Hugo Macdonald
Hugo is a design critic, curator and the co-founder of Bard, a gallery in Edinburgh dedicated to Scottish design and craft. A long-serving member of the Wallpaper* family, he has also been the design editor at Monocle and the brand director at Studioilse, Ilse Crawford's multi-faceted design studio. Today, Hugo wields his pen and opinions for a broad swathe of publications and panels. He has twice curated both the Object section of MIART (the Milan Contemporary Art Fair) and the Harewood House Biennial. He consults as a strategist and writer for clients ranging from Airbnb to Vitra, Ikea to Instagram, Erdem to The Goldsmith's Company. Hugo has this year returned to the Wallpaper* fold to cover the parental leave of Rosa Bertoli as Global Design Director.
Latest articles by Hugo Macdonald
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John Pawson on his perfect restaurant experience
Architectural designer John Pawson – invited to share his thoughts by Wallpaper* guest editor Laila Gohar – tells us of his ‘simple tastes’ and what makes or breaks a memorable meal
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Exclusive first look: the Eriksberg collection, by Bernadotte & Kylberg, is a royally sumptuous Swedish affair
A new furniture collection by Bernadotte & Kylberg takes its cues from Swedish craft and countryside
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Postcard from Helsinki Design Week 2024
The Finns lead the way when it comes to integrating design into everyday life, as they deftly demonstrate during Helsinki Design Week 2024
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Fashion designer Simone Rocha on her perfect restaurant experience
Simone Rocha, among creatives invited by Wallpaper* guest editor Laila Gohar to share meaningful dining memories, recalls happy evenings at a mountainside haunt near Nice
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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'To My Ships' is a new personal care brand with a clean conscience
We interview founder Daniel Bense and designers Formafantasma to hear how the brand came to life
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First Look: a domestic idyll by Lucy Stark and Fabien Cappello at the Blunk Space
Inspired by the life and times at JB Blunk's haven of a house in Inverness, a new exhibition of paintings and objects has us dreaming of California
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Exclusive first look: Katajanokan Laituri sets a new standard for timber architecture
Katajanokan Laituri, a new building in the historic Kauppatori market district of Helsinki, is made from around 7,500 cubic metres of wood, cementing Finland’s position as leader in sustainable architecture, construction and urban development
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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London Design Festival announces the recipients of the 2024 London Design Medals
This year’s London Design Medals have been awarded to Pat McGrath DBE, Natsai Audrey Chieza, Harry Blakiston Houston and Rei Kawakubo
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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‘You should not take yourself too seriously or you risk becoming boring’: Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini on Homo Faber 2024
As the design and film worlds flocked to Venice at the weekend for Homo Faber and the Venice Film Festival, Wallpaper* sat down in a cool salon with two men in hot demand to take their temperature on craft, interiors and gold leaf cable covers
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First look: Homo Faber’s 3rd edition ‘The Journey of Life’ opens in Venice
We review the groundbreaking new exhibition, art directed by Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini, of more than 800 crafted objects from around the world at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First Look: The Orjola collection of rugs by Nice Projects for Tigmi is a meeting of minds, hands and hearts
A collaboration between Australian sisters and Nepalese weavers celebrates the power of the human hand in a collection of rugs that feel wonderful under foot
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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22 bird houses come home to roost in ‘Dwellings’ at South London Gallery
As a new show opens this weekend in London, exploring the concept of the bird house, we interview one of its curators, Andu Masebo (not via Twitter)
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First Look: Remsen reframes ageing through design. ‘As you age, you should want the things you need’
New brand Remsen is on a mission to shift perspectives on ageing, re-envisioning “geriatric products” as luxury home goods.
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Alain Delon’s forgotten fling with furniture
A giant of French cinema and a man of many talents; as the world mourns Alain Delon, we revisit his 70s furniture collection which showcased a deft talent for design
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Exclusive first look: Knoll brings the mighty Tugendhat Chair back to life
Knoll is reissuing Mies van der Rohe’s Tugendhat Chair, and they took it back home to the Villa Tugendhat in Brno to celebrate its resurrection.
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Exclusive: Lesire collection by Mabeo Studio for Design Within Reach
We interview Botswanan designer Peter Mabeo as his new collection hits Design Within Reach stores across the USA
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Our highlights from the Edinburgh Art Festival as it celebrates its 20th anniversary
X MUSE, Scotland's home-grown young vodka brand, is taking the art world by storm; a perfect partner then for the Edinburgh Art Festival's 20th anniversary.
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First Look: Kelly Wearstler’s ‘Lotura’ collection brings heavy metal to interiors
With a new range of lighting inspired by brutalism, Kelly Wearstler proves that light and weight are beautiful bedfellows
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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The Wallpaper* guide to Edinburgh
As festival season returns to Edinburgh, we task Hugo Macdonald, Wallpaper’s design director and trustworthy local, for his go-to hotspots around the city
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First look: Solange Knowles on designing her new glassware collection, ‘Small Matter: Form Glassware 001’ for Saint Heron
We interview Solange Knowles, who tells us about her desire to democratise good design and its power to elevate mundane gestures into ceremonial moments
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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First look: clay meets paper and textiles in Henry Holland's new collection for Harlequin
Henry Holland, the fashion designer-turned-ceramicist, has teamed up with Harlequin for a range of playful, tactile wallpapers and textiles
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Well hung? We interview Martino Gamper about his new book of (around) 1,000 hooks
Italian maverick designer Martino Gamper doesn't hang around. He has a new book featuring 1,000 hooks made by hand. We ask him how and why...
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Heath Ceramics’ first lighting is inspired by ‘catching fireflies and letting their light shine through your hands’
Heath Ceramics launches its first collection of ceramic lighting, designed by Tung Chiang, director of Heath Clay Studio
By Hugo Macdonald Published
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Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published