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
Extra: Geneva’s city hall
We visit Geneva city hall, newly revamped by architecture firm Bonhôte Zapata to help foster dialogue and democracy.
Maison Schiaparelli and Rana Salam
We look at the legacy of avant garde fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli through a new show at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and learn about Rana Salam’s use of colour. Plus: Nic Monisse on the ideal summer house.
Extra: Federica Biasi on timelessness
Emerging designer Federica Biasi tells us how to strike the balance between trendy and timeless.
Tosin Oshinowo, Commune, Faye Toogood
Architect Tosin Oshinowo discusses material development in Nigeria, and we visit the new offices of design studio Commune in Los Angeles. Plus, we meet designer Faye Toogood in her London studio.
Extra: Design conversations
How can designers engage the public in conversations about urban design? Monocle’s executive editor Nolan Giles reflects on the example set by Concéntrico, an architecture and design festival in Logroño, Spain.
The natural world
Architect Mario Cucinella discusses smog-eating ceramics and his ecologically sustainable 3D-printed house. Plus: we hear how indigenous technologies could be used to improve cities by 2040 and learn about design solutions provided by the forms, processes and systems of the natural world.
Extra: Silk-weaving in Lyon
We head to Lyon, a city with a storied tradition in textiles, to see how the craft of silk-weaving is being kept alive.
Craft special
From a contemporary take on Congolese textiles to a Sarajevo-based coppersmith challenging stereotypes, we meet some of the people working hard to ensure a future for traditional crafts.
Extra: ‘Cloud Cities Barcelona’
We head to the observation deck of the Torre Glòries skyscraper to visit ‘Cloud Cities Barcelona’ with artist Tomás Saraceno.
Make your mark
We meet some of the myriad makers doing wonderful things with materials, including a hand-built sauna in central London, a Copenhagen silversmith and a new glue-less shoe from Nike.
