Nature is a key source of inspiration for glass artist Michael Ruh, who has hand-crafted pieces for leading architects and brands, such as Fortnum & Mason. We visited his south London studio as production was underway for a new commission for The Birch Hotel to hear about his design process.

An electric bus service has injected a new playfulness into a borough of Tokyo in need of a revamp. We hop aboard and meet Eiji Mitooka, its creator and Japan’s foremost train designer, who explains why he puts fun at the top of his list when designing public transport. All aboard! [Read more in the June issue of the magazine.](https://monocle.com/shop/product/2155569/issue-154/)

Designer Yinka Ilori discusses the design inspiration behind his temporary installation in London’s Canary Wharf and the importance of play in adulthood. [Hear more on ‘Monocle on Design’ on Monocle 24](https://monocle.com/radio/shows/monocle-on-design/513/).

After the devastating port explosion of 4 August 2020, Beirut's creative community is battling to rebuild amid power-cuts and petrol shortages. A year on from the blast, Monocle joins its designers and architects on the streets of the city to see how they hope to make the city anew.

Monocle launched its inaugural Design Awards in early 2021 to celebrate the world’s best and brightest talents in architecture, graphic design and industrial design. We invite you to meet a global cast of winners as we celebrate pioneering design projects that make our lives healthier and happier, our cities smarter and our work more creative.

We explore a New Zealand take on mid-century modern architecture that fused British brutalism with a Scandinavian aesthetic. The simple construction methods of the Christchurch School’s creative homes have endured changing tastes – and earthquakes too.

Perched above the buzz of Beverly Hills sits Casa Perfect, a gallery of contemporary design set in a spectacular modernist home. Its founder David Alhadeff shows us the wealth of remarkable art and architecture that is to be found in the varied neighbourhoods of this sunny city. Monocle Films has partnered with Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau to reveal hidden gems through the eyes of local creatives.

We tour the breathtaking studios of artists’ residence Lallukka in Helsinki, which hasn’t changed its purpose since it was completed in 1933. The landmark functionalist building offers spaces at low rents so that its tenants can focus on one thing: making art.

The unassuming Shimada Gama workshop in Gotsu doubles up as an open-air museum of traditional stoneware pottery. It specialises in creating large pieces that are burnt in a sloped wood-fired kiln. We talk to the 73-year-old master Shimada Takayuki about the challenges of passing the rare skill and aesthetic sensibility down to his son and grandson.

Japanese company Time & Style knows how to inject innovative spirit into traditional crafts. Over the past two decades its founder Ryutaro Yoshida has criss-crossed Japan to woo reluctant artisans to collaborate on modern designs. We meet him in the remote region of Shimane as he develops a series of handmade washi paper lamps.

The beauty of Japanese design has won fans around the world but it takes great panache to translate it to large-scale projects. We sit down with architect Kengo Kuma in his Tokyo office to talk about the recently completed Japan National Stadium. It’s a building that has given a new lease of life to traditional craftsmanship and stimulated local economies.

In 1928 Maruni Wood Industry was born out of a fascination with the masterful carpentry in ancient shrines. Today its furniture is found in the Californian headquarters of Apple as well as airport lounges, galleries and restaurants around the world. We meet the company’s president to talk about the challenges of managing a family-run business.

To celebrate our [book about Japan](https://monocle.com/shop/product/1684416/), we are presenting a film series that dives into the intriguing ecosystem that has preserved Japanese traditional skills over centuries. Meet the people who are future-proofing the age-old know-how.

We visit a Kengo Kuma-designed art museum in Eskisehir that’s set to become Turkey’s new cultural hotspot.

“Fostering independent thinking” is a key phrase in modern education but it’s not easy to do. We visit Madrid’s Colegio Estudio to meet its enlightened teachers and alumni.

Rather than erase all evidence of Georgia’s Soviet past, the country’s architectural community is keen to preserve its history and give its once-foreboding buildings another – happier – lease of life.

We head to Mehr als Wohnen, a unique mixed-use development housing a happy and healthy community.

To celebrate the collaboration between Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara, we contemplate the pursuit of perfection to achieve timeless appeal.

To celebrate the launch of A. Lange & Söhne's limited-edition timepiece Datograph Up/Down Lumen, we speak to architect Joe Morris and photographer Polly Tootal about their creative processes – and how light informs their practice. Find out more about the watch [here](soehne.com/en/unlimited-facettes">https://alange-soehne.com/en/unlimited-facettes).

