Design

Time for take off! The pioneers, fixers and makers who want to get the world moving.

Monocle’s latest book unpacks what makes a perfect shopping experience and offers tips on how to launch, design and run your own store. A must-have guide.The world of retail has never been so ­challenged thanks to a mix of e-commerce, unimaginative brand owners and greedy landlords. Yet while many stores have ­stumbled, a new generation of storekeepers and department store owners is arising. Is this the dawn of a new, independent age of bricks and mortar retail?Since launch the retail world has been one of the pillars of Monocle’s editorial ­coverage. On their travels around the world, the magazine’s editors are constantly looking for well-designed fit-outs, the people setting new benchmarks in service and the stores offering the smartest product mix.At the heart of all this is an understanding that a memorable shopping experience relies on a delicate balance of an inviting space, a warm welcome and a sense of discovery (not to mention covetable products)—but an understanding, too, that shops and shopkeepers play an indispensable role in creating lively neighbourhoods and vibrant high streets.??This new book from Monocle reveals the global media brand’s 100 favourite shops worldwide, from the independent fashion boutique to the department store that takes up a city block. It also offers a few top tips and advice on how to launch and run your own retail venture, as well as a collection of sharp essays and snappy interviews. The Monocle Guide to Shops, Kiosks and Markets is a handbook for any aspiring shopkeeper, stocking a wealth of insight and inspiration.

There's always that one pearson who's the cherry on top, the cool beans, the pea's knees. Tell them they're amaizeing with this little book of upbeat and adorkable fruit puns.

About the series
This cute and colourful series of fruit-pun-filled gift books are the perfect pick-me-ups for you, your friend or your partner in crime. Do you need to avocuddle, or are you grapeful for someone who's a bit of a melon? Then share the clove with these little books: AVOCUDDLE, WHATAMELON, YOU ARE MY RAISIN FOR LIVING, DON'T GIVE A FIG, I AM GRAPEFUL, YOU ARE 24 CARROT GOLD.

Throughout history, houses have presented architects the world over with infinite opportunities to experiment with new methods and materials for domestic living. HOUSES: EXTRAORDINARY LIVING celebrates the incredible diversity and beauty of the house as never before, from Modernist icons to feats of technological, material, and spatial innovation in the 21st century. Explore the creative imaginations of hundreds of internationally renowned architects past and present, as well as dozens of awe-inspiring houses by lesser-known and emerging talents.

Imagine you woke up one morning to find everything created by engineers had disappeared. What would you see?

No cars, no houses; no phones, bridges or roads. No tunnels under tidal rivers, no soaring skyscrapers. The impact that engineering has had on the human experience is undeniable, but it is also often invisible.

In BUILT, structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a unique look at how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that reach hundreds of metres into the sky. She unearths how engineers have tunnelled through kilometres of solid mountains; how they've bridged across the widest and deepest of rivers, and tamed Nature's precious - and elusive - water resources. She tells vivid tales of the visionaries who created the groundbreaking materials in the Pantheon's record-holding concrete dome and the frame of the record-breaking Eiffel Tower. Through the lens of an engineer, Roma examines tragedies like the collapse of the Quebec Bridge, highlighting the precarious task of ensuring people's safety they hold at every step.

With colourful stories of her life-long fascination with buildings - and her own hand-drawn illustrations - Roma reveals the extraordinary secret lives of structures.

From the cult magazine, Kinfolk, comes the much anticipated Kinfolk Home. Interest in home design has been on the rise for some time, but Kinfolk’s focus on slowing down and creating a more intentional, beautiful home is where the attention is shifting. Through luscious photographs and insightful interviews, The Kinfolk Home takes us into 40 homes around the world, from the Americas to Europe, Asia to Africa, ending in Australia. The homes range from an old cabin in the woods to clean-lined modern apartments, from singles living in small spaces to sprawling, multigenerational houses in the country. Each will feel unmistakably Kinfolk. The book will function as a companion piece to The Kinfolk Table, and will be the same size and format.

BLOOMS celebrates the explosive impact that floral designers from the last decade have had on a previously underappreciated art form. This stunning book is the most ambitious survey of contemporary floral design ever published and demonstrates just how far these innovative designers have pushed the boundaries of contemporary floral design. BLOOMS showcases the work of more than 70 designers across the globe - featuring established florists alongside rising new talent - each nominated by industry experts, from perfumer Lyn Harris of Miller Harris to floral-design icon Eric Buterbaugh. It's an expertly curated, gorgeously produced collection of talent that offers insight into the profound effect that floristry has on today's visual culture and on the world of design itself.

Time to dream. A summer plan for anyone after a better quality of life, from a new HQ to a nicer home. Plus, our annual Quality of Life survey.