Monocle on Design

What impact can a sense of place have on what we make – and how we live? Join us for a discussion examining how a sense of place can combine with cultural DNA to create everything from distinct neighbourhoods to rugged four-wheel drives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from Frieze London: We’re joined by JLR’s Nick Rolls and Collect’s fair director, TF Chan, to ask where art ends and design begins – and whether that line still matters. We discuss working between the two disciplines, collecting and making, as well as the rising market for functional objects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We tour this year’s Paris Motor Show with Chris Cermak and Chloé Nakao-Pélata. Renault Clio and Alfa Romeo’s chief designers detail the road ahead for mobility. Plus: Why EV design might finally be turning a corner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace Charlton speaks with the founders of Studio Boum about design and fashion. Then: Lorenza Luti of pioneering Italian furniture brand Kartell explains why physical retail still reigns supreme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to speak with architect Nathan Rich. Then: the architecture of runways at Paris Fashion Week. Plus: how decades of war shape design thinking in Beirut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Omar Gandhi tells Nic Monisse how a lifelong love of baseball informs the feeling that he strives to create with his practice. Then: Alvar Aalto and Louis Kahn’s design philosophy. Plus: Highlights from Monocle’s new issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of Paris Design Week, we explore experimental architecture and industrial furniture. Plus: Grace Charlton joins Nic Monisse to reveal some big news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The artistic director of Homo Faber, Es Devlin, discusses her goal of making objects talk to each other. Plus: in light of design events in Paris, London, Venice and Zürich, we discuss what you should look out for and why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Lisbon, we catch up with one of Portugal’s foremost architects, Manuel Aires Mateus. Plus: highlights from the conference at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the term “industrial design” frowned upon by design purists? Zürich-based Sébastien El Idrissi thinks so. He joins Nic Monisse to discuss why his goal is positive change at an industrial scale. Plus: what to look forward to at our Quality of Life Conference in Lisbon this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niwaki founder Jake Hobson on why Japanese garden shears demonstrate the key to good design. Plus: Ferrari shocks critics. And: the joy of luxury stationery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef-turned-CEO Hugo Worsley tells us why design-lovers are obsessed with Allday Goods’ knives. Plus: Australia’s new census puts design on the map and why your next hotel stay should be the Chesa Grischuna in Klosters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clémence Pirajean and James Lees tell us about how narratives are essential to designing luxury interiors well. Plus: cooling off with design-thinking and the architecture of clubs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hungarian designer Linda Boronkay on crafting hospitality interiors that ‘nourish the soul’. Then: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton on luxury kebabs, animism and the object in their house that they would save first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Holloway, of interior architecture studio Holloway Li, on drawing inspiration from cinema aesthetics and online slang. Plus: a review of Sicilian architecture and travel etiquette. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dorothée Boissier explains Gilles and Boissier’s approach to interior design. Then: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton give their take on “digital minimalism” and whether or not designers can help us to stay on task. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian designer Henry Wilson on why perfection is not something he strives for. Then: Rolf Fehlbaum of Vitra on why fun and friendship make for better work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mexican architect Fernanda Canales invites us into her modern home. Then: French-American designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen and Thuma’s head of brand, Alec Banks, discuss how ritual and memory shape our relationship with home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK interior designer Tara Bernerd on how travel has influenced her taste. Then: Design comedian Dan Rosen on why judging others’ interior-design choices can be a good thing. Plus: Paris Fashion Week Men’s and Design Parade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hear how Studio KO turned one of Paris’s most famous nightclubs into a hotel. Then: making design more sensual with Astraeus Clarke. Plus: Nic and Grace give their takes on The Barack Obama Presidential Center. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss why Denmark’s biggest design event drew record numbers this year, as well as our highlights of the week. Then: how to innovate materially with Jessie French. Plus: combining emotion and logic with Space Copenhagen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A NYCxDesign special featuring designers from the US and Canada. Nic Monisse speaks with Simone Ferkul about human imperfection; Ryan Twardzik about his regional design ethos; and Jared Rusten about how to make chairs rock. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

London-based interior designer Tola Ojuolape discusses the sense of belonging that she strives to achieve with each new project. Then: Venezuela’s Rodolfo Agrella on the importance of “energy”. Plus: café interiors from the new issue of Monocle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forward-thinking British architect Jayden Ali joins to detail his new galleries at V&A East in London. Then: unpicking Icelandic design stereotypes at DesignMarch 2026. Plus: highlights at this year’s NYCxDesign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can flexibility improve quality of life? We answer this with Fisher & Paykel and the brand’s head of industrial design, Mark Haydon. Plus: Kim Colin, co-founder of Industrial Facility, on working with technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nic Monisse is in Mexico to learn how design is shaping the country’s capital. Grace Charlton also joins from Paris to explore the history and future of the city’s design-thinking. Plus: Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our series with Fisher & Paykel continues as we speak to Simone Stephens, head of global D&A partnerships and principal designer at Fisher & Paykel Appliances. Plus, Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects on human wellbeing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss this year’s Monocle Design Awards winners and speak with one recipient, Jean-Baptiste Anotin, about the design thinking behind the sleek PP-1 turntable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is place represented in industrial design? In the first of a series produced with Fisher & Paykel, we speak to CEO Dan Witten-Hannah about identity. Plus: Sophie Lou Jacobsen on her new Milan-inspired collection. