Philia
Magazine
Mikel Welch
Mikel Welch is an American interior designer, television personality, author, and creative director known for creating interiors that balance timeless character with the realities of everyday living. His distinctive approach, often described as “primitive modern,” brings together antiques, collected objects, natural textures, and contemporary elements to create spaces that feel layered, personal, and enduring.
Welch first gained national attention through HGTV’s Design Star and has since appeared across numerous design programs, including Trading Spaces, Murder House Flip, and Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning Hack My Home. He currently serves as a design expert on The Drew Barrymore Show and a monthly contributor to The Today Show. His career also extends beyond television into residential interiors, set design, and creative direction.
In 2024, Welch participated in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York. The following year, he published his first book, The Forever Home, exploring an accessible and practical approach to creating character-filled spaces designed to evolve over time. Based in Los Angeles, Welch continues to work across interior design, television, publishing, and product collaborations.
Fred&Juul
Fred&Juul is the design studio of Federico Minarelli and Julie Janssen, whose practice explores the intersection of architecture, collectible design, and traditional craftsmanship. After studying architecture in Florence and founding an architectural practice specializing in residential renovations, the duo launched their first furniture collection in 2012, collaborating with local Tuscan artisans. Characterized by refined proportions, precious materials, and meticulous craftsmanship, their work balances organic elegance with geometric clarity, creating timeless pieces that bridge architecture, contemporary design, and artisanal heritage.
Jeonghoon Lee
Jeonghoon Lee is one of Korea’s leading architects, who studied both architecture and philosophy. He later received a government scholarship to study in France, where he attended the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Nancy and the École d’Architecture de la Ville & des Territoires in Paris, earning a degree in French architectural history. He worked at the offices of world-renowned architects Zaha Hadid and Shigeru Ban before establishing JOHO Architects in Seoul in 2009.
Rooted in the humanities, he conceives spaces through thoughtful reflection and constructs forms through the logic of sensory experience and technical skill. Based on this unique approach, he has received numerous prestigious awards both in Korea and internationally, including the Today’s Young Artist Award (2021), the Kim Jong-Sung Architecture Award (2020), the Young Architect Award (2010), the Architectural Record Design Vanguard (2013, recognizing 10 emerging architects shaping the future of architecture), the Chicago Athenaeum Architecture Award (2017), and the German Iconic Award, among others.
Christian Friedl 5 Picks From Philia Collection
Christian Friedl is an Austrian designer and furniture maker based in Styria whose work explores the intersection of sculptural form, craftsmanship, and materiality. Working primarily with natural materials, he creates collectible pieces distinguished by their refined simplicity, tactile presence, and timeless character.
Rooted in a deep respect for handcraft and sustainability, Friedl’s practice transforms raw materials into singular objects that balance functionality with artistic expression.
Rogelio Vallejo Bores
Rogelio Vallejo Bores is a Mexican architect and founder of HW Studio Arquitectos, known for a quiet, precise, and deeply human approach to design. Born in Michoacán, he holds degrees in Architecture, Art & New Technologies, and Design & Innovation, and has trained with renowned practices including Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, RCR Arquitectes, and Aires Mateus.
His work explores the beauty of the essential—where silence, light, and disciplined craftsmanship define space. Rogelio’s projects have received international recognition, including Design Vanguard 2024, Record House 2023, Best Emerging Firm by Azure Magazine, the German Design Award 2024, and multiple Loop Design Awards.
Widely published in Architectural Record, Azure, AD, Dezeen, and Archello, HW Studio has been named among Mexico’s best architecture firms and one of Latin America’s most influential studios. Rogelio’s architecture seeks harmony, clarity, and emotional resonance, inviting reflection through thoughtful design.
Chaeyoung Lee Picks From Philia Collection
Chaeyoung Lee is a furniture and object designer based in Seoul. After studying Woodworking & Furniture Design and Aesthetics of Art, she began developing a craft-based design practice driven by narrative and purpose.
Her work seeks to translate abstract thoughts into tangible visual and tactile experiences. Through furniture and objects, she gives form to moments of life and explores the attitudes embodied within those forms.
Her practice continues to expand as a way of experiencing life and the world through both everyday and artistic acts.
