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
On Design 73: Casio’s timeless wristwatch
This unlikely Japanese design has graced the wrists of the famous and infamous (Osama bin Laden and Barack Obama both had one) since 1991. Here we pay homage to a humble masterpiece of industrial design: the Casio F-91W watch.
Naked ambition: redesigning the hospital gown
Have you ever wondered why hospital gowns often leave one’s bare essentials exposed? We get to the bottom of it with health-wear company Care + Wear’s cleverly redesigned wearable. Plus: how Campari transplanted its brand from bottle to bar and tracking denim’s heritage with Levi’s vintage offshoot.
On Design 72: Peugeot’s design diversity
While best known for its cars, Peugeot has a diverse industrial design pedigree – spanning everything from bicycles to boats – that can be traced back to an altogether more homely object: the pepper mill.
Argentina’s awkward architecture
Architecture in the Argentine capital is famously chaotic but a fresh crop of designers are giving the city’s skyline renewed elegance. We embark on a guided tour. Plus: Taschen’s ‘The History of Graphic Design’ and the governor of Chiang Mai on the role of design in the city.
Hadid to Calatrava: a year in design
In this special programme, we look back at the defining ‘Section D’ moments of 2017, including an exhibition that pondered the legacy of Zaha Hadid, an interview with renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, Budapest’s thoughtful take on its polarising past and how Farfetch OS is eyeing up the future of fashion.
Burton Kramer
Renowned Canadian graphic designer Burton Kramer discusses his 60-year career and the state of today’s industry. Plus: a lesson in good gift-wrapping with UK design firm Esme Winter.
On Design 71: Caracas’s vertical slum
The Centro Financiero Confinanzas high rise in Caracas – popularly known as the Tower of David – has become a monument to Venezuela’s political and economic crisis.
Meeting Ole Scheeren
German architect Ole Scheeren talks greenery, density and building business in Southeast Asia. We get Jamie Fobert’s tips for running a successful studio and flick through a design-focused travel guide.
On Design 70: Vans: the chequered history of a footwear giant
We take a closer look at how Vans rose from California’s 1960s skate scene to become one of the world’s most recognised sportswear brands.
V&A’s new Chinese outpost
We mull over the results of the V&A’s new Chinese outpost in Shenzhen’s Design Society, step out with US boot-maker Red Wing and proffer a list of wardrobe essentials for the winter.
