Philia
Magazine

Tristan Montabord-Marc is a Belgian interior architect and designer based in Brussels, where he founded his eponymous studio. Working across high-end residential interiors and collectible design, his practice explores the relationship between architecture, craftsmanship, and timeless elegance. Guided by a balance of precision and poetry, he creates spaces and objects distinguished by refined proportions, noble materials, and a quiet sense of sophistication.

Extending his architectural practice into collectible design, Montabord-Marc recently introduced his first limited-edition furniture collection, Auguste, conceived as a series of sculptural objects that blur the boundaries between furniture and architecture. Characterized by meticulous craftsmanship, authentic materials, and subtle asymmetry, his work seeks to create a lasting dialogue between art, design, and architecture, revealing beauty through simplicity, balance, and enduring materiality.

Francesca De Giorgi is an Italian designer and architect whose work explores the relationship between light, textiles, and craftsmanship. Drawing on the heritage of her family’s historic workshop in Lecce, Puglia, she creates lighting and textile pieces that blend contemporary design with artisanal tradition. In 2023, she founded NASSI, a brand named after her grandmother, celebrating a family legacy carried through three generations of women while reflecting the culture, materiality, and enduring craftsmanship of southern Italy.

Johannes Hemann is a German designer whose practice explores the intersection of experimentation, material behavior, and contemporary craftsmanship. After studying Product Design at the School of Art and Design in Offenbach am Main and spending a semester at Kingston University in London, he founded his eponymous studio in 2011. Since then, Hemann has developed a distinctive body of work that challenges conventional design processes through playful investigation and technical innovation.

Known for reinterpreting familiar forms through unexpected methods, Hemann gained international recognition with projects such as the Storm Series, in which furniture is shaped through simulated storm conditions, allowing natural forces to become active participants in the creative process. His work has been exhibited internationally, including in Milan, London, Basel, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, and Tel Aviv, and has earned multiple nominations from the German Design Awards, establishing him as one of the notable voices of his generation in collectible design.

Liyang Zhang is a Chinese-Canadian architect and ceramic artist, born in Osaka and based in New York City. Her interest in ceramics emerged from a desire to explore the most elemental aspects of architecture, namely light, material, and form, on a more intimate, tactile scale. Her work often arises from a dialogue between hand and material, allowing form to emerge from the clay’s inherent qualities. As an artist, she sees her role as guiding a material to reveal its true nature and inviting its own character and story to emerge.

Julia Melnychenko Yalanzhi is a Ukrainian designer, artist, material researcher, and founder of Yalanzhi Objects, whose multidisciplinary practice explores the intersection of collectible design, craftsmanship, and material innovation. Rooted in nature, Ukrainian cultural heritage, and intuitive form, she creates sculptural furniture and objects that reinterpret familiar archetypes through organic geometries, tactile surfaces, and contemporary material experimentation.

At the core of her practice is an ongoing exploration of sustainable materials, including Zemletsvit, a proprietary biocomposite developed from minerals, cellulose, natural fibers, and pigments. Balancing engineering, artistic research, and traditional craftsmanship, Yalanzhi creates collectible works distinguished by their expressive forms, material richness, and timeless character. Her work has been exhibited internationally at events including Salon Art + Design, COLLECTIBLE, Révélations, 3 Days of Design, and CONTEMPORAIA, and is held in private collections worldwide.

Ricardo Fasanello (1930–1993) was a Brazilian designer known for his innovative approach to furniture and industrial design. Born in São Paulo and later based in Rio de Janeiro, he developed a distinctive design language characterized by bold organic forms, technical experimentation, and a deep understanding of materials.

Combining artisanal craftsmanship with industrial processes, Fasanello created sculptural yet highly functional pieces, including the iconic fiberglass seating and swivel chairs for which he is best known. Today, his work remains a landmark of Brazilian modern design, celebrated for its originality, innovation, and timeless appeal.