Issues

Affairs agenda: The African National Congress’s return to power, Germany’s trophy hunting restriction and Djibouti’s latest big purchase

Diplomacy: Denmark
Show and tell

Amid the prestige brands and car showrooms of the Champs-Élysées, Maison du Danemark has always seemed an anomaly. Why does Denmark have its own brand house on France’s most prestigious shopping street? “Denmark bought the site in 1948 to promote the best of Danish culture to French and international visitors,” says Helene Hanum Lanza, the house’s new CEO. “It was super avant garde for the Danish government to do that back then.” 

Today the first two floors of the seven-storey building are given over to the Flora Danica restaurant and a showroom for Danish jewellers Pandora. The third floor is an exhibition and event space, while the rest is let to other companies. The Danes came close to selling the building in 1997 but today it remains the property of the government while also being its own commercial entity. 

“The Champs-Élysées is undergoing a big change for the Olympics and we are also going to renovate our building to make it more sustainable,” says Lanza. “It is already seen as a prestigious space so it fits well with places like the new Louis Vuitton Hotel, which is opening across the street. I want to use Danish references, such as Hans Christian Andersen and Danish cinema. We are going to stay loyal to our mission to promote Denmark.”

Soft power icon: Mali
String together

There are famous musicians, there are very famous musicians, and there are musicians who are the most of what the world knows of their country (writes Andrew Mueller). Toumani Diabaté deftly balances dual roles as a virtuoso of the kora – a sort of West African harp-cum-banjo – and ambassador-at-large for Mali. Diabaté, now 59, is also what West Africans call a griot: a cultural custodian who relays its stories. I met him in Bamako in 2014, around the release of Toumani & Sidiki, an album of duelling kora compositions recorded with his son Sidiki Diabaté, also a formidable kora player (and one of Mali’s biggest hip-hop stars).

Toumani & Sidiki was also a demonstration of the griot’s calling. Its tracks were named for individuals and organisations that Diabaté believed had earned the honour. “Hamadoun Touré” was for the Mali-born secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union; “Toguna Industries” was a shout-out to an agricultural corporation that had recently done much to tidy Bamako up. Before and since that record, Diabaté has been a tireless advocate for a distinctly Malian sound, which has become part of the global musical landscape: he has collaborated with musicians such as Damon Albarn, Björk, Herbie Hancock, Kayhan Kalhor and the London Symphony Orchestra.

It is not good, he believes, for a country to be understood exclusively as a setting for strife. “I could go anywhere,” he said. “But if I stay, I get the chance to be a representative and to communicate.”

Security: Japan
Familiar toon

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has enlisted the help of manga artist Takao Saito to help protect the country’s citizens who are living overseas. It has updated its security guidelines for Japanese small, medium and mid-sized enterprises abroad to provide advice for its nationals living in Africa and the Middle East who might be at risk due to political unrest. 

The issuing of the manga strip comes after Japanese citizens had to be repatriated from Niger and Sudan last year following outbreaks of violence. The manga features Golgo 13, a professional assassin whose exploits have been serialised in action films and video games. In the guidelines, he encourages his compatriots to contact the local Japanese consulate in case of emergency and to purchase travel insurance with sufficient health coverage.

The foreign ministry’s guidelines were first introduced in 2017 following a terrorist attack in Bangladesh that killed seven Japanese nationals. In the new strip, a character modelled on the country’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, requests that Golgo 13 protect Japanese citizens from harm. 

During times of heightened security, it is hoped that Golgo 13’s adamantine track record will provide both reassurance and a bit of light relief. 

The Comment

Elections: South Africa
Time for change?

Andrew Mueller on the likelihood of the African National Congress returning to power.

Since South Africa embraced democracy 30 years ago, its elections have been scarcely less predictable than Russia’s. The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight to dismantle apartheid, has won a comfortable majority in all of them. South Africa has entrenched itself as a member of a curious, contradictory cohort: one-party democracies. These are not the same as one-party states, ie those polities where meaningful opposition is forbidden by law or is deliberately forestalled by other means. One-party democracies are those countries where citizens are at liberty to vote for whoever they like but continue to return the same mob to government. In Singapore, the People’s Action Party has governed since 1959. In Mexico, every president between 1929 and 2000 was a member of the same bunch, though the Institutional Revolutionary Party did change its name a couple of times along the way.

South Africans vote again on 29 May, and pre-election polling suggests that the ANC might find itself in the unprecedented position of having to do more than show up and remind everybody that it was the party of Nelson Mandela. Support for the ANC may have dipped below 40 per cent. If that holds, it will still win more votes than anyone else but might have to govern in coalition with another party.

For South Africa, this would be good and bad. It would be good in that the ANC is long overdue a humbling. It has grown complacent and corrupt, and has governed pretty badly: there is no reason why a country of South Africa’s immense potential should be enduring unemployment north of 30 per cent and chronic power outages. And it would be bad in that the ANC’s likeliest means of staying in charge might be an alliance with the Economic Freedom Fighters, an unruly populist outfit whose leader, Julius Malema, appears to regard Robert Mugabe as a role model.

For everyone else, South Africa’s recent history furnishes a cautionary tale. Long stretches in power are usually bad for political parties, bad for politicians and bad for the countries that they govern. It is a struggle to recall any government or leader who really hit their stride after a decade or more in office. The loyalty that gives them third, fourth and fifth chances is generally woefully misplaced. This year has one of the busiest and most consequential election calendars on record. Voters would likely be doing themselves and the world a favour by casting aside sentiment and observing a simple, ruthless mantra: if in doubt, throw ’em out.

Andrew Mueller hosts ‘The Foreign Desk’ on Monocle Radio.

In the basket
Neighbourhood watch

The Cessna Grand Caravan is a tried, tested and versatile aircraft – more than 3,000 of the single-engine turboprops have been sold since the model was introduced in 1984. The two Grand Caravans bound for Djibouti’s modest air force have been purchased under a contract that allows the US military to procure aircraft made by Cessna parent company Textron for US allies (Peru and Ecuador are other beneficiaries).

