Monocle: Issue 180 / Global
At the front
Take a peek behind the curtains of our new café and shop openings.
HOW WE LIVE: A DIMMER VIEW
Dial it down
Lighting isn’t just a matter of brightness. Its quality and feel matter too, writes Tyler Brûlé.
I recently took my new Toyota Land Cruiser for a spin up to the mountains. I set out late in the afternoon and, before long, the sun started to dip below the jagged peaks. As I approached the turn-off from the motorway to the two-lane road that winds its way to St Moritz, it started to snow. After a while I noticed that there were two types of headlights illuminating the blowing snowflakes – warm and golden or cold and bright. Were some people driving with high beams, while others were sensibly sticking to standard illumination? Or were the blinding oncoming vehicles all recent purchases with led headlights?
A few days later the latter was confirmed by a story in a local newspaper about new cars’ excessively bright lights and the problems that they caused. Do engineers all think the brighter, the better – that the more things are illuminated, the safer the roads will be? Or have we lost our appreciation for the quality of light? I’m beginning to think so.
A ride on Switzerland’s rails offers evidence of this. A dining car from the 1980s has a gentle glow in the morning and everyone in the carriage looks relaxed. A wagon from the late 1990s is a bit brighter but still feels inviting. Sit in one of the new Stadler dining cars, though, and you might think that someone is about to have a kidney removed on the table in front of you.
One brightness setting won’t suit all situations. I’ve long called for dimmers on all light fixtures, in all environments. Until things improve and the transport sector dials down the lumens, I’ve swapped my lenses for ones with a dark tint to take the edge off and create my own ambience. —
New openings
Keen to experience Monocle beyond the page? Here’s where we’ll be in the coming months.
The Monocle Café
London, UK
After a renovation by London’s Japanese firm edo Construction, our beloved café (pictured above) at 18 Chiltern Street in Marylebone is open again. Explore the space and sample the new cocktail menu, which features the French 75 and our espresso martini. We’re open seven days a week. See you there.
The Monocle Shop
St Moritz, Switzerland
monocle has made its annual Alpine expedition to the snow-capped mountains of the Engadin for our seasonal pop-up at Hotel Steffani in the centre of St Moritz.
If you’re heading to the Swiss Alps, be sure to swing by for coffee, cosy apparel and some smart holiday reading.
ISSUE 180
In numbers
Figures of note from the February edition.
1.
€559bn
Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk’s market value last September, making it the most valuable company in Europe.
2.
21 years
The gap between the release of Pentax’s last film camera and its latest, the Pentax 17.
3.
1945
The year when Tove Jansson’s Moomin characters first appeared. Thanks to canny management, the trolls remained in the top 50 most licensed global brands in 2024, with more than 800 partners worldwide.
4.
6 per cent
The percentage of Australia’s total gdp accounted for by City of Sydney’s local economy. Its ambitious strategy to revitalise its laneway network will be key to the city’s ambitions to grow that figure.
5.
70,000
The estimated number of public buildings in Czechia restituted to private owners within the first three years of the Velvet Revolution.
All together now
Monocle’s editors have been busy putting together publications, meeting readers and hosting events. Here are a few highlights.
1. Monocle Media Summit
Paris, France
To round off 2024, we held our news, advertising and publishing summit at Paris’s Hôtel de Crillon. Among the speakers was Gorana Grgic (pictured), our new security correspondent.
2. Bonhams X Konfekt
London, UK
Our sister publication Konfekt toasted its winter issue at Bonhams in London with a discussion between editor Sophie Grove and Kate Flitcroft, co-head of department for jewellery at Bonhams New Bond Street.
3. The Monocle 100
Dubai, UAE
We launched our guide to Dubai’s food, retail and culture at One&Only’s Tapasake restaurant.
OBSERVATION
The boy next door
On a recent reporting trip to Valletta, I looked out of the window of my hotel room and spotted a stunning penthouse apartment with a verdant garden (writes Monocle’s design editor Nic Monisse). After dreaming about living there over a bajtra (Malta’s prickly pear liqueur), I headed to street level and rang the doorbell, hoping to invite myself in for a snoop. It worked. Architect Chris Briffa lives and works in the building. He ushered me in for dinner and introduced me to Maltese journalist Ann Dingli, who wrote the accompanying story. The lesson? It’s tempting to trawl the internet for ideas but it pays to be curious. —
Coming attractions
From design fairs to political summits, these are some of the events on monocle’s agenda this month.
Stockholm Design Week
Every February the Swedish capital hosts one of Scandinavia’s key design weeks. monocle will be on hand to see how the sale and impending demolition of its home venue, Stockholmsmässan, is affecting the event.
Runs from 3 to 9 February
World Government Summit, Dubai
monocle will be touching down in Dubai for this year’s iteration of the World Government Summit, where heads of state and policymakers will discuss the most pressing global challenges today, from innovation and technology to climate change.
Runs from 11 to 13 February
Milan Fashion Week
At what is unquestionably one of the biggest events on the industry’s calendar, about 150 labels will descend on Milan to bring their autumn/winter collections to the catwalk.
Runs from 25 February to 3 March
