BEST TAKEDOWN

Substack newsletter For Scale, by David Michon

- HUGO MACDONALD

There must be something in the water of Winnipeg. David Michon grew up in Canada's sixth-largest city, as did Wallpaper's founding father Tyler Brûlé. Thirty years after Wallpaper* launched, quickly coalescing into a modern design tribe, Michon has emerged as an authority for today's furniture flock with For Scale, his compulsive, subversive décor-concerned Substack.

For Scale is quite unlike any formal form of design publishing at the moment. It’s razor sharp, loud, funny, casual, chaotic and intellectual, all at the same time. Its readers revel in its riotously unfettered freedom to tell it like it is. Michon, like the cool cat in the bleachers watching the cheerleaders perform on the pitch, has his own opinions. And he wields them wonderfully.

Michon launched For Scale as a Substack from LA in 2022. He published a newspapery print edition in 2024 and 2025, with a third due out in May 2026. As happens with upstart charismatic ventures that cut through, big brands are now knocking, seeking a bit of Michon's flair to spice up their own bland fare. Bring it on. The design industry urgently needs more criticism and character for perspective. Or for scale, you could say...

Let's talk décor. Why do you use this word?