Philia
Magazine

Stem is a design studio founded by Aman and Sugandhi, rooted in a shared sensitivity toward nature, materiality, and the emotional resonance of objects. Emerging from a deeply personal and intuitive process, the studio explores how everyday forms can carry memory, feeling, and quiet meaning within domestic spaces.

Working across lighting, sculpture, and functional objects, Stem approaches design as a slow and thoughtful practice shaped by instinct, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Using materials such as clay, paper, and found elements, each piece is developed through an emotional dialogue between form, texture, and atmosphere.

Defined by restraint and intentionality, Stem creates objects that are meant to endure both physically and emotionally. Their work reflects a belief that design should not only serve a function, but also accompany the rhythms of life with warmth, presence, and lasting significance.

Maria Loram is a ceramic artist based in California whose practice explores the space between the organic and the cosmic through sculptural and functional ceramic works. Born in Russia and shaped by a multidisciplinary background spanning science, linguistics, yoga, and visual art, her work is deeply informed by Eastern philosophies, wabi-sabi aesthetics, and an ongoing fascination with material transformation.

Working with clay, paper, and experimental glaze techniques, Loram creates textured forms that evoke weathered landscapes, celestial surfaces, and artifacts shaped by time. Her process combines wheel throwing, handbuilding, glaze research, and painterly surface experimentation, resulting in pieces that feel both minimal and emotionally resonant.

Since returning to ceramics in 2022, Loram’s work has been exhibited internationally and featured through galleries and collections across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Alongside her studio practice, she has participated in artist residencies, taught workshops focused on glazes and textures, and continues to explore ceramics as a language of touch, impermanence, and quiet contemplation.

Louise Liljencrantz is a Swedish designer and co-founder of Veermakers. Her work explores the relationship between sculptural form and functionality, with a particular sensitivity toward materiality, craftsmanship, and proportion.

Working between Stockholm and Paris, she develops collectible furniture and interiors defined by a refined balance between Nordic restraint and contemporary expression. Through Veermakers, Liljencrantz approaches design with a strong attention to detail, creating pieces that feel both timeless and tactile.

Veermakers recently opened its first showroom in Le Marais, Paris, further expanding the studio’s presence within the contemporary collectible design scene.

Marjan van Aubel is a Dutch designer whose pioneering practice explores the intersection of sustainability, technology, and design through the lens of solar energy. Based in Amsterdam, she has developed a distinctive approach that transforms sunlight into both a functional and aesthetic medium, integrating solar technology into everyday objects such as furniture, lighting, and architectural elements.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, van Aubel has collaborated with scientists and institutions to create works that challenge conventional perceptions of renewable energy, positioning it as a poetic and experiential force. Her projects, exhibited internationally and held in major museum collections, aim to redefine our relationship with energy by embedding it seamlessly into daily life, advocating for a future where sustainability and beauty are intrinsically connected.

Ido Yoshimoto is a California-based artist whose practice is shaped by the forests and landscapes of West Marin. After more than two decades working as an arborist, he turned to art, bringing a deep understanding of the life cycles of trees into his work. Using salvaged and locally sourced wood, Yoshimoto creates sculptural and functional pieces that balance geometric intervention with organic expression, exploring the relationship between natural growth, human intention, and the passage of time.