In the basket: Two Cessna c208-b Grand Caravan EX aircraft
Who’s buying: Djibouti
Who’s selling: The US
Price: Part of a €92m contract 
Delivery date: TBC

Djibouti’s Grand Caravans will be equipped as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, with a view to patrol Djibouti’s neighbourhood – the tiny country, at the top of the Horn of Africa, is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and is a short stretch of Red Sea away from Yemen. Djibouti also houses America’s most important military base in Africa. Camp Lemonnier, near Djibouti’s airport, is also vital for operations across the Middle East.

Diplomatic spat
Elephant in the room

Who vs who:
Botswana vs Germany

What it’s about: Elephants. Specifically, Germany’s ideas about restricting the import of hunting trophies and thereby discouraging the rich weirdos who spend fantastic sums to visit Botswana and shoot elephants. Botswana, however, greatly values the industry, which raises revenue, and manages its elephant population, currently estimated at about 130,000, which is a lot of immense pachyderms that each consumes 150kg of vegetation every day, trample farmland and knock stuff over. Botswana’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has threatened to deploy 20,000 elephants to Germany, declaring, “If you like them so much, please accept this gift from us.”

What it’s really about:
President Masisi is venting a common complaint among African nations that European pontificating on conservation tends towards the patronising (Botswana has previously suggested to the UK that 10,000 of its elephants might enjoy life in Hyde Park). His case is that the people who actually live in a given environment might have some idea of how best to manage it.

Likely resolution: There probably isn’t one: the encouraging of elephant-shooting is an unlikely policy position for a German government, which has a hefty Green contingent. Regretfully, the chances of President Masisi descending from the Alps on elephant back, like Hannibal ahead of his Carthaginian legions, are slight.

Design agenda: Key themes of the Monocle Design Awards, a revamped stadium in Bordeaux and a Q&A with Jesse Lee

Jesse Lee
Founder, Basic Space

Design Miami debuts a new edition of its fair in Los Angeles on 16 May. Founded in Florida in 2005, the fair has ballooned in recent years with outings in Paris, Basel and Shanghai. It was acquired by entrepreneur Jesse Lee, creator of BasicSpace, in 2023. Headquartered in LA, Basic Space is invite-only and sells high-end limited-edition fashion, furniture and more online. 

You’re bringing Design Miami to Los Angeles. Why?
Los Angeles is the right market for us because there are a lot of people with money to spend on their beautiful homes. 

Why acquire Design Miami?
Craig Robins, who co-founded Design Miami, was an investor in BasicSpace, so we knew each other well. I saw an opportunity for design to become the next big thing. Fashion and art are now mainstream but collectable design is still nascent and niche. 

Can people buying sneakers from BasicSpace be enticed to spend $15,000 [€13,850] on a Brazilian modernist chair?
The price isn’t the problem; it’s just that a lot of people have not been exposed to the world of design and don’t understand that it can accrue value.

Where next?
Expect us to have a presence or another fair in Asia next year.
Design Miami LA runs from 16–20 May;
designmiami.com

Hospitality: Singapore
Breath of fresh air

The Air Circular Campus and Cooking Club, a new dining project from Bali-based Potato Head, has opened in Singapore’s Dempsey Hill district. David Gianotten and Shinji Takagi of Dutch design firm OMA have transformed the original modernist building, a clubhouse for civil servants built in the 1970s, into a multi-use space with a restaurant, cooking school and farming programmes aimed at promoting sustainable culinary practices. The result shows how top hospitality and architecture firms can come together to have a positive effect on local communities and ways of building. “We are convinced that architecture and design can make a difference through active engagement with different disciplines,” says Gianotten.

The architects expanded the two-storey building by adding wooden terraced patios that spill onto the front lawn for outdoor dining. Footpaths are threaded through lush green spaces so that visitors can wander through the farm and enjoy picnics on the grass. True to Potato Head’s love of sustainable and upcycled materials, all the furniture, which was created by Catalan designer Andreu Carulla, is made from recycled timber, plastic and styrofoam. A round, orange steel frame at the back of the building houses a spiral staircase. The campus offers an abundance of greenery in densely urban Singapore and is a welcome addition to the city’s culinary and cultural landscape. 
oma.com; aircccc.com

Fashion: Tokyo
Dream coat

Ryuhei Oomaru’s Overcoat in Tokyo is a canvas of creative ingenuity and meticulous design thought. For this follow-up to the fashion brand’s New York base, Oomaru, a designer, collaborated with local firm Atelier Write to redefine an office on the second floor of a 1980s apartment building.

The partnership weaves previously hidden structures that lend themselves to the shop’s looks and functionality with elements that serve multiple functions, such as exposed steel joints used to hang stock and fabrics. The chromatic garments hang like modern art exhibits, their vibrant hues stark against the raw concrete backdrop.

“Since we can keep the entire fashion cycle in one place using the interchangeable layout, it makes the staff’s workflow efficient,” says Oomaru. By breaking down the barriers between maker and buyer, customers aren’t just purchasing a garment but engaging in a narrative and forming a connection with the creator. “I want to see who is interested in my creation,” adds the designer, who is known for his smartly tailored coats, jackets and trousers. “I want my space to become a place where my staff and customers come together to talk about creation.” 
overcoatnyc.com

On Design
Nic Monisse on: Modus operandi

The Monocle Design Awards are here. This is our recognition of the industry’s finest work this year. And while the full report can be found on pages 115 to 146, this column presents an opportunity to reflect on a few of the key design themes that Monocle’s editors and correspondents picked up on while reporting for the prize.

1.
Embrace the environment
Good architecture should work with the climate in which it’s set – and many of the projects highlighted in the awards do so. In Guatemala, for instance, Miller Hull devised a brise-soleil for a building that allows cooling breezes to flow in, while mitigating the heat of a tropical sun.

2.
Communication is key
Graphic design is often a late consideration but it can be crucial to a project’s success. It can also go a long way to improving quality of life and protecting culture. Case in point: the newly developed alphabet, Adlam, that for the first time gives physical form to a verbal-only West African language.

3.
Put people first
Many of the outstanding projects featured started from a place of prioritising people. One of our Top Architects, Tosin Oshinowo, encourages designers to pursue human-centric over iconic architecture.

4.
Elevate the everyday
Objects we encounter constantly should be a joy to use – and to look at. That could be as simple as having a beautiful dining chair by De Padova that makes mealtimes something you want to stretch out for hours.

