Philia
Magazine
Adrian Bursell
Adrian Bursell is a Stockholm-based Swedish designer whose practice explores furniture through material, craft, memory and place. Trained in fine art at HDK-Valand before studying Interior Architecture and Furniture Design at Konstfack, where he graduated in 2020, his work combines a sculptural approach with an interest in traditional techniques and locally rooted materials. His graduation project, Sticks and Stones: Souvenirs from Öland, transformed limestone, juniper and ash into furniture informed by his childhood connection to the Swedish island of Öland; the project’s Lilla Alvaret side table subsequently entered the collection of Möbeldesignmuseum.
Alongside his independent practice, Bursell collaborates with designer Siri Svedborg. Their Burn & Turn series brings together turned wood with materials including hand-worked glass, ceramic and cast aluminium, emphasizing variation, tactility and the presence of the maker. The collection received Sight Unseen’s Best in Show award at Greenhouse during Stockholm Furniture Fair in 2024, and the pair were later awarded an IKEA scholarship through Young Swedish Design for the project. Across his work, Bursell approaches furniture as a meeting point between functional object, craftsmanship and material experimentation.
Alykhan Velji
Alykhan Velji is the Creative Director of Alykhan Velji Designs, the Calgary-based interior design studio he founded nearly two decades ago. Known for interiors that are layered, architectural, and deeply personal, Velji has developed a distinctive design language that balances heritage influences with contemporary sensibilities.
Working across residential and commercial projects, his approach explores the relationship between craftsmanship, materiality, and storytelling. Through bold compositions, rich textures, and carefully considered details, Velji creates spaces that feel immersive, collected, and enduring.
Beyond interiors, his creative practice extends into furniture, textile, and product collaborations, including partnerships with SILVA, Moblia, Urban Barn, Roll Out, and AFERA. His work has been featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, Dezeen, Domino, Livingetc, House & Home, and Western Living. In 2025, Alykhan Velji Designs was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Design Firms by House & Home.
Louise Liljencrantz 5 Picks From Philia Collection
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.
Sausset Leou
Sausset Leou is an architecture practice founded by Kim and Rémy, born from a shared affinity for a poetic, vernacular, and radical approach to spatial design. The duo first began collaborating during their architectural studies at ENSA Paris Val de Seine, developing alternative design projects through shared studio workshops.
Defined by a rigorous sensibility and a precise form of poetry, Sausset Leou combines formal discipline with narrative freedom, rejecting hierarchies between architectural typologies. Each project is conceived as a sensitive reinterpretation of the histories of places and people, with the ambition of making beauty accessible to all without distinction.
Marjan van Aubel
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.
