The Monocle Minute
On Design

There’s nothing to fear from a crisp dive in the Oslofjord this Christmas thanks to The Hotspot sauna. Once we’ve warmed up it’s time to take a seat on a sofa inspired by ancient Egyptian architecture, where we talk shop with a Swiss paralegal turned furniture designer and slalom through the pages of an Italian magazine devoted to ski and mountain lovers. Starting us off is Stella Roos with a look back at another busy year of design reportage.

When someone asks me what I like most about my job, I often reply that I get to write about people who do real things. Being Monocle’s design correspondent means that I spend much of my time on assignment talking to architects, builders, hotel owners, shopkeepers, glassblowers, jewellers, carpenters and factory workers. At a time when many “high-skilled” jobs (management consultants, creative strategists) condemn people to sit at home making slide decks, it’s a genuine privilege to deal with tactile trades.

The year started with publisher Lars Müller in the tiny town of Glarus, Switzerland, where graphic designer Dafi Kühne works with more than 30 tonnes of letterpress equipment that he rescued from being sent to the scrapyard. I was then treated to a sneak peek of Warsaw’s under-construction Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej, where 300 builders were busy putting the finishing touches to the Thomas Phifer-designed museum of modern art. Next there was a tour of a Berlin workshop where taciturn German engineers make the world’s fastest bicycles (pictured) and a week in a modernist neighbourhood of Los Angeles that has been preserved thanks to community organising. The year wrapped with a story reported across two continents about the scientists and engineers revolutionising prosthetics. These are only a few of the standout encounters from a travel-packed year.

At around this point in the calendar, we design journalists are tempted to sum up the past year’s trends and make prescient predictions for the future. But the rewarding part of the job is not to declare that stainless steel will soon be passé or that the 1980s are back in vogue. The fad-resistant aim of Monocle’s design coverage is simply to celebrate well-made things and the people who make them. The reporting just happens to be heaps of fun too. It’s all made possible by readers who pick up the magazine, tune in to Monocle Radio and engage with our journalism. Here’s to an even more productive year in 2025.

Stella Roos is Monocle’s design correspondent. For a peek at the design industry’s 2025 outlook, pick up a copy of Monocle’s ‘The Forecast’.

Chill-seeking swimmers in Norway’s Nesodden peninsula, a short ferry ride from Oslo, have a new sauna in which to find respite from the frigid Oslofjord. The Hotspot, designed by Oslo Works architects and opened earlier this year, hovers above the water on slender stilts with a dark-wood coat and gentle curvature that make it a strikingly picturesque addition to the snow-covered landscape. The exterior is clad with axe-cut pine shingles that have been treated with the Japanese yakisugi technique – a process involving the charring of each piece of wood before sealing it with oil for increased weather resistance and heat retainment.

Carefully treading the boundary between form and function, The Hotspot has had an immediate hit with the community, engaging those looking for a pre-work or post-dinner swim and sweat. “We got involved purely for the joy of working on a smaller scale,” says Francis Brekke, Oslo Works’s designer and managing partner. “It was a great opportunity to affect a growing social scene in Nesodden.”

For more on The Hotspot sauna and other cosy design stories, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal newspaper,‘Alpino’, now available online, on newsstands and in Monocle’s seasonal Alpine outpost at the Hotel Steffani in St Moritz.

In the Burgundian town of Autun, French design brand Tolix has been undergoing a fashion makeover since Antoine Bejui and Emmanuel Diemoz (pictured top right) took over the company in 2022. After meeting at Parisian couture house Balmain, the pair decided to take an industry sidestep when the opportunity presented itself to turn Tolix around. In the process, they inherited a factory staffed with talented craftspeople specialising in the production of metal pieces.

Founded in 1927, Tolix produces sturdy steel chairs and stools, which you’ll spot in many parks, terraces and cafés across France. But not everyone realises that these emblematic designs, including the T37 chair and the UD chair, were from Tolix. “It’s like we’ve taken over a vineyard that hasn’t been tended to for a couple of decades,” says Bejui. “It just needs some attention and care to bear fruit again.” With a streamlined catalogue and a renewed marketing strategy, Tolix’s new ownership reflects a wider trend that has been gaining momentum in recent years: fashion crowds have serious designs on… well, design. Expect the cross-pollination between these two aesthetically minded industries to continue in 2025.
tolix.com

To read the full article and more design-world endeavours, pick up a copy of ‘The Monocle Entrepreneurs’ online or on newsstands now.

