Monocle

1 month ago | monocle.com | Petri Burtsoff |Ed Stocker

LThe beauty of brick, Australian lifestyle brand Country Road and more. CONSTRUCTION ––– HELSINKI Brick by brickWith the advent of concrete-dominated modernism and standardised home building, bricks – once the staple of house construction – gave way to prefabricated elements in the late 20th century, largely because they were cheaper and faster to work with. But Helsinki-based studio Avarrus Architects is helping bricks to make a comeback.

1 month ago | monocle.com | Rory Jones |Nyasha Oliver

LModern art in Norway, dog-sitting for museum-goers and Afrobeat brings “vibes” to Japan. ART ––– NORWAYStamp of approvalThe former post office in Trondheim in Norway has been renovated to host a new contemporary-art museum, Pomo. “It’s a spectacular building and the perfect frame for a brand-new museum,” says director Marit Album Kvernmo. Built in 1911, the art nouveau building was a proud emblem of Norway’s new identity after the dissolution of its union with Sweden in 1905.

1 month ago | monocle.com | Josh Fehnert

LTuck in to fresh takes on Italian regional cuisines at Milan’s best new bistro, bed in at a cosy Dutch hotel in a 17th-century carriage house and hunker down in the cocktail bar at Melbourne’s most characterful hotel. SandìMilan Hidden away on a residential street in Porta Venezia, bistro Sandì has swiftly become a neighbourhood favourite.

1 month ago | monocle.com | Fiona Wilson |Gregory Scruggs |Cyrus Panganiban |Jake Naughton

LBoom towns and bright spots across the world are bucking the trends that others are seeing in the global economy, with undaunted property companies seizing the moment to launch game-changing projects. We speak to some key industry players whose firms are reshaping the future. 1. THE INTREPID CEO Meean DyManila, PhilippinesPark Villas in Metro Manila is on course to become one of the Philippines’ most prestigious addresses.

1 month ago | monocle.com | Andrew Mueller |Tomos Lewis

LDiplomats head back to Damascus and the US and China compete over technological progress. DIPLOMACY ––– CUBA & THE VATICANPennies from heavenAmong the flurry of announcements made by Joe Biden at the end of his presidency was something that caught many by surprise: the decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In return, Havana agreed to release 550 prisoners, many of whom were jailed for taking part in anti-government demonstrations in 2021.