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
Rethinking modernism
Modern marvel or bleak box? Modernism is one of the most divisive architectural movements of the 20th century. We talk to Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill, founding directors of The Modern House and authors of a new book that argues why it’s time for us to reassess our definition of…
On Design 52: Who was Austen St Barbe Harrison?
After the British captured Jerusalem in 1917, they decided to preserve everything behind the 16th-century walls of the Old City. But outside, modernity was calling and Austen St Barbe Harrison, the city’s chief architect, would change the city forever.
Design unwrapped: Packaging special
They say it’s what’s inside that counts but we’re unwrapping the importance of packaging. Lola James Harper’s Rami Mekdachi reveals how brown glass gave his fragrance brand an edge, Monocle’s Richard Spencer Powell lists his tips for getting the design right and we sit down in Vitra’s new Pacific Chair…
On Design 51: Does trend forecasting fetter designers?
Trend forecasting has become big business in the fashion industry. But is there a risk that its prophecies are self-fulfilling, and curbing designers’ creativity?
Driving force: automotive design special
Buckle up for a driving tour of the best in automotive design with Gordon Murray, the man behind the McLaren F1 road car. Plus: Monocle’s Robert Bound on the merits of being in the driving seat (and why George Jetson may have a steer on the future of motoring), and…
On Design 50: Asmara: Africa’s best-designed city?
Unesco recently added the Eritrean capital Asmara to its World Heritage list for its Italian colonial architecture and odd mix of pleasantly preserved modernist buildings. To find out more about the capital of the troubled state – sometimes referred to as Africa’s answer to North Korea – and its peculiar…
Design at work
Forget gimmicky running tracks, beanbags or an office slide: a well-designed workplace should be creative but still feel professional. We talk to the studio behind HBO’s new Seattle HQ. Plus: architect Richard Meier on the importance of public space in large-scale projects and we’re off for a walk in the…
On Design 49: Why is Norwegian fashion booming?
Norway’s fashion designers were once seen as dull and their work was said to pale in comparison to the work of their Nordic neighbours. Now a new crop is changing all that. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella investigates.
Home truths
Never mind the tight squeeze, London’s Isokon building offers a lesson in clever housing that today’s architects and developers should heed; we preview a new exhibition celebrating its most famous resident and founder of the Bauhaus School, Walter Gropius. Plus: how Denmark’s Ole Lynggaard brings a shine to jewellery design…
On Design 48: What makes a memorable album cover?
Album sleeves provide some of the most recognisable designs in pop culture. But what sets the best apart? Monocle’s Andrew Mueller investigates.
