Monocle on Design

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.