5.
Material concerns
With any architectural or furniture project, material selection is crucial. Dubai studio Mula showed that more consideration should be given to the use of unconventional local materials by creating a pavilion out of every component of a palm tree.

Furniture: Brazil
Q&A
Cléo Döbberthin & Lorenzo Lo Schiavo
Founders, Palma 

São Paulo-based studio Palma was founded in 2020 by friends Cléo Döbberthin and Lorenzo Lo Schiavo. The duo launched their second furniture collection at Salone del Mobile in April. They tell us more about their work. 

You’re both from São Paulo. How did you meet?
CD: We grew up in the same group of friends and the same environment but met properly when we were studying at the architecture university, Escola da Cidade. We lost contact but then reconnected in 2019.

Describe your design ethos.
LS: We joke that sometimes we have a Frankenstein aesthetic. We put together inspiration from a billion different things but somehow it works. We have lots of fun, making our pieces in our studio in São Paulo’s Barra Funda neighbourhood.

Tell us about Barra Funda.
CD: The best art galleries are here. We wanted to add a bit of design too and that scene is growing into a design hub with many ateliers and studios. 

What’s it like to work in Brazil as a designer now?
CD: When we launched our first collection, we were trying to create a culture of collectable design here. To bring something we already see in Europe, the US and even Mexico. Here, the relationship between art and design still feels very separate – but it’s changing.
palmapalma.com.br

Residences: Lisbon
Packed house

Lisbon’s sunny climate and warm hospitality have been a major draw in recent years, attracting not only tourists but creatives enamoured by the vibrant arts and design scene. In late May, the Portuguese capital celebrates this community with the second edition of its Lisbon Design Week, during which local studios and workshops open their doors to the public. One venue on everyone’s must-see list is La Junqueira, an artist’s residency in Belém.

Founded in 2018 by French artist Stéphane Mulliez, the project offers three-month stays to artists, all of which culminate in a show. “The aim is artistic expression, pushing artists to discover aspects of Lisbon and Portugal, be they cultural, architectural or sociological,” she says.

Mulliez (pictured) restored two floors of an 18th-century building, previously a primary school, to carve out a home for herself, as well as accommodations for visiting artists and an exhibition area. There is also an atelier nearby where residents work. Mulliez was careful to ensure the original details weren’t lost. Multicoloured stained-glass panels in a hallway filter light into her office, while ceramics, a popular craft in Portugal, feature heavily – a decorative band of traditional azulejos line the lower wall in a room used as a workshop. 

The residency is eager to promote local craftsmanship. “We want to build relationships between artists and artisans,” adds Mulliez. French artist Pauline Guerrier developed ceramic panels after working with Viúva Lamego, a storied Portuguese producer known for figurative tiles.

Several works by past residents are prominently displayed by Mulliez in her living room, punctuated by a pair of bright Superoblong sofas from Cappellini. A photo by 2019 resident Louis Heilbronn faces a dining set from Jean Prouvé lit from above by Tom Dixon lamps.

In her garden, Mulliez has outdoor furniture from French brand Fermob. At Lisbon Design Week, visitors will see pieces by sculptor Max Coulon, who will use local woods such as oak and eucalyptus to create large-scale pieces. Should you not be able to visit during the event, consider applying for a residency – at the very least, it will be a chance to see Mulliez’s remarkable residence and workshop. 
lajunqueira.org

Lisbon Design Week runs from 22–26 May.

Sport: Bordeaux
Keeping track

Paris-based K-Architectures recently oversaw the renovation of Pierre-Paul Bernard Stadium in Talence, a suburb of Bordeaux. Built in 1976, the stadium was in need of a tasteful update. The practice refurbished everything from its 1,500-seat grandstand to its worn-out track, all while adding a sports complex with indoor practice halls, a gym and an administrative department. 

The stadium is located on the edge of the protected Thouars Wood, which meant that architects Karine Herman and Jérôme Sigwalt had to ensure that the project would not encroach upon the ancient green space. The handsome wood-framed halls were conceived as a group of barns featuring low-slung, corrugated-metal roofs and façades clad in burnt pine, inspired by Japan’s yakisugi (burnt cedar) technique. The grandstand was updated without changing its structure. Its base, benches and façade were repainted and given a dark tint and the changing rooms were modernised. The athletics track was expanded from six to eight lanes, making it more useful for competitions, both national and international. “The asymmetrical overhanging roofs and use of wood evoke girolles, the small traditional houses in the region’s sandy pine forests,” says Sigwalt.
k-architectures.co

Special editions: A democratic form of art acquisition

Interior architect Zoé Ramseier has hung her print of Sendetafel by Swiss artistic duo Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs in her living room, just above the dining table. “What I loved about this piece was the contrast between the intensity of the colour gradient and the softness of the sky behind it,” she says. “Art doesn’t have to be beautiful but it should create emotions. This print creates questions as soon as you enter the room.” Ramseier started collecting art from an early age. “I was lucky because I grew up with art all around me as both my parents are in creative industries. But everyone should have the possibility to encounter art throughout their day, regardless of their level of income.”

Much of the art market is fixated on the unique, on the chance to own a painting or a sculpture that nobody else will ever have. But the world of print editions invites you to imagine a slightly more democratic version of that beast. Would you like to be one of perhaps 10, 100 or maybe even 1,000 owners of a numbered and signed artwork? Are you happy to share the love? After all, you’ll probably never go to another home and see the edition that you own on its wall. What would be the odds of that? Well, perhaps a little higher if Monocle got involved and decided to see where the prints from one edition have ended up.

Sendetafel was created in 2021 in an edition of 25 and originally sold for CHF1,060 (€1,080 at today’s exchange rate). Frame included. The striking artwork features a billboard attached to a vast metal structure, which looms over a rocky terrain. In the background a summer sunset is soft pinks and blues. But there is something unsettling about the image. Each print is identical expect that the billboard’s surface colours change in every version. Onorato and Krebs use a collage-style printing process to pull off this trick. And to do that they worked with Edition VFO, an edition publisher and gallery in Zürich.

