Monocle on Design

Latest Episodes:

Sense of place Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Art and design Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

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.

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The future of car design at the Paris Motor Show Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

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.

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How to party properly and shop well with Studio Boum and Kartell Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

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.

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What can architecture do for fashion? Nathan Rich on his design work at The Met Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

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.

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The architecture of happiness with Omar Gandhi, Alvar Aalto and Louis Kahn Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Chaos, risk and design with Louise Liljencrantz and Christopher Dessus Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

In light of Paris Design Week, we explore experimental architecture and industrial furniture. Plus: Grace Charlton joins Nic Monisse to reveal some big news.

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Design on display: Es Devlin of Homo Faber on how good curation brings objects to life Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Highlights from Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference and Manuel Aires Mateus on intelligent architecture Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Objects that change the world for the better with designer Sébastien El Idrissi Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

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.

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