The Monocle Minute
On Design

Roll out the Arturo Pani bar cart and curl up on the rounded cushions of the Brasilia sofa because this week’s dispatch is here to take the edge off. We’ll explore the traditional “sgraffito” of Switzerland’s Engadin valley, take a peek inside Arc’teryx’s new Tokyo Creation Centre and leaf through a book on libraries in the American west. First up, Nic Monisse has some design-inspired advice for gift-giving.

How to buy the perfect present? As a rule, I take a quality-over-quantity approach and, if I don’t know the recipient very well, stick to comestibles. But there’s value to bringing a bit of design theory into the thought process too. US cognitive scientist Donald A Norman – the author of such seminal titles as Emotional Design – advocates for the creation of functional products with personal appeal as a way of ensuring utility and longevity. To that end, he suggests that designers should focus on visceral appeal (is the object something that you want to have and to hold?), behavioural applications (does it perform reliably?) and reflective value (does it tap into memories or cultural movements?). Selecting gifts that also tick these boxes – a sleek, German-made radio by Technisat for your audiophile friend who once lived in Berlin, for instance – means that you’ll be choosing not only quality products but also presents that will resonate.

It’s with this spirit in mind that Monocle features an edit of design pieces that tick those boxes in our annual winter newspaper, Alpino. Take the Tsumuji dining chair by Miyazaki Chair Factory. The beauty of this three-legged piece lies partly in the simplicity of its execution but also in its slightly offbeat proportions. Its tripod form is unexpected and playful; it’s comfortable to sit on and made by skilled Japanese craftspeople. Then there’s Danish designer and retailer Louise Roe’s strikingly geometric stainless-steel Fountain Vase 03, which functions just as well with or without flowers (top marks across the visceral and behavioural scorecards). Spain’s Santa & Cole has tapped into reflective value by rendering its iconic Cestita Alubat table lamp in a new, reddish-orange hue, enhancing the aesthetics of this already highly functional piece. A piece that brings delight in terms of materiality and charmingly references various singing traditions is Choir by Teenage Engineering – speakers in the shape of wooden dolls that sync together to “sing” as one.

All of these objects score highly across Norman’s metrics, which prompts me to invoke another of his tenets. “Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating,” he once wrote. The same could be said of gift giving. It’s about finding a present that will mean something to whoever is receiving it.

Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more Christmas cheer, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal newspaper,‘Alpino’, available now online and on newsstands.

Visit Switzerland’s Engadin valley and you’ll notice drawings, shapes and symbols carved into the façades of many traditional houses. Called “sgraffito”, the decoration technique involves scratching through layers of plaster to reveal contrasting shades. The intricate motifs, which range from geometric patterns to mythical creatures, not only add beauty to the buildings but also carry symbolic meanings and offer protection or good fortune to the inhabitants.

The art form, introduced to the Engadin in the 16th century by Italian master builders, has become less popular in recent decades but some are trying to revive it. Among them is Pauline Martinet, a creative director with a background in graphic design. After learning of sgraffito’s decline, she began to research the craft and its history, hoping to ensure its survival. Her findings are documented in a book called Sgrafits – The Art of Illusion. While she points out that industrial processes could help to keep it alive – the use of stencils, for example, would allow for swifter repetition – she also suggests that the answer might lie in a more bespoke direction.

“Sgraffito could evolve into a practice involving contemporary artists teaming up with craftsmen,” says Martinet. “That would allow artists to boldly express their vision and the events of our time, which would then combine with the knowledge of the craftsmen.” Could the centuries-old design practice be given a new lease of life by increasing its craft and artistic appeal? Residents in the Engadin valley will be hoping so.

For more on sgraffito, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal newspaper,‘Alpino’, which is on newsstands now.

Earlier this year, Canadian outdoor brand Arc’teryx opened its first overseas outpost, the Tokyo Creation Centre. Renowned for its high-performance design, the Vancouver-based company worked with Japan’s Torafu Architects to create the four-floor building in the city’s Daikanyama neighbourhood. Its main occupants are the international mix of designers, creatives and outdoor enthusiasts who make up Arc’teryx’s Tokyo team.