Founded in 1948, the organisation’s initials stand for Verein für Originalgraphik, or the Association for Original Prints. Managing director David Khalat explains that editions, and their popularisation, are at the core of his mission. “With the advent of digital printing, traditional printing techniques suffered and there was an erosion of communities centred around the craft,” he says. “Our job as an association is to bring them back and to show why editioned works are vital to enriching contemporary art.” 

Though much more has to be done to encourage the revival of printmaking, Khalat says that editions are having a moment. “There is a renewed interest in the craft of printmaking and editions across all fields, including art,” he says. “Now that people have become used to all the possibilities that digital works offer, they’re looking back and mixing in older print techniques.” 

All the Sendetafel editions have been sold but as Khalat leads Monocle around Edition VFO’s gallery, he points out other works that, he says, hold the same sense of magic. “There is a tactility to the paper. Just like with a painting or a sculpture, you can feel someone else’s presence in the work,” he says. “When the piece is developed at the press,  the materials also make their mark, from the stones used in lithography to paint in monographs.” Editions can be unique too.

Edition VFO is not toiling alone. Other edition publishers include Graphicstudio in Tampa, Borch Editions in Copenhagen, Counter Editions in the UK and Los Angeles-based Gemini GEL. Now, though, Khalat and his team have taken advantage of this renewed interest in the medium in order to establish the Zürich Print Institute. Based in the city, the centre works with masters of lithography, screen printing and etching, connecting them with other artists who want to collaborate on new editioned works. The institute will also make space for the equipment that the labour-intensive processes require. “Creating print editions needs a lot of investment. You need chemicals, dark rooms, light-sensitive plates and presses,” says Khalat. “And that isn’t even mentioning the community that springs up around the practice: the master printers, artists, apprentices, framers and others all working on it together.” 

That sense of community, united by its appreciation of edition prints, makes itself apparent as Monocle travels around Zürich, tracking down the owners of the various Sendetafel. Up in her attic flat in the centre of the city, Annik Hosmann explains her connection to the print, which hangs above her sofa. A journalist at Zürich-based daily newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Hosmann first met Khalat through work and was one of the first to arrive on the morning that Onorato and Krebs’ editions went on sale in 2021. “I love noticing works online and reaching out to the artists to buy from them directly,” she says. “It’s fun to interrogate the concept of what a collection is or who a collector might be. In the end, I decided that it’s something fun and something that can add unexpected twists to my life.” 

Down by the banks of Zürichsee, Silvia Schmid shows Monocle into her home. The interior of her spacious villa is packed with original artwork so it takes a moment to point out her Sendetafel hanging in the corridor between the dining room and kitchen. Schmid is the president of Edition VFO and is passionate about the role that the institution can play. “I became involved with the institution because I love how democratic it is,” says Schmid. “It gives the opportunity to young people to get to know all of these different artists.”

The gallery manager
David Khalat

“When making print editions, masters always try to plan how it will look in the end,” says the managing director of Edition VFO. “But when it goes to press, you have to let go. This loss of control is positive: the materials with which you’re printing come forward. Compared to the glossy surface of a digital print, you can see traces of the oil, air bubbles and other elements from the printing process.”

The collectors

Zoé Ramseier

Through her work as an interior architect, Ramseier has become particularly drawn to abstract artwork. “In Sendetafel, I particularly like the way in which architecture is joined to the gradient of colours,” she says.

Bruno Margreth

Margreth is a graphic designer and founder of About Books, an independent publishing company with a focus on contemporary art, culture and architecture. “Through my work as a book designer, I’m very close to different print techniques, so I enjoy following Edition VFO’s output,” says Margreth. 

Laura d’Incau

D’Incau once worked at Edition VFO alongside Khalat. There is also a connection with the artists: her sister attended the same photography class as the pair. “The purple and silver colours on my edition caught my eye instantly,” says D’Incau. “When I’m choosing prints, I choose pieces that touch my heart or fit with the rest of my collection. When I was 20, I bought three prints. It all started from there.”

Silvia Schmid

After being a stay-at-home mother for many years, Schmid decided to study art communication. One thing led to another and she is now president of Edition VFO. Now that her children have families of their own, she has to ensure that her art collection is child-proof.

Michael Arnold & Mirjam Frei

“We love collecting editions because they combine art and craftsmanship,” says Arnold. “Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs’ work struck us as special because every edition is unique in itself, with the colours of the screen changing in every print. Our piece has a wonderful tension between melancholy and promise, which drew us towards it.” 

Ralph Steinbrüchel

After studying communication design at Central Saint Martins in London, musician and graphic designer Steinbrüchel relocated from his native Germany to Switzerland. “I enjoy collecting in general but am particularly drawn to the craftsmanship that comes hand in hand with editions,” he says. “Sendetafel combines photography with the process of printing in a beautiful, unique way.”

Raphael Rogenmoser

Rogenmoser is a digital strategist for the creative and cultural industries. 
“I love the neon quality to the colours in this print,” says Rogenmoser. “I’ve admired Krebs and Onorato’s work since the early years of their career and enjoy buying editions from artists with whom I have a personal connection.”

Kathrin Wolf & Gianluca Ambrosetti

Wolf and Ambrosetti’s choice of their Sendetafel print was influenced by Ambrosetti’s work as CEO of Synhelion, a green-technology company converting sunlight into fuel. “Selecting a piece of art for us is often a matter of chemistry,” says Wolf. “With this print in particular, it reminded us of Synhelion’s solar towers when they catch the rays of the setting sun in those poetic moments between night and day.”

Annik Hosmann

When Hosmann was first looking at different editions at Edition VFO, she couldn’t decide which one to choose but then she was struck by the contrast of orange and blue. “I love the feeling of buying something from an artist and realising that it has a history behind it,” she says. “That’s how I got into Edition VFO.” 

Judith Meier

Meier is registrar at the Zürich canton’s Art Collection, which has been collecting works created in the region since 1908, amassing about 20,000 pieces. The works are then loaned to exhibitions and institutions around the city. 

Welcome to Janu: The latest opening in the Japanese capital

Tokyo’s recent luxury hotel openings have tended to be nestled in the upper reaches of towering skyscrapers. For its new opening, though, Aman Resorts has brought things back down to earth. Janu is a 122-room hotel in Azabudai Hills and is the first of 12 for Aman’s new sister brand, which comes with a lifestyle label and a slightly lower price tag. 

