Monocle Magazine Opens Cafe in London

Tyler Brûlé’s global affairs magazine Monocle opened its first London café at 18 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, on April 15th, 2013. The new venture for the media brand follows the success of the Monocle Café in Tokyo, which opened in October 2011 in the Hankyu Men’s department store in Chiyoda-ku. The London café will reflect the style of the Tokyo café but will offer a unique experience for Monocle’s subscribers, readers and coffee-loving visitors. Seating approximately 15 guests over a ground and lower-ground floor, all aspects of the café’s design and construction have been overseen by Monocle’s in-house design team, led by Yoshitsugu Takagi, who worked with Edo Design & Construction to turn the two-floor empty shell into Monocle’s ideal café in less than three months. “We wanted to create a relaxed space for a morning coffee meeting, a lengthy weekend lunch with the papers, and a glass of prosecco after work too”, says Monocle Editor-In-Chief, Tyler Brûlé. From the awning right through to the monogrammed paper takeaway bags, each item has been designed by the team who design the magazine. The downstairs space, available for subscribers to hire privately, uses tables from Marylebone neighbour, Century, vintage Ercol chairs, plus an Epson projector and screen for work presentations, screenings or a spot of karaoke. A handsome sofa and ottomans from Truck in Osaka, are positioned near an ISDN line for live broadcasts on Monocle’s round the clock radio station, Monocle 24.

Open seven days, the Monocle Café joins the Monocle Shop, the Monocle Lobby Shop and Monocle’s London HQ in Marylebone. Globally, Monocle has shops in New York, Hong Kong, Toronto and the Monocle Café in Tokyo.