Philia
Magazine
Javier Sánchez
Javier Sánchez is the founding partner and principal of JSa, the Mexico City-based architecture studio he established while studying at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Raised in a family of architects, he has developed a practice that spans housing, cultural, commercial, and mixed-use projects, while playing a significant role in the regeneration of Mexico City’s historic neighbourhoods through architecture and urban development.
Over the past three decades, Sánchez has become widely recognised for his work in heritage rehabilitation and for creating resilient, mixed-use environments that respond to the evolving needs of contemporary cities. Increasingly focused on architecture’s environmental responsibilities, his recent work explores self-sustaining design strategies that integrate social, cultural, and ecological considerations. Rooted in the rich urban fabric of Mexico City, his practice continues to demonstrate how architecture can shape more connected, inclusive, and enduring communities.
Rafael Freyre
Rafael Freyre is a Peruvian architect, artist, and designer whose multidisciplinary practice explores the convergence of architecture, art, and spatial storytelling. Educated at Ricardo Palma University in Lima before completing a Master of Fine Arts through Plymouth University and the Piet Zwart Institute, his work is informed by research into migration, mobility, and the cultural narratives embedded within space. Today, he leads RF Studio, where architecture and art are developed as complementary forms of expression.
Working across architecture, interiors, exhibitions, and artistic installations, Freyre creates projects that balance conceptual depth with material sensitivity. Drawing on experience spanning Europe, the United States, and Latin America—including collaborations with Massimo Fuksas and theater director Robert Wilson—his practice investigates the relationship between place, movement, and human experience, resulting in environments that merge artistic vision with architectural precision.
Emily Fotheringham
Emily Fotheringham is the founder and Creative Director of a Glasgow-based award-winning interior design studio established in 2012. Specializing in residential interiors and architectural design for private clients and property developers, the practice is known for creating refined and timeless spaces distinguished by a subtle sense of luxury.
Led by Fotheringham, the studio brings together a multidisciplinary team of interior designers and architects whose combined expertise informs a thoughtful and detail-oriented approach to design. Balancing creativity with functionality, the studio develops interiors that feel elegant, contemporary, and enduring.
Lost Profile Studio
Lost Profile Studio is a Melbourne-based design practice founded by Oliver Wilcox in 2017. Working across collectible furniture, lighting, hardware, and curated vintage pieces, the studio explores the dialogue between historical references and contemporary design. Its name, inspired by the artistic concept of the profil perdu (“lost profile”), reflects a fascination with suggestion, restraint, and the enduring character of objects.
Guided by Wilcox’s multidisciplinary background in art, design, and curation, Lost Profile creates refined collections influenced by Art Deco elegance, industrial utility, and timeless craftsmanship. Through a thoughtful balance of sculptural form, tactile materials, and understated detailing, the studio develops pieces that celebrate heritage, material honesty, and the quiet poetry of everyday living.
Marea Hildebrand Picks From Philia Collection
Marea Hildebrand (b. 1989) is a Zurich-based ceramic artist whose practice explores the quiet dialogue between material, process, and form. Trained in Fine Arts and Transdisciplinary Studies at the Zurich University of the Arts, she creates hand-built ceramic vessels using the traditional coil technique, developing monumental works distinguished by richly layered surfaces achieved through multiple firings, painting, and rhythmic etching. Embracing the beauty of imperfection and transience, her work draws inspiration from Japanese and Korean aesthetics, Abstract Art, and the philosophy of wabi-sabi, creating contemplative pieces that evoke stillness, presence, and a deep connection to natural materials.
OWL Design
Owl was established in 2014 by Sophie van Winden and Simone Gordon, who came together through their shared love of joyful, daring design after meeting at Ravensbourne University. Based in East London, the studio offers interior design, styling and consultancy across residential and commercial projects.
Owl was founded on the belief that design has the power to enhance your whole life. Our aim is to create uplifting interiors that have a lasting positive impact on the people who inhabit them every day.
Balancing form with function, we give spaces room to breathe so they work better and allow design details to shine. Drawing on a love of nature and craftsmanship, we enjoy working with fresh colour combinations, organic shapes, graphic patterns and natural materials to create interiors that instinctively feel good.