While Aman Tokyo, tucked in the top of Otemachi Tower, was designed as an ultra-rarefied retreat from the hustle and bustle below, Janu sits in the heart of a new neighbourhood, opening onto the adjacent shopping area and featuring eight restaurants and bars. They include Hu Jing for modern Cantonese, Janu Grill for a wagyu steak and Mercato for fresh pasta and a terrace that opens onto the main square. Iigura serves sushi over a wooden counter and Sumi offers fish and meat cooked over charcoal. 

Jean-Michel Gathy, a regular Aman collaborator, led the design alongside his Kuala Lumpur studio. Janu’s rooms showcase Aman’s trademark serenity with neutral palettes, giant bathrooms and sliding doors. The architecture of the whole development maximises what the Japanese call shakkei, or “borrowed scenery”. The nearby Tokyo Tower makes the biggest impact (the Tower View Suite has views from every room) but some less well-known buildings announce themselves too, including the Reiyukai Shakaden Buddhist temple (you can’t miss the sloping roof) and, of course, the luxury shops that populate the development. 

Janu takes wellness seriously, with a spa and fitness area that sprawls across four floors. The pool boasts a width that most hotels can’t accommodate, while the athlete-level gym features a full-size boxing ring, as well as seven treatment rooms and five movement studios. The hotel – which also has two boutiques selling skincare, homeware and own-label casualwear – is one of the finishing touches to Azabudai Hills. Once the last of the shops opens and the greenery sprouts, the vision will come to life.
janu.com

Inventory: Tech corner
Switched on
Global

Upgrades and iterations from digital cameras to tracking tags make up this month’s round-up.

1.
X100VI digital camera
Fujifilm

The latest camera from Fujifilm is the successor to the popular X100V. The new model retains the X100V’s gorgeous design and fixed lens but upgrades the sensor to 40.2 megapixels. 
fujifilm.com

2.
Ultra Open Earbuds
Bose

These in-ears from Bose are built so that you can hear the world around you as well as your music. The design clips around the ear, like an ear cuff, but feels secure. And an auto-volume feature compensates if your surroundings suddenly become noisy.
bose.com

3.
Phone (2a)
Nothing

The latest smartphone from Nothing is priced competitively and, while the design is arguably Nothing’s best yet, there are compromises. The back is polycarbonate rather than glass, for example, though that does make it light. The twin rear cameras perched like eyes look cool too.
nothing.tech

4.
AirCard
Rolling Square

The Swiss-designed AirCard fits in a wallet and works with Apple Find My. If you lose your wallet, the gadget will send a message to any passing Apple device on to your iPhone.
rollingsquare.com

Read next: The Monocle City Guide to Tokyo, featuring the best hotels, restaurants and retail spots in the Japanese capital

The pieces putting a spring in our step this season

A bustling Japanese market that offers a luxury shopping experience

May 2024
Inventory
A monthly round-up of all you need

That food in Japan is outstanding is hardly news but what really separates the average meal in Tokyo from other big cities is often the quality of the ingredients. From grapes wrapped in muslin on the vine to freshly caught fish handled with the gentlest touch, Japanese producers are on another level. And what if the humble shopper wanted to get their hands on such produce? One new food market in Tokyo is offering just that and more under one roof. This is no regular supermarket – and is priced accordingly – but it’s a fascinating stop for anyone wanting to get to the heart of why the best Japanese food is so good. Even the sushi counter here, Sushi Saito, is a Michelin-starred operation.

The Azabudai Hills Market – part of Mori Building’s giant new development – covers 4,000 sq m and 34 speciality shops. “We have had lots of experience with restaurant tenants but we had never done food retail,” says Masanori Tsukamoto, who developed the market with his colleague Takashi Ohgaki. “When we thought about how to do really good food retail, it was all about high-quality products,” says Tsukamoto. “We realised that great restaurants had access to the best produce so we talked to the ones we worked with about where they were getting their produce from. Sushi restaurant Saito told us that it was getting its fish from [seafood wholesaler] Yamayuki. We felt that it would be innovative if businesses that were only doing B2B became available B2C.”

“We wanted to showcase the richness of Japanese food culture, so we selected retailers of the highest quality for each category,” Ohgaki tells Monocle. “And to show the variety of Japanese cuisine, not just sushi and tempura but also home cooking, from potato salad to karaage.” Hiyama butchers’ shop has been based in Ningyocho – a quaint Tokyo neighbourhood – for more than 100 years. The Hiyama buyers favour Yonezawa wagyu from Yamagata, marbled with just the right amount of fat; the thinnest slices need only be licked by a flame and they’re good to go. Tsukiji Toritoh is another traditional wholesaler founded in 1907 on the fringes of Tsukuiji fish market; this is where the best yakitori restaurants are sourcing their birds – and now you can too.

For fish, the team has netted top-drawer fishmongers Nezu Matsumoto and Yamayuki, which supplies many of the best restaurants in Tokyo. “I’ve been selling fish for 40 years but once I hit 60, I wanted to explore food education,” says Yukitaka Yamaguchi,  owner of Yamayuki. “It’s difficult to find an [marine] environment like Japan anywhere else. I want to show what’s out there. I don’t think farming is bad but I want people to know the natural taste of real, wild fish.” By working face to face with customers, Yamaguchi can also give advice. “We get to say, ‘It’s delicious if you eat it this way’”, he adds. One of the staff is skilfully cutting a 164kg tuna caught in Shimoda.

For fresh fruit and vegetables, the market has called on Kyoto Yaoichi, a greengrocer, to handle only the best and most in season of produce: bamboo shoots (still covered in soil), the juiciest Japanese strawberries and perfectly ripe mikan citrus. There are also unfurled ferns, fresh wasabi and edible flowers. 

This is the place for those ¥50,000 (€300) melons and presentation boxes of uniform Japanese cherries but they also have everyday vegetables – just better versions. Look at the sad, out-of-season produce in the typical urban supermarket and weep.

