Philia
Magazine

ALVA Design is a Brazilian design studio founded by siblings Marcelo Alvarenga and Susana Bastos. Drawing from backgrounds in architecture, fine arts, and fashion, the duo creates furniture and objects that balance structure and spontaneity, functionality and emotion.

Rooted in the cultural landscape of Minas Gerais, their work is guided by a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, materiality, and storytelling. Through a multidisciplinary approach, ALVA develops sculptural pieces distinguished by refined details and a poetic sensibility that explores the relationship between objects, space, and everyday life.

Today, ALVA stands as a distinctive voice in contemporary Brazilian design, creating timeless works that evoke intimacy, atmosphere, and human connection.

Jay Boggo is a Brazilian artist and designer whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible design, sculpture, visual arts, and fashion. Working with reclaimed native woods, natural fibers, stone, and salvaged materials, he creates sculptural pieces that explore the relationship between memory, nature, and cultural heritage. Deeply influenced by the Brazilian Amazon and its communities, his work reflects a commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge.

Through furniture, installations, and artistic projects, Boggo transforms raw materials into poetic objects that bridge tradition and innovation. Rooted in the principles of circular economy and environmental responsibility, his creations serve as a passage between past and future, nature and culture, and Brazil and the wider world.

Agathe Lavaud is a French architect and interior designer, and the founder of Volta, a Paris-based studio established in 2016. Working across architecture and interior design, her practice is defined by a refined dialogue between contemporaneity and tradition, with a strong attention to detail, materiality, and spatial harmony.

After studying at ESAG Penninghen and the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Marne-la-Vallée, including a period of study in Italy, Lavaud worked with renowned studios such as Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Wilmotte & Associés, Vidalenc Architectes, and Thierry Lemaire Architecture before establishing her own practice. Through Volta, she approaches each project through a sensitive and contextual process, developing spaces shaped by thoughtful research into volume, craftsmanship, and the existing environment.

Giorgio Bonaguro is an Italian designer working across product design, interiors, and art direction. After studying Mechanical Engineering in Modena and Industrial Design in Milan, he collaborated with influential designers including Michele De Lucchi, Francesco Faccin, and Lorenzo Palmeri.

Working between Europe and Brazil, Bonaguro develops furniture, objects, and interiors distinguished by elegant forms, material research, and a refined contemporary sensibility. His work reflects a balance between craftsmanship, innovation, and timeless simplicity.

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.