Alva Design 5 Picks From Philia Collection
Alva Design
5 Picks from PHILIA Collection
ALVA DESIGN is a Brazilian furniture and object design studio founded in 2012 by siblings Marcelo Alvarenga and Susana Bastos, whose multidisciplinary backgrounds in architecture, fine arts, and fashion converge in a distinctly poetic approach to contemporary design. Rooted in their early exposure to craft and artistry in Minas Gerais, the duo’s work bridges structure and fluidity, functionality and emotion. Marcelo’s architectural precision and Susana’s artistic sensibility result in creations that feel both grounded and expressive. Since debuting at MADE – Mercado, Arte, Design in 2013, ALVA has become a defining presence in Brazil’s design scene, collaborating with heritage institutions such as ETEL and earning recognition from Casa Vogue Design Awards and Elle Deco Brasil Design Awards. Beyond furniture, their creative vision extends to costume design, notably for Grupo Corpo’s 50th-anniversary ballet Piracema. In 2025, they opened Galeria ALVA, a permanent space showcasing their universe of furniture, art, and objects. Each piece embodies ALVA’s commitment to timeless materiality, intimacy, and atmosphere—celebrating the poetry of living.
“A mixture of brutality and subtleness.”
“The poetics of transposing the lightness of the shape, into the weight of the material.”
“The irrelevance of covering where the light source is supposed to be, revealing the beauty in the shape of an apparently ordinary pendant.”
“It manages to successfully join the circular and pyramid shapes, and the material and finishing make the piece more bold and beautiful.”
“Henry’s pieces look like parts of a complex machine. Simultaneously simple and complex, the metal casting gives them cohesion. They seem lost in space and time.”