The bread shop, Comme’N Tokyo, whose popular mother shop is in Okusawa in Tokyo, is excellent, though you might never find out. So long are the queues that only the most dedicated will be going home with one of its baguettes or pastel-coloured meringues. The young baker in charge, Shuichi Osawa, was the first Japanese to take home top prize at international bread competition Mondial du Pain. Osawa knows his audience and there are almost 100 varieties on offer. Just don’t be in a hurry.

For pickles, customers will head to Nakaya, which, like so many classic food shops, originated on the outer edges of Tsukiji fish market. Nakaya is based in rural Ibaraki and specialises in vegetables pickled in rice bran. Free from additives, these pickles bear no relation to the wincingly sharp onions in a jar but allow the taste of the vegetable to shine through. For dashi stock – made from bonito and the basis of so much Japanese cooking – the amateur chef can go to Okume Shoten, which has been selling seafood since 1871. Customers can select their own dashi. For miso, look no further than Tokyo favourite Sano.

“The age group of our customers runs from seniors to young children,” says Ohgaki. “We have fish tanks that little kids can see, as well as a bakery dedicated for children [Comme’N Kids], so it’s a fun place for them as well.” From this month the Azabudai Hills Market Lab will host events and workshops that offer opportunities to eat the produce at pop-up sushi counters and sit-down lunch bars. Every aspect of a meal is available here, with ingredients so superb, that even the least adept cook might make the meal of a lifetime.
azabudai-hills.com

Case study: Rice
Rice is a Japanese preoccupation that potato-loving Western cultures can never quite get t o grips with. At Azabudai Hills, customers can buy from celebrated century-old Tokyo rice shop Sumidaya Shoten, which is now run by Shinichi Katayama. The rice is top quality, of course, but Katayama is also keen to teach people how to prepare it properly. “No matter how good the rice is, if it is cooked incorrectly, it will not be delicious.”

Case study: Wine
Wine is given its own space on an upper floor and run by Yamajin, a century-old wine merchant from Utsunomiya, led by Kenichi Ohashi, the only person in Japan to hold the Master of Wine title. It sells big French classics, amphora-aged wines from Georgia and a strong saké selection, and has a counter for trying the odd glass or two. For coffee lovers, emerge from the entrance (admiring the architecture by Thomas Heatherwick and architect Ai Yoshida of Japan’s Suppose Design) and pick up beans from Kyoto roasters Ogawa Coffee Laboratory. Dozens of varieties are lined up like fragrances and staff will blend according to taste.

Read next: The Monocle City Guide to Tokyo, featuring the best hotels, restaurants and retail spots in the Japanese capital

Inside Galeto’s enduring appeal in Lisbon

What makes a restaurant dependable? In Galeto’s case, it’s simply that it is always there: this Lisbon institution is open 20 hours a day, seven days a week, 364 days a year, only closing on Labour Day. It is more of a city service than a mere restaurant – open to all whenever they need it. “The way I see it is that Galeto is almost like a hospital or post office,” says owner Francisco Oliveira.

The restaurant’s roots are both Brazilian and European. The Italian diaspora who settled in South America in the mid-20th century founded a genre of informal canteens in smart surroundings that served the unfussy chicken dish that gave Galeto, which opened in 1966, both its name and inspiration. The six Portuguese partners who brought the idea to Lisbon (one of whom was Oliveira’s father) wanted their new restaurant to feel modern. That meant including a snack bar offering quick bites, attentive button-bright service and space for both solitary diners and bigger groups in a way that wouldn’t make the former feel lonely.

While the simple chicken dish didn’t particularly catch on with the Portuguese, this new approach to dining, as well as the uniquely grand interiors and maze-like counters of varnished wood, became an instant hit. While Lisbon has seen constant change, Galeto has remained consistent. And this steadfast adherence to its original formula has somehow kept it on trend and beloved by the city’s residents even as other food fads have blossomed and faded. “It’s a modern, atemporal classic,” says Oliveira.

By day, Galeto is filled with families and walk-ins enjoying a leisurely lunch, as well as a few suited office workers snacking between meetings. The menu is vast but the house staples are still bife à Galeto (beef with fried egg, ham and pickles) and number eight on the set menu: a hamburger with French fries and creamed spinach.

Come nightfall the crowd changes to louder groups of youngsters, couples exiting a cinema or theatre and an impossible-to-predict mix of regulars, from politicians after a late session in parliament to escorts enjoying a quick prego (beef sandwich) and a last imperial (small beer) before calling it a night. From breakfast, which starts at 07.30, until 03.30 the next morning, Galeto’s 130 staff keep service running smoothly; some have more than 40 years’ experience on the restaurant’s floor. “This is a family-owned business with a mission,” says Oliveira. “It’s a kind of effort that we no longer see in hospitality today.” Well, almost never.
galeto.pt

Tempting plates: Here’s what’s on our global menu this month

Rolfs Hav
Stockholm 

If you have had the pleasure of eating at Rolfs Kök, a fixture of Stockholm’s food scene since 1989, you’ll be happy to hear that the team behind it recently opened a seafood restaurant called Rolfs Hav around the corner. Restaurateur Klas Ljungquist and chef Johan Jureskog have created a tantalisingly fresh seasonal menu of oysters, goose barnacles, lobster rolls, crab claws, prawn cocktails, chowders and all manner of other delights from the briny deep.

Some of the city’s residents regularly pop in on their way home from work, pulling up one of the 18 chairs at the restaurant’s seafood bar – which is just how Rolfs Hav’s owners want it. “The idea is to swing by,” says Ljungqvist. “You can stay for 15 minutes or all evening.” The snug space can become a little crowded but it always feels welcoming. It has an edge of cheeky elegance too: there are oyster-shell lampshades designed by Stockholm-based artist Michel Bussien, while one wall is covered in an artwork made from salmon skin (trust us, it’s beautiful) by Swedish master tanner Lotta Rahme.

