Monocle on Design

We head to Portugal to meet João Xará, one of the co-founders of this design collective, to discuss why the group formed and the power of experimentation. 

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The Design Museum in London explores how we might design beyond human needs in its latest exhibition. Then we visit the showroom of Portuguese furniture brand Branca and sit down with interdisciplinary designer Bolaji Teniola. 

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Monocle’s associate editor of design and fashion, Grace Charlton, muses on the importance of enjoying good design rather than the performance of merely owning it. 

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We’re in Japan to visit furniture manufacturer Karimoku. Then we consider the use of concrete in Austrian architecture and the team behind ‘Slop Magazine’ discuss graphic design and client relationships. 

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The Lagos-based artist’s exhibition, ‘You will wonder if we would have been friends’, is on at The Noguchi Museum in New York. Ogunbiyi’s artworks playfully blur the line between functional design and art. 

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Lulu Harrison, winner of The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2025, discusses her ‘Thames Glass’ project. We also head to Lisbon’s Made in Situ gallery to see its ‘Xisto’ collection. Plus: Romanian designer Bogdan Ciocodeica. 

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The celebrated architect discusses the future of mobility and his project, ‘Gateway to Venice’s Waterways’, at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition. 

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Didiet Maulana, founder of Ikat Indonesia, discusses bringing historical textile techniques to a contemporary audience. Plus: Nordic design news and we hear from the founder of collectible design brand Hamrei.

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Writer Christopher Beanland considers the cultural and architectural impact of cars in shaping our built environment. 

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We visit the studio of wood artist Darren Appiagyei, find out why Portland, Oregon, has become a mass-timber hub and design organisation Material Cultures shares why timber isn’t the only vital woodland resource.

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