Kenya’s Karura Forest offers not only respite from the bustling capital but also a sense of pride for its citizens.

Brazil’s business capital has reinvented its city centre through clever urbanism. We meet the architects, gallery owners and transport visionaries powering this change.

Look up as you stroll Zürich’s streets and you’ll see these outdoor living rooms everywhere. Monocle Films visited the city to outline this architectural feature and how it improves quality of life.

Monocle editor Andrew Tuck navigates the Arsenale to find out how architects have responded to the curatorial theme of this year’s Venice Biennale of Architecture.

We tour the stunning studios and recording halls of Funkhaus, east Berlin’s former communist broadcasting house.

As part of our 'Secret to...' series we visit the architecture practice of Andreas Martin-Löf, which is reinventing residential housing in Stockholm.

We explore best practice in the design of prisons and see how modern thinking is forging innovative architecture with a human touch.

We travel to Japan’s least-populous prefecture, Tottori, where we explore one of its most-famous hotels.

We have launched a Monocle Films series, ‘Secret to...’, that will deliver insight from industry experts every week. In our first edition we talk to architect Iliana Kerestetzi about designing courtyards in rural Greece.

Do you want to visit the heart of Athens but steer clear of the tourist traps? Take a walk around Petralona, Koukaki and Filopappou to discover the best areas of the capital according to Athenians themselves.

Staircases can trigger conversations, provide a sense of arrival and dazzle with ingenuity, so why are they often overlooked?

Show-stopping design firm Santa & Cole takes inspiration from the Catalonian countryside and being just far away enough from bustling Barcelona.

Finding a compromise between an animal’s wellbeing, a farm’s efficiency and local architecture traditions is a fine art and often has to be done with limited resources. For Monocle’s 10-year anniversary issue we pulled on our wellies and went in search of the animal architects who are taking the bull by the horns.

From traditional calligraphy to rare gold-leaf techniques, hand-worked lettering is back in demand. Monocle Films meets three sign painters whose eye-catching signs lend character to cities – and help businesses stand out.

Across the world governments and developers are waking up to the fact that healthier cities are happier ones. We touch down in three very different destinations to admire some of the best urban design initiatives.

Craftsmanship has been at the beating heart of Vienna for hundreds of years; Monocle Films visits three family-run companies that have made tradition relevant.

The Czech town of Zlín was transformed by a visionary shoemaker who wanted to house his workers in a garden city. We put our best foot forward to explore his functionalist masterpiece.

The small Venetian island of Murano has a grand glass-blowing reputation. In the glow of the furnaces, Monocle Films witnesses a new generation of designers at work.

Our second film report from the Venice Architecture Biennale focuses on the national pavilions’ responses to curator Alejandro Aravena’s quest for new points of view on the social, political and cultural issues facing the world of architecture today.

In the first of two film reports from the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale we talk to Chilean architect – and this year’s curator – Alejandro Aravena about his chosen theme ‘Reporting from the Front’ and his hopes for stimulating the debate on improving quality of life in the built environment.

Monocle Films paid a visit to six of our favourite Viennese ateliers and discovers that you can create jobs and wealth with downtown workshops – and the sound of the odd hammer.

How can architects, designers, retailers and city planners embrace a new vernacular that delivers places that leave us feeling better about our lives? Our fourth Quality of Life Conference film explores the notion.

From nation to brand, city hall to hotel, who is doing hospitality well and offering benchmarks for experiences that are genuine, reliable and believable? This Monocle Quality of Life Conference film was the overture to the panel discussion, exploring how cities and brands make visitors and locals feel welcome.

The national dress of the alpine region is experiencing a renaissance. Monocle Films dons its lederhosen and heads to the Tracht & Country fair.

Running parallel to Milan’s furniture fair, Fuorisalone is a series of citywide events dedicated to design. Monocle Films spotlights the latest products and ideas on exhibit.

Salone del Mobile, the furniture world’s premier event, saw record attendance for its 2016 edition in Milan. Monocle Films visited the fair and showrooms throughout the city to discover the highlights.

Far removed from the skyscrapers and residential towers for which architect Harry Seidler became known, the house he designed with his wife is governed by Bauhaus aesthetics that are just as forward-thinking today as they were in the 1960s. Monocle Films visits Penelope Seidler in her dream home.

