Philia
Magazine

Nicholas Bijan Pourfard is a Southern California–based furniture designer and luthier known for his sculptural and materially driven approach to design. After crafting more than 400 bespoke guitars under the label Prisma Guitars, he transitioned from luthiery to furniture design, bringing with him a deep sensitivity to balance, structure, and handcraft.

His design philosophy centers on the exploration of materials, movement, and form, transforming these relationships into pieces that are both visually expressive and functional. Drawing from traditional techniques and contemporary sensibilities, Pourfard creates furniture that reflects a strong respect for materiality while challenging conventional typologies.

With a keen attention to detail and a commitment to craftsmanship, his work seeks to elevate everyday objects through thoughtful construction and quiet sculptural presence.

matali crasset is an internationally renowned French designer whose practice spans architecture, furniture, set design, urban planning, and public spaces. A graduate of ENSCI–Les Ateliers, she has long defended design as an artistic, anthropological, and social practice rooted in everyday life and human experience.

For over three decades, crasset has pursued a singular path guided by a human, social, and ecological approach to design, exploring how creative processes can contribute to communities and contemporary life.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and forms part of major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. She is also deeply engaged in teaching and transmission, having lectured worldwide and taught at institutions including the Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD) and ENS Paris-Saclay.

Christian Friedl is an Austrian designer and furniture maker based in Styria whose practice centers on sculptural furniture that balances craftsmanship, materiality, and artistic expression. Working primarily with natural materials, he creates collectible pieces distinguished by their refined forms, tactile qualities, and enduring character.

Guided by a deep respect for craftsmanship and sustainability, Friedl develops each work through a meticulous process of making and refinement. The result is a collection of singular objects that transcend functionality, embodying both material honesty and timeless design.

Heakyoung Jang is a South Korean designer and the founder of FICT STUDIO, an independent design practice established in 2016. Inspired by the phrase “From Craft to Industry,” the studio explores the flow and intersections between craft and industry, examining how traditional knowledge and contemporary production can coexist and inform one another.

Drawing on her background in industrial design, Jang investigates the cultural, emotional, and material dimensions of craft, viewing it as more than a set of techniques or processes. Through material experimentation and process-based research, her work reinterprets traditional values within a contemporary context, creating objects that explore the relationship between materiality, technology, memory, and time. Conceived as both a studio and an experimental platform, FICT STUDIO demonstrates how craft and design can generate new forms of meaning and relevance within contemporary culture.

Andreas Anwander is an Austrian designer and craftsman based in Brazil. Shaped by experiences across Europe, the United States, and South America, his work reflects a dialogue between European precision and Brazilian material richness.

Working primarily with certified Brazilian woods, stone, and brass, Anwander creates furniture distinguished by refined details, clean lines, and exceptional craftsmanship. Each piece is developed with a deep respect for materiality, balancing contemporary forms with traditional making techniques.

Known for his meticulous approach and distinctive design language, Anwander’s work explores the intersection of innovation and craft, resulting in timeless pieces defined by authenticity, precision, and lasting quality.

Grzegorz Majka is a self-taught Polish artist who explores the concepts of modularity, sculptural form, and artisanal processes in the design of furniture and lighting. His work seamlessly blends craft and contemporary design, incorporating high-quality noble materials like natural stone, wood, metals, and hand-blown glass. Guided by a deep respect for the inherent character of materials, Grzegorz highlights natural irregularities, textures, and patterns – veins in stone, the living patina of untreated metals, the organic feel of brushed surfaces. These elements are not hidden but embraced, inviting collectors on a sensory journey through touch and time. His studio practice focuses on handcrafted limited-edition furniture that is not only functional, but also living, authentic, and collectible art.