The two Rolfs restaurants don’t just share staff and enjoy the same level of popularity – they’re also connected by a passage through the wall and kitchen. “People who love seafood all over the city have found us,” says Ljungqvist. “And they keep coming back for the atmosphere.” 
rolfshav.se

Camille
London

Launched by Clare Lattin and Tom Hill, the restaurateurs behind Soho’s Ducksoup and Dalston’s Little Duck, this Borough Market bolthole recreates a Provençal cave à manger in a neighbourhood that prides itself on British produce. Pig’s-trotter terrine is served with Dijon mustard and crunchy cornichons. Diners are encouraged to share seasonal (not-so) small plates bearing such treats as crab toast along with nutty pied de mouton mushrooms, crispy purple sprouting broccoli or a polished potato pavé. The generosity of portions extends to the sweets, which are well worth saving space for. The brown-butter tart encased in pâte sucrée and flambéed with a gentle lick of the blowtorch is an offer that few will be able to refuse. 
camillerestaurant.co.uk

Recipe 
Wurst und Kartoffelsalat

Ralph Schelling, Monocle’s Swiss chef, recommends the version of this comforting dish that’s served in Vienna’s Gasthaus Grünauer.

Serves 4

Ingredients
800g potatoes
1 onion
4 pickled gherkins
60ml gherkin pickling liquid
60ml rapeseed oil
3 tbsps flour
1 bottle white wine
700ml broth
1 tbsp mustard
1 pinch of salt and pepper
A couple of sausages

Method
1.
Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Put in a large pan with water and bring to a boil. Cook until soft. Remove from the water and drain.

2.
Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Dice the pickled gherkins.

3.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: add oil to the pan, then the onion cubes. Let them glaze. Add flour and let everything brown briefly.

4.
Deglaze the pan with wine, add a third of the broth and stir. Bring to a boil. Continue to stir and add the remaining broth, plus the pickling liquid.

5.
Add the mustard, salt and pepper, and let everything reduce until thickened.

6.
Meanwhile, cook the sausages until crispy.

7.
When the sauce is thick enough, add potato cubes and cook until they start to lose their structure.

8.
Serve the potato mixture with the sausages. 
ralphschelling.com

Fuglen Sangubashi
Tokyo

For its latest Tokyo venture, Norwegian coffee roastery Fuglen is slowing things down. Kenji Kojima, who runs the company’s Japanese operations (which include six cafés), renovated an old house in Sangubashi, near Yoyogi Park, adding wooden furniture and a stone counter from Miyagi.

You won’t hear the hum of espresso machines here: the coffee is ground, sieved and filtered through organic paper to make brews served in ceramic cups from Yame in Fukuoka and Yomitan in Okinawa. Customers can also try kokekaffee, steeped in a kettle and served with Norwegian brown cheese on knekkebrød (crispbread). “We don’t have time to serve coffee like this in our other cafés,” says Kojima. “So our baristas are enjoying themselves too.” 
fuglencoffee.jp

Forno Conti & Co
Rome

If you’re planning to open an artisan bakery in the Italian capital, it probably helps if you are a fourth-generation Roman pasticciere. Sergio Conti set up Forno Conti & Co in Rome’s lively Esquilino neighbourhood, where it turns out sourdough loaves and sweet pastries such as maritozzi buns and flaky hand-rolled croissants. “I practically grew up inside an oven,” says Conti. “I wanted to make something different.”

Forno Conti & Co’s northern European influences are clear in its interiors, which are furnished with Artek stools and Japanese-style lamps by Conti’s wife, architect Germana de Donno. Places that serve flat whites and pour-over coffees might be unusual in Rome but Forno Conti also stays true to its roots, ensuring that classics such as torte rustiche (savoury pies) and Roman-style pizza rossa are always on the menu. 
fornoconti.co

Top tables
Paris

Until 1860, Belleville was an independent municipality of Paris and a hotbed of revolt. Today its rebellious spirit lives on in a new generation of restaurateurs redefining the capital’s culinary scene. Here, you’ll find a melting pot of cultures in which disparate cuisines collide in defiance of the status quo.

Mardi offers Scandinavian kanelbullar (cinnamon buns), French canelés and Japanese matcha marble cake, reflecting Belleville’s international community. “It’s a little-known neighbourhood where everyone knows each other,” says co-founder Adi Salet.
29 Rue de la Villette, 75019

Bouche means “mouth” and its name evokes “eating, drinking, talking and kissing – all things that you can do around a good table”, says co-founder Angela Kong. Based in a former kebab shop, it flouts the city’s bistro culture with small plates that combine French fare such as pâté de tête with international garnishes.
85 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011

For a digestif, visit L’Orillon, a wine bar that had a makeover last September, a decade after its opening. Its simple menu features the humble hard-boiled egg – a staple of the canteen-style brasserie that traditionally fed Paris’s working classes. It’s proof that Belleville remains proud of where it started, while being excited about where it’s going. 
35 Rue de l’Orillon, 75011

Artistic triumph: An artist’s residence turned boutique hotel

Portella 
Palma de Mallorca 

It’s the early 1970s when painter Joaquín Torrents Lladó secures a new home and studio in the Old Town of Palma de Mallorca. His new base, a compact palace, has elements dating to the 11th century but isn’t listed. So he sets about making attractive interventions to reflect his passion for Venice and the need for natural light to aid his work. But the structure of the house endures, including a courtyard with a shallow pool that can be glimpsed from the street.

In 1993, Torrents Lladó dies young, at 47, and his home becomes a museum dedicated to his work. Then, a few years ago, his heirs decide that it is time to sell, just as someone else is looking for property in the city: the Miró-Sans family. Monocle readers will recognise that name, as Inés, the daughter, created hit hotel Casa Bonay in Barcelona in 2016. In doing so, she devised an establishment that captured the needs of a new traveller – working on the move, keen to be embedded in a community. 

So, when the deal was struck in 2017, Inés, and this time her brother Enrique, were enlisted by the family to guide this special place towards a new life as a hotel. It has been a long journey to the opening a few weeks ago, and the outcome is not a second Casa Bonay. “The original licence was for a 21-room hotel but we realised that things were changing to a more upgraded experience,” says Enrique. Working with architects Gras Reynés, he and Inés plotted out a 14-room establishment, and ended up waiting four years to get a new licence. But that time has served them well. They’ve been able to protect the elements that Torrents Lladó fell in love with – the flow of rooms, his Venetian-style galleries on the first floor, that light – and to source tiles, terracotta and stone that match the building’s soul.

