The Monocle Minute
On Design

In design, it often pays to focus on what’s most essential – as an Italian lamp from the 1970s and a branding overhaul for the Swiss army make clear. We also learn the secrets of a community-first UK architecture studio, visit a Finnish cabin in the woods (pictured) and explore a project lighting the path to a brighter future in Lebanon. First, David Plaisant has a lesson in humility…

To sharpen its image and reassure citizens that it can protect them, the Swiss army recently tapped Zürich-based communications agency Farner to rebrand its visual assets. “The war in Ukraine changed a lot,” says Markus Gut (pictured), a partner at Farner. “Some people had doubts about whether the Swiss army was strong enough or could protect us. But the Swiss Armed Forces had never had a brand and so we were asked to create one. It wasn’t just a matter of saying, ‘We are competent’ or ‘We are proud’; it had to be something strong that you could feel.”

To create something that could be “felt”, Gut’s team pinned down four key values for the Swiss army: a military that is stolz, diszipliniert, kameradschaftlich and kompetent (proud, disciplined, comradely and competent). The company also designed a logo for the army based on the shield of Helvetia, the allegorical female figure on Swiss coins. For the typography, the studio chose Helvetica, the classic typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss font designers Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. “From Helvetia’s shield to the Helvetica typescript, it is all very Swiss,” says Gut. “It couldn’t work for another country’s army but it is perfect for Switzerland.”

For more on Farner’s work for the Swiss army, pick up a copy of ‘The Forecast’ today.

Along the tree-lined banks of an island on Finland’s Lake Päijänne is Sauna Tuomisaari. The project, by Helsinki-based AOR Architects, includes a cabin that houses a sauna, which is connected by a footbridge to an old log hut. A celebration of the country’s storied sauna culture, the structure is very much a product of its surroundings. “One of my main goals was to blend the interior and exterior to create a feeling of being outside and part of nature, even when you’re in the cabin,” says the project’s lead designer, Erkko Aarti.

The compact cabin, the interiors of which are clad in locally sourced timber, houses bunk beds and a kitchen and dining area. You’ll also find a covered terrace and outdoor shower with direct access to the lake. A frameless window in the living room offers a panoramic view of the water, while diagonal walls and a pitched roof create unconventionally shaped but cosy spaces for guests. The result is a perfect hideaway for winter and a house that would be a welcome retreat in summer.
aor.fi

Elena Aleksandrov is an associate architect at Jonathan Tuckey Design, a leading architecture practice that has built a reputation for its impressive retrofits and community-minded outlook. The British studio’s programme of public events, Building on the Built, encourages conversation about the reuse and preservation of existing structures. To find out more about the initiative, we caught up with Aleksandrov at Jonathan Tuckey Design’s West London studio.

Tell us about ‘Building on the Built’.
It started in 2016 as a series of events to accompany a retrospective of work by Jonathan Tuckey Design. It was also about showing new ways in which architects could engage with the community. Very quickly, however, it became a space in which to talk about projects that went beyond trends in UK architecture. Today it has turned into an educational platform for architects, artists and anyone interested in design. We invite people to lecture in our offices or other interesting spaces in London. We want to give the public a chance to discuss what they, and we, are interested in.

How does engaging with the wider community inform Jonathan Tuckey Design’s work?
Our industry is at risk of being isolated from the world. Bringing in ideas from the outside is what makes projects more interesting – and our office reflects that. In 2017 we bought a derelict pub and decided to renovate, transform and extend it into our studio. Passers-by are now able to look in and see that it isn’t a pub any more; sometimes people even come in looking for a beer and end up disappointed when they find architects. But, as a result, the public knows what we do and, from that, we gain new clients and collaborators.

Architecture is inherently competitive. How do you collaborate with others?
Brussels-based practice BC Architects & Studies recently lectured at Building on the Built, which sparked a partnership between our two studios. We won a competition together, transforming a tannery in the Belgian countryside into an eco-retreat. Yes, architecture is a competitive sector but collaboration can also bring new work and interests to the fore.

For more from Elena Aleksandrov, tune in to ‘Monocle on Design’ on Monocle Radio.

This desk lamp serves as a reminder that the best ideas sometimes require the least effort to execute. Released in 1972 by Italian lighting brand Stilnovo, the Blitz is made from a single sheet of aluminium that is cut and then bent into shape. After a quick – and optional – spray of white, green or yellow paint, as well as the addition of a plain bulb on a cord, the design is complete. The piece has been brought back into production by Verona-based manufacturing company Codiceicona in a range of colours, including black, blue, red and white. But for its simplicity, the paint-free aluminium version looks as though it could have been created in 2024.

The Blitz was a one-hit-wonder from its designers Fabiano Trabucchi, Marcello Vecchi and Leonardo Volpi. There are no other known pieces credited to the trio and not even Stilnovo can unearth any further information about them in its archives. The name of the lamp, Blitz, is probably a reference to the designers’ burst of creativity through their collaboration, the speed at which the light could be manufactured or, perhaps, as we are inclined to think, the surge of productivity that it would inspire on any office desk.

The Centre Hospitalier in the Lebanese village of Beit Chabab uses craft to help people wounded in war and other accidents to heal and reintegrate into their communities. So it is apt that Beirut-based non-profit organisation House of Today collaborated with the hospital for its latest design initiative, The Candle Project. The result is a collection of paraffin wax candles crafted by artisans at the Centre Hospitalier to the designs of Lebanese creative talents, including Nada Debs, Aline Asmar d’Amman and Richard Yasmine.

Each designer’s candle is a small piece of art that incorporates light as a symbol of hope for a brighter future following a period of reconstruction and economic crises in Lebanon. Asmar d’Amman’s sculptural piece, “Aspiration”, reimagines the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in the village of Harissa with geometric shapes that converge in a stairway towards the candle’s flame. “The design is a nod to the eternal hopes for a brighter Lebanon,” says Asmar d’Amman. “Fragmented yet molten together.” Some of the proceeds from sales will go towards supporting the Centre Hospitalier and House of Today’s mentorship programme, which fosters Lebanon’s design and artisanal scene, lighting the path ahead one candle at a time.
houseoftoday.com

The clean lines and sleek surfaces of Antonio Citerrio’s designs have been evident in interiors the world over since the 1980s, be it in the home or the office. The Milan-based architect and industrial designer’s work includes sofas for brands such as B&B Italia and Flexform, dining tables and chairs for Boffi, cutlery for Hackman-Iittala and bathrooms for Inda. Now a new book published by Silvana Editoriale is offering a comprehensive overview of his career. Antonio Citterio Design maps the evolution of the architect and industrial designer’s work, from his beginnings in northern Italy’s manufacturing heartland to his most recent collaboration with Swiss brand Vitra in 2023.

The book documents Citterio’s creativity in rethinking the fundamentals of our living spaces, including his experimentations with lighting and materiality, and features original sketches and archive photos that show the thought process behind some of his most recognisable pieces. Edited by Deyan Sudjic, the former director of London’s Design Museum, the book is introduced by designer Andrea Branzi and art critic Francesco Bonami. Essays penned by writers including Stefano Casciani and Francesca Picchi accompany every chapter. Antonio Citterio Design is an inspirational dip into the mind of a maestro.
silvanaeditoriale.it