why Berlin isn’t as good as it used to be.

Nestled just in from the Corsica coast sits Le Couvent de Pozzo, a converted monastery that has been brought back to life as a tranquil guesthouse by owner Emmanuelle Picon. Monocle stopped by to enjoy breathtaking views over the Tyrrhenian sea and tuck in to some of Emmanuelle’s delicious French cuisine.

From a simple concept - the roll-out and upkeep of municipal street furniture in exchange for control of the advertising - JCDecaux elevates the unnoticed essentials of urban life. Monocle discovers how it helps cities run in style.

Monocle pays a visit to the last béret-maker in France and meets the Irishman trying to revive this quintessentially French piece of headwear.

Revamping forgotten brands is a growing trend in France, where entrepreneurs are tapping into pre-existing DNA and ready-made heritage. Monocle meets the brains behind some of these French revivals.

From Mali to Martinique, every four years the best athletes from the French-speaking world gather for the Francophone Games. Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield reports from Nice on the event, which to France is about more than simply sport.

The 50th year of the Paris Air Show was defined by the optimism of an industry looking skywards. Monocle attended to meet the business high-flyers.

A centre of perfume making for centuries, the town of Grasse in the South of France is holding on to its reputation as fragrance capital of the world by developing new technology alongside time-honoured traditions.

In the three years since its inception, the Prix Pictet has become the world's leading prize for photography in the field of sustainability. With a prize of CHF 100,000 the international jury honour a photographer whose work artistically presents a convincing narrative about critical environmental issues.

Though it has no shortage of chains and big brands, France remains a country where the small, local speciality shop is highly valued. Nowhere is this more evident than its capital, which contains thousands of examples of independent shops doing creative things with retail. Monocle visits eight of our favourite Paris shops to see what’s on offer.

After the earthquake of internet erosion and an advertising downturn, how does the TV landscape look? At MIPCOM, the TV industry's annual market for shows and ideas both good and bad, culture editor Robert Bound strolls the Cannes Croisette to take the temperature of an industry determined to put on a show despite the doldrums.