As well as functioning as a base of operations and community-building for the brand, the building offers space for pattern makers and others to work on prototypes. For example, there’s a cutting room with materials and tools to allow them to quickly put together mock-ups.

“It’s called the Creation Centre because we can actually make things here,” says Katie Becker, Arc’teryx’s chief creative officer. “There are sewing machines and steam-tape machines. We can make a waterproof jacket in a day and go out and test it right away.”
arcteryx.com; torafu.com

For more inspiring office spaces, pick up a copy of‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs’, available online and on newsstands now.

Angelo and Giuseppina Molteni opened their furniture workshop 90 years ago. Today, Molteni&C and the wider Molteni Group are internationally recognised for their outstanding designs. Despite the Brianza-based company’s global reach, however, it remains first and foremost a family business. Now it’s being led by a third generation of the family, including Giulia Molteni (pictured seated), the brand’s head of marketing and communication. Here, she tells us about the secret to a brand’s longevity.

Why join the family firm?
My dad is the president of the Molteni Group but we were free to pick our own careers. I started by moving to New York to work in fashion. It was a good time and it helped me to understand who I was and how to separate Giulia as a person from Giulia as a part of the Molteni family. But when I came back to Brianza, I wanted to prove myself and contribute to the growth of the Molteni Group.

How important is sharing knowledge between generations?
There is know-how that is passed down the generations, especially around product quality, and it goes back as far as my grandparents in 1934. Our family’s obsession with quality is one of the main traits that contribute to our work’s longevity. We continue to grow as a group too and that’s down to the way in which we’re managed. We are a family business but with an external CEO – that’s the secret.

How do you ensure that you’re all aligned in terms of vision?
It’s a matter of discipline, which you can practice. It’s not always natural but with planned-out company governance and open discussion, you can make it work. It’s important to remember that we are not only producing very nice furniture. We are also progressing design culture around the world.

For more from Molteni, tune in to ‘Monocle on Design’ on Monocle Radio, or download the episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Copenhagen-based hospitality and design company Audo is joining forces with Norwegian design practice Anderssen & Voll to expand its popular Brasilia range of furniture with some welcome (and welcoming) lounge chairs, sofas and coffee tables. The collection draws inspiration from mid-century Danish design and the principles of Brazilian modernism. The result is a mixture of angular wooden frames and plush, rounded cushioning.

This winter we can certainly see ourselves curling up on the Brasilia sofa or the low-back lounge chair in a rich oak hue. The seating comes in a selection of natural colours but we have a soft spot for the classic cream bouclé upholstery. The collection also includes a rectangular coffee table with a sturdy wooden base, topped with a glass panel that has rounded corners, bringing a sense of lightness to the design.
audocph.com; anderssen-voll.com

If you’re seeking inspiration for elegant ways to entertain guests, it’s worth turning to a decorator who was also the child of a diplomat. Arturo Pani’s father, Alberto J Pani, was Mexico’s ambassador to France. With the family based in Paris, the young Arturo studied at the city’s École des Beaux-Arts, before returning to Mexico City in the 1930s. His career drew inspiration from the pomp of late-18th-century Louis XV décor: think onyx and gold-leaf sidetables, and armchairs with hand-wrought curlicues. This 1950s bar cart, made from tubular brass and glass, is one of Pani’s more muted designs.

Though Pani dismissed the rigidity of modernism, he often collaborated with his brother Mario, an architect who worked in the strict international style. This contrast – exteriors muted, interiors gilded – enchanted Mexico’s upper classes and became known as the “Acapulco style”. Pani’s own villa in the coastal resort town became a favourite backdrop for society photographer Slim Aarons. Even today, this cart would shine at any star-studded dinner party.

With libraries facing funding cuts across the globe, it’s heartening to see that many are thriving in the US by rethinking the value of public spaces in the 21st century. Seattle-based architectural photographer Lara Swimmer captures some of the most significant examples in her latest book, Reading Room: New and Reimagined Libraries of the American West.

Published by Artifice Press, it features 25 new or renovated libraries designed by a slate of nationally recognised architects. “Libraries have a very special place in communities as ‘third places’,” says Swimmer. “They’re not work, school or home. They are vital social infrastructure and levellers of age and class.” This book shows that these indispensable spaces can be beautiful and inspiring too.
artificeonline.com