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore Italian radical design at Salone del Mobile with author, and former director of the Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic. Plus: How to design for Artificial Life with Sacha Leong of Nice Projects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the most exciting work on display at Milan Design Week could be found at Prototype Island, which showcased 15 Singapore-based creatives. Nic Monisse and Hassan Anderson visited the exhibition in the Brera Design District to explore why Singapore’s designers continue to innovate in new and surprising ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nic Monisse, Ed Stocker and Grace Charlton have been busy at Milan Design Week. We cover what they saw and chat to Cristián Mohaded, Yabu Pushelberg, Patricia Urquiola, Annabelle Schneider and Anne-Rachel Schiffmann. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk with designer Franck Genser about his work for Louis Vuitton. Then: Mario Milana and Gabriella Campagna of Casa Milana on their apartment-turned-showroom. Plus: Highlights from Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fernando Augusto Pacheco visits Jig, a new furniture shop in London’s Soho that champions contemporary Brazilian design. Then: Exploring De Stijl at the Rietveld Schröder House and we look forward to Salone del Mobile 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Marant discusses how residencies, cultural infrastructure and site-specific creation are redefining AlUla. Plus: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton on the new flat-pack Eames house and Salone del Mobile 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At a Japan House exhibition in London, curator Nagata Takahiro details the practice and philosophy of craftspeople working across Japan today. Plus: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton flick through the new issue of Monocle and discuss some of their favourite design pieces. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nic Monisse joins Simone Brewster at the London Design Museum to discuss her latest exhibition. Then: Gregory Scruggs explores the Dominican Republic’s booming design scene. Plus: our take on this year’s Pritzker Architecture Prize. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final part of our series from design salon Matter and Shape with Dan Thawley and Nic Monisse. We blur the boundaries between inside and out with Jayden Ali and talk about scale and sculpture with Birkenstock 1774. Plus: Connecting jewellery, interiors and object design with Repossi and Sabine Marcelis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sour's Pinar Guvenc discusses how local community is helping shape better buildings. Then: GA’s Jessica Morrison on what luxury hospitality means in 2026? Plus: Nic and Grace dissect designers from a month of fashion weeks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Across a two-part series, we recap design salon Matter and Shape. We hear from three brands editing new and archival works, talk cross-cultural pollination with Villa Hegra and consider how we can design with scent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Korean craft has long been overlooked. We speak to author Hyo Jung Lee about her book exploring the full scope of the country’s design practice. Plus: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton discuss the design landscapes of Cape Town and Marrakesh. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Design in Ho Chi Minh is on the up: we speak with one designer who is using the city’s signature restaurant stools as a canvas. Plus: Nic Monisse and Grace Charlton pick highlights of The Monocle 100 from the March issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As London craft-and-design fair Collect gets under way, Nic Monisse chats with director TF Chan about the philosophy of “fewer, better things”. Plus: buttons and handles are coming back to our vehicles but will Nic and Grace Charlton give them the green light? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Phoebe Lindsay, Materiality Senior Manager for Range Rover. Hear how the storied automaker uses materials to shape emotions and tell stories. Plus, taking a holistic approach to design strategy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you pick a unique brand colour and does it matter? Pantone Color Institute’s vice-president joins to discuss. Then: Tallinn architecture students pay homage to Louis Kahn. Plus: Nic and Grace on brand collaboration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Will Verity, Brand Design Chief for Range Rover, at Design Miami. Hear how sound, scent and space shape our experience of brand. Plus, drawing inspiration from the colour black and modernist architecture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Japan’s train designs race into the future, their plazas return to nature. Ryuma Takahashi speaks to the architect behind new plans for Iida station. Then: Giles Miller on sculpture as jewellery, plus our view on new proposals for Washington Dulles airport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do designers tell stories with their work? London-based designer Andu Masebo discusses his social approach to “simple, efficient objects”. Then: James Allen of creative studio Birch explains how strategy-design in the luxury space requires well-researched taste. Plus: Nic and Grace on 25 years of the Serpentine Pavilion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Italian designer Luca Nichetto on nichecraft and the limits of treating design as purely collectible. Then: The office’s future with Rapt Studio’s David Galullo. Plus: Nic and Grace on Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Arts Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We round-up Paris Dećo Off and Maison&Objet. Then: collectable design with London-based creative Miminat Shodeinde. Plus: Dutch designer Joris Laarman on drawing inspiration from nature. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.