Swiss entrepreneur Bianca Gerber was not satisfied with her work as a paralegal in a Zürich firm, so she quit and founded Les Bois, an independent design studio working with local carpenters to create unique and durable wooden furniture. We caught up with Gerber to talk about her career transition and the lessons she brought from the legal world to design.

Why did you choose to go down a different path?
I never felt truly fulfilled as a paralegal. I couldn’t get used to the idea of being employed for the rest of my life. Deep down I’ve always wanted to run my own business and I knew that I was going to design my own furniture one day. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

How did your previous experience aid your creative pursuits?
Having a legal background was very helpful for building my company from the ground up. I had some understanding of the systems, could make big decisions and handle any issues with the producers. If you’re an artist, that’s often the kind of skillset you’re lacking.

How would you describe Les Bois’s design philosophy?
The brand focuses on minimalism with a clean, honest and contemporary design that also celebrates its passion for raw material. I get my furniture directly from the cabinetmaker and deliver it to my clients. It’s special to be able to knock on their door, have a conversation and get feedback.

What are your hopes for Les Bois in 2025?
We really want to go further and extend the collection. Right now, Les Bois has about eight models with various sideboards in different sizes, as well as wardrobes, shelves and night tables – but I’m planning more. Another goal is to have my own showroom at some point. shoplesbois.ch

Want to hear more from emerging and leading creatives? Tune in to‘Monocle On Design’.

These candle holders are an overlooked product from one of the 20th century’s most productive collaborations between designer and manufacturer. Enzo Mari first worked with Milanese brand Danese in 1957, kicking off a decades-long relationship. Mari often approached a new commission as a way to learn about a specific material, sterling silver (which develops a slightly golden patina) in this case. He eventually designed so many homeware collections that he took to naming some of them after islands. Nias, an Indonesian island off the coast of Sumatra, is an experiment from 1982 that resulted in paperweights, serving platters and these candle holders.

Even when working with a precious metal such as silver, Mari avoided anything showy or decorative. He pared his design down to pure geometric shapes that serve a function. One of the semispheric shapes keeps the candle steady while the other serves to catch any dripping wax. Not that any excuses for practicality are needed; were the Nias candlesticks still in production today they could improve any Christmas table setting.

“Many years ago, I went on a Nile cruise in Egypt to visit archaeological sites,” says Robert Stephenson, founder of London-based Sedilia furniture. “The image that stuck firmly in my mind was of fantastic temple gates: two pylon towers with a pediment stretching across the top. My design mind was whirring. A square sofa with two arms and a seat going across – well, why isn’t that a kind of temple gate?”

Sedilia’s new Pylon collection follows those ancient Egyptian architectural forms. The line comprises a sofa, an armchair and a daybed, while also drawing inspiration from the solid, square silhouettes of Jean-Michel Frank’s sofas from the early 20th century. The omission of feet or a plinth base in the collection ensures an unbroken connection to the ground and an invitingly low-slung silhouette. Each piece is made-to-order in London using beech and all-natural upholstery and makes a timeless addition to any home.
sedilia.com

The second issue of biannual magazine Mntn: A Journal for Ski and Mountain Lovers weaves together stories of adventure and community from high and snowy climes. Published by Italian outfit Edizioni Margherita, the magazine is distributed in both Italian and English. We picked up our copy at Shreeji, a newsagent on London’s Chiltern Street, along with some retro postcards by Italian skiwear label Nordica.

A flick through these pages is an exploration of Alpine artistry, from the photography of Dario Camasso and Tobia Scandolara to a deep dive into the silent valleys of South Tyrol. This issue of Mntn also features illustrations by the likes of Clémentine Viallon (including one of the four available covers) and Sonja Hinrichsen. Never-before-published photos from Hungarian-American photographer Robert Capa, taken in Austria and Switzerland in the 1950s, are a particular standout. Mntn is a tribute to mountains and the people who revere them – and a snowy addition to your chalet’s sofa-side magazine stack.
edizionimargherita.com