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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
It’s a sign
How much can swish signage improve the fortunes of a high street business? We’re pointed in the right direction by Vienna’s traditional sign-painters and check in with London’s Luminor Sign Co. Plus: we tour Squire and Partners, a masterfully renovated department-store-turned-office, and talk cork with Portuguese designer Hugo Passos.
On Design 60: Greece’s kaikia boats – a maritime design icon
The typically short-mast, colourful fishing boats known as “kaikia” that dot Greece’s coastline are descendents of a boat-building tradition that dates back to the Bronze Age. Under threat from modernity, the kaikia’s admirers are pushing back.
London Design Festival
We explore the London Design Fair with the man in charge, Jimmy MacDonald. Plus: we get crafty at a week of activities organised by Portuguese Makers and meet the well-heeled gents at Italy’s Micam footwear fair.
On Design 59: A brief history
Men’s briefs have become a firm fixture in the underwear department. But it wasn’t always so. Ben Rylan tracks their evolution.
Fair play
As London Design Festival gets underway, designer Jasper Morrison joins Josh Fehnert to talk about the threads linking fashion and industrial design. Plus: we wrap our series with finds from Maison et Objet in Paris.
On Design 58: How to refurbish a Soviet cinema
This week Monocle’s Melkon Charchoglyan takes a peek behind the curtain at how the old cinemas of the Soviet Union are being brought back to life – some more tastefully than others.
Home truths: Maison et Objet
A special report from the halls of this biannual design fair in Paris. We hear from managing director Philippe Brocart and pick out some fine finds from Begg & Co, Marimekko and Kristina Dam.
On Design 57: How do you upholster a commuter train?
Upholstering seats used by millions of people each day is no mean feat. Thankfully for Londoners, a line of ingenious designers have proven themselves up to the job of outfitting commuter trains.
Licence to kiln
Is clay making a comeback? Design journalist Katie Treggiden discusses her new book that profiles 25 makers across six cities. And have you ever wondered why most passports are just one of four colours? We speak to an editor who’s been investigating how countries use design to express their international…
On Design 56: Reviving an icon
Rio de Janeiro’s Hotel Nacional, designed by world renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, reopened its doors earlier this year after being shut for more than 20 years. Monocle’s Sheena Rossiter tells us more about this masterpiece of hospitality architecture.