When it comes to menswear the rule is to follow the lead of the Italians. At Milan fashion week Monocle Films visits the showrooms and presentations of leading industry players to see what men will be wearing next autumn.

We ask what’s next for menswear as retailers flock to Florence to spot trends and stock up on Italian fashion – a €9bn industry –and foreign brands. Denim is darker, the fit wider and men are starting to move from beards and suspenders to a more elegant English look.

Northamptonshire’s shoemaking legacy has stood strong for well over a century and De Fursac’s dapper Derbys and eye-catching Oxfords will keep you in step with the times. We meet the team behind De Fursac’s first footwear collection.

South African architects Gawie and Gwen Fagan designed and built their family home on a dramatic spot between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. Die Es is an ode to vernacular architecture with a difference. To celebrate the publication of The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes, Monocle films explores the sculpted forms, palpable materiality and harmony with nature that make this eclectic residence stand out.

In the first of two films to celebrate the publication of [The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes](https://monocle.com/shop/books/books/the-monocle-guide-to-cosy-homes/), we visit the residence of Knud Erik Hansen, managing director of Carl Hansen & Søn and grandson of the company's iconic founder. Hansen has transformed an impressive Danish estate into a comfortable family home, filling it with beautiful furniture and preserving the property’s charm.

We look back at the hushed world of the iconic Hotel Okura in Tokyo. Monocle Films was granted exclusive access to capture the gracious ways of this much-loved modernist gem just before it was demolished in 2015 to give way to a new iteration of the building.

As an unprecedented heat wave beats down on France, fashion exhibitors are back in Paris’s tradeshows and showrooms to present their 2016 spring-summer menswear creations. Here are some highlights.

As the mercury rose in Milan, we toured the showrooms and palazzos to take the temperature of the best 2016 spring/summer menswear collections. Here are 10 of our favourite finds.

As the sun shines on Florence’s Fortezza da Basso, we visit the 88th edition of fashion trade show Pitti Uomo. Style is always on the agenda but substance, colour and comfort are also at the fore for spring/summer 2016. Here are our highlights.

It was designed by a suspect bohemian, houses a coup plotter and is today favoured by young, liberal creatives. Madrid's Edificio Princesa, once both bunker and luxury home for Franco's loyal cadre, is a concrete testament to the contradictions and bold optimism of Spain's transition to democracy.

Be it near or far, classic or contemporary, monochrome or multicoloured, the following hotlist represents our favourite design pieces – and people – around the world.

As employers increasingly acknowledge the quality of life of their workers, Monocle's Quality of Life Conference in Lisbon addressed the topic of the modern workplace. In this visual essay, Josh Fehnert explores what can be done to create offices that make clocking in a joy.

How can architects, developers and builders make spaces that reflect our shifting needs and make us feel good about our lives? For Monocle's Quality of Life Conference in Lisbon, Tom Morris explored the role of responsible house-building in keeping cities colourful, layered and full of life.

From the streets of Brera to Via Tortona, we crisscross the piazzas and pound the pavements to showcase our favourite finds from design show Salone del Mobile’s open-air offshoot in Milan.

With its usual array of design news from Italy and beyond, the 54th Salone del Mobile brings furniture's finest players to Milan, while the biannual Euroluce shines with the brightest talent in lighting design. Allow us to show you around our favourites at the fair.

Monocle films explores the art of a warm welcome with Fabrica’s design team on the eve of a special collaboration with Airbnb at the Palazzo Crespi in Milan at Salone del Mobile.

Baselworld is the most important marketplace and trendsetting show for the world's watch industry. It attracts everyone from retailers to collectors, the global press to those consumers who wish to feel the pulse of this fascinating world. Monocle was there; here are our highlights.

This year’s biennial ISH in Frankfurt centred around the theme “comfort meets technology” and showcased everything from groundbreaking taps and tubs to smart home features, renewable energy and air-conditioning technologies. Over 2,400 international exhibitors presented their innovations across 10 halls proving that good design can lead to a green future.

Be it an airport lounge or a cinema, feeling at ease is hugely dependent on your surroundings. Monocle films meet with the design experts crafting the warmest welcomes.

Biannual design and homeware treasure trove (and trade show) Maison & Objet brings the great, good and design-minded of the retail world to the Parc des Expositions in Paris each January. Here are a few things that caught our eye at this 20th anniversary edition of the fair.

As Design Miami celebrates its 10th anniversary, Monocle films explores new themes in the collectable design market.

