Philia
Magazine

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.

Lim Shing Hui is the founder and principal architect of L Architects, a Singapore-based practice she established in 2016. Born, raised, and educated in Singapore, her work is grounded in a sensitive and intuitive approach to space, with a particular interest in how architecture can foster emotional connection and a sense of intimacy in everyday environments.

Before founding her own practice, she gained experience working in established local firms, shaping a foundation that combines technical precision with a more exploratory, human-centred perspective. Through L Architects, she has developed a body of work that is both restrained and expressive, often characterised by a careful attention to materiality, light, and spatial narrative.

Her projects have received both local and international recognition. In 2022, she was awarded the SIA Design of the Year, becoming the youngest recipient to date. In 2024, L Architects was selected by Wallpaper* as one of 20 emerging practices worldwide to join its Architects Directory. More recently, the studio’s “In a Park” project received the Small Residential Interior of the Year award at the Dezeen Awards 2025, marking a significant milestone for a Singaporean architectural practice on the global stage.

Ido Yoshimoto is a California-based artist whose practice is deeply shaped by the forests and landscapes of West Marin. After more than two decades working as an arborist, he turned to art, bringing with him an intimate understanding of trees, their structures, and their natural life cycles. Working primarily with salvaged and locally sourced wood, Yoshimoto creates sculptural and functional pieces that preserve the character and history of their material while introducing deliberate geometric interventions.

Through an intuitive and material-led approach, Yoshimoto explores the dialogue between natural growth and human intention, allowing the irregularities, textures, and forms of the wood to guide each work. Balancing raw organic expression with precise craftsmanship, his practice reflects on transformation, impermanence, and the passage of time, revealing new possibilities within materials that might otherwise be overlooked.

My earliest memories are very domestic and very visual. As a child, I was obsessed with spaces — everywhere I went, I had to touch and see all the rooms. I didn’t know it then, but I was fascinated by how materials, colours, and lighting could tell a different story in every space.

At the same time, I spent hours drawing, making things with my hands, and even doing my brother’s art homework for fun.

Beatriz Bolibar is a Barcelona-based interior designer and ceramic artist, and the founder of Cuit Studio. Trained in Interior Design at BAU and later completing a master’s degree in Hospitality Design at Elisava, she developed her early career working across high-end kitchens, as well as bars and restaurants in Amsterdam. While her professional path initially unfolded within hospitality, her focus gradually shifted toward the home — intimate, lived-in spaces shaped by light, material, and everyday rituals.

Working with ceramics since the beginning of her career, Bolibar developed a parallel practice that has become central to her work. What began as an intuitive and personal exploration evolved into a tactile extension of her spatial thinking, allowing her to move between scale, from architecture to object.

Through Cuit Studio, she brings together interior architecture and hand-built stoneware pieces — often conceived as lighting, vessels, or quiet sculptural forms that inhabit domestic environments. Her work is guided by a slow, material-driven process rooted in craftsmanship, where texture, weight, and imperfection are embraced as essential qualities.

Balancing structure with sensitivity, her practice reflects a contemporary approach to living — one that values restraint, atmosphere, and emotional resonance over spectacle. Each project and object is conceived as part of a broader narrative of the home, where design is not only seen, but lived with over time.

My earliest memories are very domestic and very visual. As a child, I was obsessed with spaces — everywhere I went, I had to touch and see all the rooms. I didn’t know it then, but I was fascinated by how materials, colours, and lighting could tell a different story in every space.

At the same time, I spent hours drawing, making things with my hands, and even doing my brother’s art homework for fun.

Specht Novak is an Austin-based architecture and design studio known for its thoughtful approach to contemporary living. Founded by Scott Specht and led alongside partner Jakeb Novak, the practice creates work defined by clarity of form, material sensitivity, and a strong connection to place.

Rooted in a philosophy of elegant and timeless design, the studio shapes environments that balance rigor and warmth, responding to both context and the people who inhabit them. Over the past decades, their work has gained international recognition through award-winning and widely published projects.