Working with Parisian studio Festen has led to the incorporation of more island elements, including lamps commissioned from storied glassmaker Gordiola. The interiors bring together furniture by Festen alongside antique pieces for a look that’s quite spare – think private, book-lined spaces and a domestic-vibe kitchen where the cook will make you breakfast, lunch or dinner to order. These spaces are for guests only and there is no nameplate on the street, no branding to grab your attention. “It should feel like you are staying in a home that you can’t afford to buy,” says Inés.

Portella also comes at a time when there’s a generational changing of the guard at play, as old aristocratic families pass on palaces to those with the wherewithal to give them architectural CPR and entrepreneurial purpose. Every ancient street seems to reverberate with the sound of drills and diggers. But at Portella – especially if you secure the suite at the back of the residence with its view of the ancient Arab Baths and a pretty secret garden – you can ignore all this and be transported to a place that feels both ancient and modern, private and urban. A place that looks so perfect that it could almost be a painting.
portellapalma.com

How Catalan creatives are drawing on Spain’s design history to create new collections

Barcelona is a city built on the riches of its manufacturing heritage. For much of the 19th century, Catalonia was known as “the factory of Spain” and the wealth generated by its booming textiles industry helped fund the development of Barcelona’s cultural scene and its impressive architectural landmarks.

The city might no longer be quite the industrial powerhouse that it once was, but it has retained a reputation as a hub for innovation and cultural taste-making. There are still manufacturers to be found in and around the city, producing small batches of premium quality wares, while in the neighbourhood of Poblenou, warehouses and factories have been transformed into all manner of creative studios filled with young Catalan designers who are determined to make their mark on the international fashion landscape.

Here, we round up some of the most noteworthy regional designers who remain committed to producing their collections in their hometown.

1.
Shoulder season
Ölend

Ölend co-founders Adriana Dumon and Fran Rios first crossed paths while working as filmmakers in Barcelona. After taking a diy backpack-making course together, they started creating their own designs. Encouragement from friends and family inspired them to officially launch Ölend in 2012 and start selling commercially. “Our initial inspiration was Nordic aesthetics, with very geometric shapes,” says Dumon. “But over time we evolved and began incorporating more colours and organic shapes.” Today, Ölend produces totes, backpacks and shoulder bags in lightweight nylon, all designed in its Poblenou atelier. All bags come in bright colours, with internal and external pockets. “City life requires designs that are functional and versatile,” says Dumon. 
olend.net

2.
Hidden gem
Après Ski

Founder Lucía Vergara and her team design Après Ski’s jewellery collections in the brand’s small shop-cum-atelier down a narrow side street in El Born. A few years ago, she started making her own clothing for models to wear in her jewellery campaigns. Customers expressed interest in buying the full look, prompting Vergara to add unisex shirts, jackets and hats to Après Ski’s collection. Pieces are limited, as they’re mostly made using vintage fabrics. “I search for fabric everywhere, from flea markets to auctions,” says Vergara. 
apresski.es

3.
Material rewards
Bielo

Bielo founder Josep Puig Romeu’s family has been producing premium knitwear since the mid-1980s. From the small town of La Llacuna, its manufacturing business has used state-of-the-art Japanese knitting machines to create designs for the likes of Marni and Balenciaga. “Since the age of 20, I was gaining experience across all departments: knitting, programming, finishing,” says Puig Romeu. “I also worked closely with various luxury brands and their designers.” With all this experience under his belt, Puig Romeu set up Bielo in 2013 to experiment with techniques and materials. His creations are a mix of the minimal – chunky wool cardigans, simple grey sweaters – and the eccentric, from patterned capes to reversible jumpers. The Admo navy cardigan (pictured) will make a great layering piece as you transition into spring.
bielo.cat

4.
Trunk call
Bassal

It was a visit to Kyoto that inspired Pol Bassal to open his own shop in Barcelona. “I kept noticing all these really well-designed stores selling Japanese brands,” he says. “I thought that’s what my city is missing.” His eponymous, multi-brand shop opened next to La Pedrera-Casa Milà in 2020, stocking mostly Spanish designers with the odd high-end international label thrown in. There’s also a range of swimwear designed by Bassal himself, ranging from one-piece suits for women and swimming trunks for men featuring upbeat colours and graphic patterns. “I noticed a lack of swimwear made using premium, European-sourced materials and thought it was time to do something about it,” he says. 
bassal.store

5.
Body of evidence
Roda

Marta Jubero Domènech took an unconventional route to becoming a beauty entrepreneur. The Barcelona native was working in San Francisco for an aerial-software company when she realised that she could take what she had learned in tech and use it in cutting-edge cosmetics. “I’d come into contact with the ways in which data science could be applied to health,” she says. “I noticed that beauty was missing the modern way of formulating products.” In 2020, Jubero Domènech returned to Barcelona, where she set up Roda with her brother, Virgili. Their first step was to create a database of more than 10,000 ingredients and 2,000 dermatological studies. They then analysed the data using AI-assisted techniques to develop the product formulas. The result is a concise range that prioritises ingredients from the Mediterranean region.  
rodacosmetics.com

6.
Delivering the goods
Manuel Dreesmann

After graduating from his design studies in Germany, Bremen-born Manuel Dreesmann headed to Barcelona to forge a new life for himself. “I instantly fell in love with the city and its vibrant atmosphere,” says Dreesmann, who took on various freelance design jobs before launching his own leather goods brand in 2018. “Initially, I was just making things for friends and family. As more and more people started showing interest, I decided that this could be the project upon which I build my career.” In 2021 he opened an atelier and showroom in the El Born neighbourhood. It’s here that Dreesmann and his small team of artisans create their wares, cutting and stitching with precision to create a range of bags, belts, wallets and laptop sleeves. “We carefully select only the finest, vegetable-tanned leathers,” he says. “Most of it comes from renowned tanneries in Igualada, just a stone’s throw from Barcelona.” 
manuel-dreesmann.com

7.
Working class
Bastida

Bastida is known for its unisex range of workwear, made in workshops along Barcelona’s industrial fringes. You’ll spot Bastida-designed uniforms in some of Spain’s most elegant establishments, from Seville to Madrid, but its heavy cotton T-shirts and loose trousers work just as well in day-to-day life.
bastidaforwork.com