Monocle on Design
Your essential guide to design, covering furniture, craft, and architecture. Discover fresh stories, rising talents, and the latest from top studios.
Latest Episodes
Just my type
We look back at a few of our favourite typography tales and hear about a Hague-based foundry making Arabic fonts, a calligrapher’s adventures in ink, an east London sign painter and a typeface analyst. Write on.
Graphic design digest
Coming up today we’re talking graphic design and digging into the archives to find some of our favourite recent interviews. We discuss the art of data visualisation with Steven Heller and Josh Fehnert asks Julius Wiedemann about the golden age of mid-century logos.
Architecture and the media, design in Asia and Josef Frank
This week we offer some design-minded diversions from the heavy headlines. We talk design in Asia with Hong Kong-based editor Suzy Annetta and Josh Fehnert discusses how Austrian designer Josef Frank found favour in Sweden.
Ilse Crawford, Yasmeen Lari and Vienna’s mall maestro
British designer Ilse Crawford discusses her appetising revamp of Helsinki’s Alvar Aalto-designed Savoy restaurant. Plus: we meet Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari, and Josh Fehnert discusses malls and the future of retail.
Lahore, the kimono and the Pritzker prize
We talk improvised urbanism in Lahore and how the kimono influenced the world of fashion. Plus: Josh Fehnert interviews Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, winners of this year’s Pritzker prize for architecture.
Meeting Willo Perron, Aric Chen and Jill Magid
Designer Willo Perron talks about creating a stage-show that pops for everyone from Jay Z to Florence and the Machine. Plus a word with Design Miami’s curatorial director and a documentary maker on her latest film all about Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
Designing Austria
We’re focusing on the small but mighty nation of Austria and delving into the country’s craft and design clout. Josh Fehnert grills our design editor Nolan Giles on the alpine nation’s high design, we visit an exhibition on Austrian fashion in Vienna and we talk to fashion designer Lena Hoschek.
Headline design
Oli Stratford of Disegno joins us for the design headlines. Plus, a visit to “The Porcelain Room” exhibition in Milan, and we speak with the design minds behind family-run Italian furniture business Living Divani.
Sweden’s design future
We meet some of the brightest up-and-coming designers at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair. Plus: a discussion with Sweden’s first national architect, Helena Bjarnegård, and we talk to Luca Nichetto and Robert Acouri, two of the minds behind new Paris-based brand and boutique La Manufacture.
Drawing inspiration
We speak to Foster + Partners’ art director Narinder Sagoo about the process of sketching new buildings. Plus: we visit the Danish Architecture Centre, and meet two friends channelling nostalgia into the design of Brooklyn’s Turk’s Inn restaurant.
