Among the art-laden walls of Zürich’s Kronenhalle, photographer Michel Comte has found lifelong respite from his globetrotting work with the famous and fashionable.
Security concerns- and a lack of imagination - have been responsible for the emergence of the bunker-style embassy building. But it doesn't have to be that way. Monocle surveys the designs a nation can be proud of, and…
Hail a cab from a Tokyo taxi firm whose white-gloved drivers are drilled everyday in what to say to customers, how to clean their cars and how to take real pride in their job.
It’s a skill that requires great precision and care, so it’s no surprise Santoni’s shoemaking apprentices can take six years to learn the trade. Master shoemaker Silvano Sollini reveals his pride in passing on the craft to…
In today’s world of throwaway consumerism, it’s good to know there are still tradesmen out there who pride themselves on giving your cherished possessions a new lease of life – from a cobbler in Milan who will lovingly…
The French president's motorcade, learning to share in Italy, getting stuck on a train in Bosnia and an interview with Serbia's first deputy prime minister
The Alpa has become a cult camera for professionals, thanks to its razor-sharp detail and attractive finish. But it wasn’t always such a success story after the brand disappeared altogether in the 1990s. Monocle talks to…
Lorcan O’Neill has spent a decade bringing the contemporary-art gospel to the eternal city. Now he has opened a new gallery in the baroque heart of Rome, spinning the narrative of his favourite artists into a another cha…
Singer Nana Mouskouri is now retired but her songs remain inseparable from Greek culture. She’s a staunch nationalist, having lived through Greece’s transition to a democracy, and is determined that her proud country will…
In a world of too-bright LED lights, respected Spanish brand Marset casts a warmer glow on the business of lamp design. We meet the enlightened makers at its new HQ.
Meet the Jazilians: the Japanese population in Brazil shares culture with the nation it calls home while interpreting traditional values within a Latin American society. It is a balancing act still finding the middle ground…