Philia
Magazine

Fernando Mendes is a Brazilian architect, designer, and woodworker born in São Paulo and based in Rio de Janeiro. Working primarily from his atelier in Vale das Videiras, he creates furniture and objects that combine traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary design sensibility. Having spent more than two decades in the field of fine woodworking, Mendes uses wood as his principal medium, balancing artisanal techniques with innovative processes.

Characterized by a deep respect for materiality, his work embraces the natural imperfections, textures, and unique qualities of wood, resulting in pieces that are both timeless and authentic. Alongside directing his atelier, Mendes serves as president of the Sergio Rodrigues Institute, continuing the legacy of the renowned Brazilian designer with whom he collaborated closely for over thirty years. His work has received numerous international accolades, including the iF Design Award, Designpreis Deutschland, and the Museu da Casa Brasileira Award.

Dust + Form is a Vermont-based design studio founded by ceramicist and designer Brielle Rovito. Working across sculptural ceramics, vessels, lighting, and functional objects, the studio explores the relationship between materiality, form, and the rhythms of the natural world.

Rooted in an appreciation for transformation and impermanence, Dust + Form creates pieces that balance rawness with refinement. Drawing inspiration from cycles of growth, decay, and renewal, the studio’s work reflects a poetic approach to craftsmanship, resulting in objects that encourage presence, reflection, and a deeper connection to everyday rituals.

Jefferson Aver is a Brazilian artist and designer, and the founder of Aver Design. Driven by continuous research and experimentation, his practice explores the expressive potential of materials through collectible lighting and sculptural objects. Working primarily with local materials, particularly Brazilian natural stones, he seeks to reveal the essence of each material while transforming it into contemporary forms.

Moving between art and design, tradition and modernity, Aver creates pieces distinguished by their sculptural presence, refined craftsmanship, and strong connection to materiality.

Karin Amdal is a Norwegian ceramic artist whose practice explores the relationship between contemporary life, personal experience, and sculptural form. Drawing inspiration from everyday observations and broader social reflections, she creates works that function as visual metaphors, translating abstract ideas into quiet, geometric compositions. Rooted in a minimalist aesthetic, her ceramics balance conceptual depth with formal clarity.

Hand-building each piece, Amdal leaves the exterior unglazed, allowing the natural colours and textures of different clays to define the character of her work. Informed by her background as an art director and designer, her practice combines graphic precision, logical thinking, and subtle wit, resulting in contemporary objects that are both contemplative and tactile.

Alexia Vela Akasaka is an interdisciplinary Brazilian designer born to a Bolivian mother and a Japanese father. Raised in São Paulo, Brazil, she moved to the UK in 2020 to pursue a foundation diploma in arts and design at Central Saint Martins. Following that, she attended the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London,  earning a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Interdisciplinary Studies in 2024.

Alexia’s mixed heritage deeply informs her design work, where she explores how different cultural and ethnic identities blend, clash, and coexist in Brazilian contemporary culture. This is often expressed in her work through shape and form as a subtle cue to explore experiences and the process of self-discovery, which are brought through quiet references to people and moments lived interwoven within fluid shapes.