Philia
Magazine

Kazuhiro Yamanaka is a Japanese designer whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible furniture, product and lighting design, and installation. Born in Tokyo, he studied at Musashino Art University before completing his MA at the Royal College of Art in London. Throughout his career, Yamanaka has collaborated with international design houses including Ligne Roset, Boffi, Ingo Maurer, Alessi, Pallucco, and SAAZS, developing a body of work characterized by experimentation, precision, and a particular sensitivity to light and space.

Central to Yamanaka’s practice is an exploration of the relationship between objects, their surroundings, and the invisible void they define. His work has entered the collections of institutions including MoMA in New York and the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, where his first major solo exhibition was held in 2017. Alongside his design practice, he has taught at Musashino Art University since 2014 and has served as a visiting professor at the China Academy of Art since 2020. In 2025, his work was recognized with the Dezeen Award for Best Lighting Design of the Year.

Dan Schneiger is an American architect, artist, and designer whose multidisciplinary practice explores the intersection of architecture, sculpture, and collectible design. Trained as an architect at the University of Minnesota, Schneiger spent nearly two decades working on public, commercial, and residential projects before establishing his independent practice dedicated to sculptural furniture, lighting, and artworks. His work reflects an ongoing dialogue between architectural thinking and handcraft, creating pieces that balance structural precision with artistic expression.

Rooted in a deep appreciation for making by hand, Schneiger’s practice investigates the relationship between technology, materiality, and form. Rejecting the increasingly digital nature of contemporary design, he embraces traditional processes to create works that reveal the tactile qualities of wood, metal, and stone while maintaining a distinctly architectural language. Blurring the boundaries between art and design, his sculptural furniture and lighting embody a timeless sensibility shaped by craftsmanship, material honesty, and a refined understanding of space.

Sandra Lipovetsky is a French state-certified architect and the founder of ODA LIK Studio. After fifteen years designing interiors for leading luxury houses across Paris and New York, she established a practice spanning architecture, collectible design, and sculpture.

Guided by an interest in perception, femininity, and material transformation, Lipovetsky creates sculptural works that shift with changing light and perspective. Combining dichroic glass with mirror-polished stainless steel, her pieces invite an evolving dialogue between object, space, and viewer.

Maria Loram is a ceramic artist based in California whose practice spans collectible vessels, sculptural lighting, and functional objects. Born in Russia, she brings together a multidisciplinary background in science, linguistics, yoga, and visual art, approaching ceramics as both a material investigation and a philosophical inquiry.

Inspired by wabi-sabi aesthetics, Eastern philosophies, and the natural world, Loram creates tactile forms that explore the relationship between the organic and the cosmic. Through an intuitive process of wheel throwing, hand-building, and extensive glaze experimentation, her works balance sculptural presence with functionality, inviting moments of stillness, contemplation, and connection. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Paris Design Week, and she has participated in artist residencies across the United States and Europe.

Martina Guandalini is an Italian architect, interior designer, and product designer based in New York. Her practice spans architecture, interiors, and collectible design, united by an interest in creating spaces and objects that evoke emotion through materiality, form, and atmosphere. Working across disciplines, she develops designs that challenge convention while establishing a distinct visual language rooted in experimentation and refinement.

Guandalini gained international recognition in 2020 when she was named NYCxDESIGN Honoree for Best Emerging Designer following the debut of her Soulmate furniture collection, which was presented by Dezeen, Sight Unseen, and at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Since then, she has continued to expand her body of collectible furniture while collaborating with leading brands and galleries, establishing a practice that seamlessly bridges architecture, interiors, and contemporary design.

Elisa Uberti is a French artist and designer based in Roubaix. After more than fifteen years in the fashion industry, she turned to ceramics, embracing craftsmanship as a way to reconnect with material, gesture, and time. Since founding her studio in 2018, she has developed a body of work that exists at the intersection of art and design, creating sculptural objects in stoneware distinguished by their soft, organic forms and quiet presence.

Guided by a pursuit of refined, timeless beauty, Uberti explores the delicate balance between technical precision and the spontaneity of hand-making. Rooted in an ancestral manual practice, her work celebrates the expressive qualities of clay, where each gesture leaves a visible trace of the making process. Through vessels, lighting, and sculptural pieces, she creates contemplative forms that evoke warmth, simplicity, and a profound connection between material, craftsmanship, and everyday life.