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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: Humour and architecture
Comedian and design enthusiast Tim Ross ponders how easy it is to find cheer in architecture.
Architecture: a laughing matter?
Today we’re approaching two topics that are rarely mentioned in the same breath: humour and architecture. Angela Brady, Kate Wagner and Owen Hopkins ask whether mirth can add to the debate on the built environment.
Jonathan Tuckey, homeworking and Aussie modernism
We hear from UK architect Jonathan Tuckey on why repurposing buildings can be better than bulldozing and starting over. Plus: how modernism shaped Australia, as well as insights from some of the biggest names in design.
Extra: Building to last
We look at how temporary structures can become permanent: from Gustave Eiffel’s tower and the London Eye to Melbourne’s popular M Pavilion programme.
Temporary architecture
We cast an eye over ephemeral architecture and consider the enduring role of temporary buildings. Although most designers build structures to last, there are some benefits to our health and even our skylines to creating spaces that are made to be dismantled.
Extra: Alexander Girard
One of the leading figures in US postwar design, Alexander Girard was a polymath who created everything from bold graphics and textiles to colourful branding for Braniff International Airways.
Up in the air
We talk airplane interiors with Adam White, director of Factorydesign, and ask journalist Anthony Paletta why airports are designed with short-haul in mind. Plus: we jet off to Helsinki for an exhibition that celebrates the capacity of travel to broaden our horizons. All aboard.
Extra: George Him
Olivia Ahmad, exhibition curator at the House of Illustration shares the story of Polish graphic designer George Him.
Islamic geometric design
We discuss the origins of tessellations in Islamic art and ask how architecture affects our work-life balance. Plus: author Shelley Klein recounts her childhood in a mid-century house in Scotland and we preview Monocle’s city-themed July/August issue.
Extra: Debbie Millman
We check in with graphic designer and educator Debbie Millman to discuss staying connected in divided times and moving learning online.