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld talks to Monocle’s editor in chief Tyler Brûlé about the industry, the media and why Berlin isn’t as good as it used to be.

In a saturated market it can be hard to find original fashion that doesn't scream or shout. Monocle films visits a trio of womenswear designers in London, Brussels and Copenhagen that are daring women to dress differently. All three share a strong sense of identity and an uncompromising eye for detail.

The second edition of the Istanbul Design Biennial distilled the city’s disparate cultural influences into a single powerful event. Monocle films visited to discover the region's desire to rewrite its contemporary design manifesto.

Biennale Interieur is a furniture fair with a difference. Every other year the Flemish city Kortrijk plays host to a design extravaganza that is as cultural as it is commercial. A provocative guest curator, diverse discourse and imaginative uses of space make this trade fair anything but run of the mill.

Home to a diverse creative community, architect Kazuyo Sejima's housing complex is designed to enlighten residents with its sense of serenity.

Furniture firm Carl Hansen & Søn is justly proud of its heritage and the company’s refusal to operate outside of Denmark hasn’t hampered growth. A new factory, increased output and rapidly rising exports point to a world of opportunity.

Nestled just in from the Corsica coast sits Le Couvent de Pozzo, a converted monastery that has been brought back to life as a tranquil guesthouse by owner Emmanuelle Picon. Monocle stopped by to enjoy breathtaking views over the Tyrrhenian sea and tuck in to some of Emmanuelle’s delicious French cuisine.

For the second in our two films on the summer-long 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Monocle investigates this year’s theme of “Fundamentals”, set by curator Rem Koolhaas. We report on the challenges facing the fundamental host nation at the Monditalia exhibition and the fundaments of building at the Elements of Architecture pavilion.

As curator of the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, Rem Koolhaas invited curators to explore the fundamentals of architecture and analysis modernity from 1914 to 2014. Monocle films reports back on how the national pavilions responded to this year's assignment.

From a simple concept - the roll-out and upkeep of municipal street furniture in exchange for control of the advertising - JCDecaux elevates the unnoticed essentials of urban life. Monocle discovers how it helps cities run in style.

For Monocle’s Homeware Top 25 we present our round-up of the simply designed and yet endlessly useful things – from coat hooks to ceramics and cooking utensils to kettles – that make a home not just a location to escape to and enjoy, but a place to show off and share, too.

Look no further than Monocle's report from this year's furniture fair in Milan to find out who's leading the way in the sector and what innovations will soon be shaping interiors across the globe.

Cape Town's reign as World Design Capital for 2014 focuses on the problem-solving potential of design: an approach that’s more gritty than pretty. As South Africa celebrates 20 years of independence, Gillian Dobias explores the city's design-for-social-change agenda.

Contemporary Czech designers are embracing regional Bohemian glass-making traditions while investing in new techniques to create modern products with soul. Monocle films pays a visit to some of the country’s most clear-thinking glass alchemists.

The Czech Republic has a rich toy-making history which dedicated collectors and craftsmen are committed to keeping alive. From the atelier to the Christmas market, Monocle films discovers an inspiring toy story where art meets craft.

Italy’s motor city has long suffered from being painted with a very grey brush. However, as Monocle found out, it is Turin’s industrial heritage that is providing the inspiration and technical expertise to spur on a booming community of designers. We meet the creative minds who are playing on the city’s strengths to create a new image for Piedmont’s capital.

Cityscapes surround us and inspire us. Architecture speaks to our eyes and our minds. Monocle heads to Rotterdam's own Architecture Film Festival, to investigate the complex alchemy between real and invisible cities.

New architecture is a powerful way to brand a location but it’s not without risk when the local area is already rich in tradition and natural beauty. Monocle films journeyed to the remote island of Fogo in Newfoundland to find a balance created in the building designs of Todd Saunders’ art studios and hotel.

Japanese design icon Kenya Hara’s House Vision exhibition gathered some of the nation’s most creative thinkers in Tokyo to explore new possibilities for urban living.

Central Saint Martins is flying the flag for art and design education in the UK, despite short-sighted government policies. Monocle meets the principals at Stanton Williams, the architects behind the college's award-winning new home.

In 1935 the founders of Artek drew up a manifesto that the Finnish furniture company still lives by. Their "one chair is enough" slogan promoted a philosophy of consuming in an intelligent way. And this resulted in well-designed, timeless pieces that are coveted to this day. So much so that Artek is hunting down old items and bringing them back to life.