Philia
Magazine

Stephanie Betesh
Stephanie Betesh is an American interior designer and the founder of Ember Studio, a New York–based practice working across hospitality, residential, and product design. Trained at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, she approaches each project through an architecturally informed lens, creating spaces that balance functionality, personality, and human connection.
Guided by a holistic design philosophy, Betesh explores the relationship between objects and their environment, from interior architecture to custom furnishings. In addition to her design practice, she has developed furniture and lighting collections through Ember Studio, available at Colony in New York, and recently launched Riffmade, a renter-friendly furniture brand focused on adaptable and accessible design.

Lulu Hope
Lucy Hope is the founder and creative director of Lulu Hope Studio, a London-based practice known for creating elegant and deeply personal interiors that balance aesthetics, functionality, and well-being. With academic backgrounds in History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS University of London, Fashion at Polimoda, and Interior Design at KLC School of Design, her work is shaped by a strong sensitivity to art, craftsmanship, and cultural history.
Working across private residences and boutique commercial projects, Hope approaches interiors with a timeless and wellness-focused philosophy. Through Lulu Hope Art, she also curates and sources fine art for her projects, while her close collaborations with Murano glass artisans bring bespoke handcrafted pieces into hospitality and residential spaces internationally.
An SBID-accredited designer, Lucy Hope collaborates with artisans around the world to create interiors that feel layered, refined, and deeply connected to individuality and contemporary living.

Janine Stone
Janine Stone is one of Britain’s leading interior designers and the founder of Janine Stone & Co, an internationally recognized studio specializing in luxury private residences. Supported by a multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, craftsmen, and project managers, the practice works across restoration, refurbishment, architecture, and bespoke interior design for clients around the world.
Known for an exceptional attention to detail, Janine Stone creates highly personalized homes tailored to each client’s lifestyle and vision rather than following a fixed signature style. The studio’s portfolio ranges from historic listed properties to contemporary residences incorporating the latest advances in design and technology.
Raised in a creative environment surrounded by fine furnishings, textiles, and art, Stone developed an early appreciation for craftsmanship and design. After working across Europe and building relationships with artisans and makers internationally, she founded her own practice in 1987, which has since evolved into a global multi-disciplinary design studio with offices in London, Manchester, Moscow, and Milan.

Marion Mailaender
Marion Mailaender lives and works between Paris and Marseille. After training at the École Boulle, this Marseillaise launched her interior architecture and design agency in Paris in 2004. Since then, she has created objects and scenography, as well as residential and commercial projects, such as the Hotel Tuba in Marseille and the Hotel Rosalie in Paris. Her boldness and eye for design have already won over a number of creative personalities, including Amelie Pichard, Sophie Calle, and Colombian designer Esteban Cortazar, who have entrusted her with singular projects.
Working by instinct, Marion mixes genres and eras to accompany her customers into the modern world. She establishes an essential dialogue with them so that their personality is revealed in the space created. Her creativity and sense of detail and materials flourish when she moves her cursor to the scale of the object. Marion Mailaender continues her search for new forms by associating ideas, mixing styles and eras to activate memories, often with a sense of humor. She seizes on codes of culture, fashion, usage and popular forms, bringing them together to create hybrid objects that are poetic, evocative and highly narrative. Repairing, assembling, transforming, adding and subtracting, using offcuts and artisans’ scraps are at the heart of her approach.

Rebecca James
Rebecca James is the founder and creative force behind Rebecca James Studio, a practice known for crafting distinctive, character-driven interiors that balance timeless elegance with a contemporary sensibility. Drawing inspiration from both the past and present, her work reflects a thoughtful dialogue between architecture, fashion, art, and the personal stories of her clients.
Recognised for bold yet refined compositions, Rebecca approaches each project with meticulous attention to detail, creating spaces that feel layered, harmonious, and deeply individual. Her interiors are often defined by rich materiality, expressive contrasts, and a carefully curated sense of atmosphere.
A passionate admirer of Impressionist and Contemporary Art, Rebecca also enjoys painting in her spare time, an artistic sensitivity that continues to inform her creative approach and visual language.






