Who’s keeping the lights on?

As prices skyrocket and pipelines mysteriously explode, the folly of Europe’s over-dependence on fossil fuels, especially those imported from Russia, is being revealed and punished. With autumn turning to winter, Monocle visits the people, places and companies forging the continent a way out of the energy crisis.
Finding Nebo

In our October issue last year, we ran a diary of the fall of Kabul. In passing, our author mentioned a personal footnote – a dog lost. This is what happened next.
Up in the air

Big-name architects are helping to transform Ecuador’s capital – but do its residents want the high life?
Back on track

The rail industry is abuzz with chatter of a golden age of trains. Monocle takes a prime seat at trade fair Innotrans to gauge the direction of travel.
Is the way we work really changing?

The nature of work is constantly evolving and what labour will look like in the future is one of the biggest questions facing architects, employers and educators today. Here, our learned panel unpicks some of the issues that our workforce will face in the years to come.
Glass half full

Despite pandemic woes and the loss of the Russian market, the CEO of Pernod Ricard is upbeat – it’s all just part of business life, he says, and there’s always another opportunity around the corner.
Common currency

Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo has embarked on a mergers and acquisition programme with cultural clout, turning prestigious buildings in Milan, Turin and Vicenza into the Gallerie d’Italia – public art museums displaying the bank’s large collection of pieces. Its new Neapolitan site is a timely reminder of the mutually beneficial relationship between art and finance.
In full flow

A merger between two televisual giants is offering the Spanish-speaking world a streaming service to rival Netflix. Could the next ‘Squid Game’ be filmed in the shadows of the Sierra Madre?
Move closer

From a Canadian popstar’s emotional return to a beloved portraitist’s political roots, we survey the season’s cultural highlights.
Remote chance

Amid the harsh landscape near Australia’s Bass Strait, a farmhouse offers intimacy and true escape.
Hidden treasures

On a quiet residential street in Japan’s historic capital stands a living monument to the city’s coveted craft traditions.
Inner sanctum

As we sink into cosy armchairs, switch on lamps and rethink our work set-ups, we pick out the latest pieces that promise comfort and warmth.
Bright sparks

There are companies out there that take lighting very, very seriously – and rightly so. Good lighting isn’t just important for aesthetic purposes; it can also help to boost our mood and even our health. Here’s how.
Basic instinct

Architecture practice Studio KO favours simple methods and materials, even when they’re working with star clients.
Community centre

Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré sees his projects as hubs for nearby residents, even enlisting their help to build them.
Double vision

Sydney Modern will be the city’s largest cultural opening since the its iconic opera house. We meet the duo behind the design.
Blurred lines

A meeting of minds for workplace-furniture titan MillerKnoll is seeing the firm expanding ever more into employees’ homes. Is this the future of the office?
Meet the family

Picks from The Monocle Shop.
Making history

Following its founding principle of ‘craft in motion’, Italian luxury house Bottega Veneta is combining artisanal tradition and a playful sense of modernity to stake its place in fashion’s highest echelons.
Hammer time

Bulgari has become a major player in luxury timepieces. Monocle meets its watch-making team to find out what makes them tick.
Wearing in

From the very best in running gear (and running routes) to hip fashion meccas in the coolest part of town, via snug and stylish shoes and eye-catching accessories, our global gamut of gear is sure to fit right in with your autumnal adventures.
Layer up

As the air chills, outerwear comes into its own. Match coats and jackets of all hues and fabrics with fun and functional accessories to keep you warm on the go.

Inventory: RetaiI / Global

Counter culture

From a good looking optician’s with vision and Tsutaya’s first outpost in southeast Asia to a cosy homeware shop in Milan, we profile the latest places to fill your tote.

Browsing frames at Glassworks in Tel Aviv

Glassworks
Tel Aviv

Housed in a 1920s building in Tel Aviv and founded by Australian expat Ariel Resnik, Glassworks offers a new vision for an optician’s. A library of frames from small, independent brands is arranged around a plaza-inspired space with an optometry room and lens-cutting lab beyond. Designed by Office Alex Nicholls, the pink and ochre hues were inspired by the palette of Hebron and Jerusalem. “We have a holistic approach to eye care, starting with enjoyable, restorative examinations,” says Resnik. “Clients can then sit and chat over coffee while they browse in a relaxed environment.”
glassworks.io

Tsutaya Books
Kuala Lumpur

Tsutaya, the peerless Japanese bookshop chain, has started a new chapter with its first shop in Malaysia. Nestled in a new mall in southern Kuala Lumpur, it has a café and an indoor playground. Floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves, softly backlit to highlight the spines, line the walls. Huge potted ferns and orchids punctuate the moodily-lit interiors and judiciously dotted sofas and desks invite readers to linger. The shop also stocks stationery, gifts and homeware, and hosts exhibitions.
ccc-my.com

Vicolo Via Mameli
Milan

“Vicolo” is Italian for a small street or alleyway hidden from the hubbub of a city centre – and that’s just what this shop in Porta Vittoria offers. It’s the sort of place that invites discovery, from dried flowers and table linens to homemade candles. Vicolo Via Mameli was started by Italian Nicola Pozzi and his American partner Ryan Weimer. Pozzi quit his job as a fashion buyer to launch the project, while Weimer arrived from a background in architecture and art direction.

Founders Ryan Weimer (on left) and Nicola Pozzi

The shop is a gentle rebuff to the many mid-century modern outlets in Milan. Here, the focus is on late 19th-century and early 20th-century antiques and goods that have a more rustic edge. The couple say that the Shaker movement is a major influence. “Modern doesn’t feel cosy and inviting to us,” says Weimer. “We like organic materials.” Pozzi says that the items in the shop have a “functional beauty”, meaning that they’re designed to be used rather than be simply decorative.

The shop grew when they received permission to knock through to the next-door business in 2021. It stocks wares from the pair’s brand V.VM, such as Indian quilts and beeswax candles made in Umbria. There are also red-check table settings by Paola Devizzi, jute rugs by Swedish brand Tell Me More, glassware by Paris’s La Soufflerie and tableware by Marche’s Ceramore 1982. “This has turned into a lifestyle for us,” says Pozzi. And Milan is all the cosier for it.
vicoloviamameli.com

Photographer: Luigi Fiano.

Editor’s Letter

The Opener

Observation: Dinner with an MP

Observation: Reptile rescue

The view from: Naoto Fukasawa

Star stays

Counter culture

Style and substance

Baked good

In the swing

Affairs

Business

Culture

Urbanism & Design

Who’s keeping the lights on?

Finding Nebo

Up in the air

Back on track

Is the way we work really changing?

Glass half full

Common currency

In full flow

Move closer

Remote chance

Hidden treasures

Inner sanctum

Bright sparks

Basic instinct

Community centre

Double vision

Blurred lines

Meet the family

Making history

Hammer time

Wearing in

Layer up

Form and function

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