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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
Meeting Renzo Piano
A London exhibition sheds new light on maestro Renzo Piano’s life work; we sit down with the man himself. Plus: we head Las Vegas to discover how graphic design has shaped Sin City.
Extra: Middle Eastern masonry
Architects, stonemasons and engineers in the Middle East have used ablaq for hundreds of years. Examples are found across Spain, the Middle East and North Africa, showing how architectural techniques pre-date the borders of modern states. Our correspondent in Beirut, Lizzie Porter, visits a restoration project in the northern Lebanese…
Meeting Manuel Aires Mateus
We meet Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus at his new headquarters to talk new projects, the value of teaching and why he’d never open a studio anywhere but Lisbon. Plus: Maison & Objet’s designer of the year, Ramy Fischler, and our picks from the London Design Biennale.
Extra: RM Schindler’s Walker House
When writer Andrew Romano first stepped into a California house designed by the late, great Vienna-born architect RM Schindler, he was mesmerised. It took several long years, plenty of persistence and a dash of serendipity before he could call the place home; here’s how he got his foot in the…
São Paulo’s modernist furniture
A modernist furniture trove in São Paulo and a special report from Xiamen, the city that’s changing perceptions of brand “made in China” and becoming an unlikely hub for homegrown fashion designers. Plus: what you shouldn’t miss at this year’s London Design Biennale.
Extra: Designing an heirloom
Some products are mass-produced, ephemeral and single-use while others acquire meaning and prove themselves over time, such as a passed-down watch or piece of jewellery. Christy Evans scoured the attics of our Monocle colleagues to investigate what gives a product longevity.
Closed architecture
From space capsules to submarines and housing estates, we take a closer look at “closed” architecture. Plus: Josh Fehnert meets sir John Sorrell to talk creative education and his role in London’s forthcoming design festival and biennale.
Extra: Harbour intent
Thirty years ago Copenhagen turned around its decline after investing in infrastructure, including its then-redundant harbour. We explain the opportunities of water-side revival and why other cities should take note.
Women in design
We take a closer look at some of the 20th century’s female design pioneers. Plus: Josh Fehnert asks how infographics and illustration can unpack complex issues with ‘Weapons of Reason’ magazine’s Paul Willoughby.
Extra: Temperate House
Man-made structures are more often than not products to be enjoyed by, well, man. But humans aren’t the only species that benefit from considered architecture. We visit Temperate House in London’s Kew to find out how best to design a space that plants and people can enjoy harmoniously.
