Philia
Magazine

UNFORMED DESIGN is a transdisciplinary architecture practice founded by Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter, operating between Milan and Cairo. Working across architecture, landscape, interiors, and urban design, the studio explores design as a medium for storytelling, spatial experience, and dialogue with place. Drawing on experience across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, its practice is shaped by a deep sensitivity to context, culture, and human perception, approaching each project as a response to its unique social, environmental, and historical conditions.

Working across multiple scales, from intimate interiors and installations to cultural, civic, and urban projects, UNFORMED DESIGN balances conceptual thinking with material exploration and craftsmanship. The studio has received international recognition through numerous award-winning competition entries, with projects spanning Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. Rooted in a multidisciplinary approach, the practice continues to investigate how architecture can foster meaningful experiences while creating spaces that are both emotionally resonant and firmly grounded in their surroundings.

Joy Moyler is an American interior designer and founder of Joy Moyler Interiors, a studio renowned for creating refined residential, hospitality, and commercial environments that seamlessly blend architecture, fashion, and craftsmanship. Drawing on a career that spans leading architecture and design firms—including Ralph Lauren, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Thierry Despont, and Giorgio Armani Interior Design Studio—her work is distinguished by its sophisticated layering of textiles, colour, materiality, and bespoke detailing inspired by haute couture and traditional tailoring.

Moyler has completed projects for an international clientele, including private residences, luxury hospitality, and commercial commissions across the United States, Europe, and beyond. Her work has been recognised with repeated inclusion in the Elle Decor A-List (2019–2026) and Architectural Digest AD100 (2021–2026). Alongside her design practice, she serves as Contributing Design Editor for Veranda magazine and continues to contribute to the broader design community through writing, editorial work, and industry leadership.

Maria Loram is a ceramic artist based in California whose practice spans collectible vessels, sculptural lighting, and functional objects. Born in Russia, she brings together a multidisciplinary background in science, linguistics, yoga, and visual art, approaching ceramics as both a material investigation and a philosophical inquiry.

Inspired by wabi-sabi aesthetics, Eastern philosophies, and the natural world, Loram creates tactile forms that explore the relationship between the organic and the cosmic. Through an intuitive process of wheel throwing, hand-building, and extensive glaze experimentation, her works balance sculptural presence with functionality, inviting moments of stillness, contemplation, and connection. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Paris Design Week, and she has participated in artist residencies across the United States and Europe.

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.

Atelier HA is a Paris-based architecture and interior design studio founded by Hugo Vince and Adèle Nourry. After meeting at the École Camondo in 2015, the duo established their practice, combining Adèle’s expertise in spatial planning with Hugo’s focus on three-dimensional design and materiality. Their collaborative approach has led to a portfolio of refined residential and hospitality projects, including private residences in Paris and the celebrated Mistinguett restaurant at the Casino de Paris.

Guided by a deep sensitivity to detail and the identity of each space, Atelier HA creates interiors shaped by intuition, materiality, and atmosphere. Through a thoughtful dialogue between architecture and its constraints, the studio develops expressive environments where colour, texture, and light contribute to a distinct sense of place.

Martina Guandalini is an Italian architect, interior designer, and product designer based in New York. Her practice spans architecture, interiors, and collectible design, united by an interest in creating spaces and objects that evoke emotion through materiality, form, and atmosphere. Working across disciplines, she develops designs that challenge convention while establishing a distinct visual language rooted in experimentation and refinement.

Guandalini gained international recognition in 2020 when she was named NYCxDESIGN Honoree for Best Emerging Designer following the debut of her Soulmate furniture collection, which was presented by Dezeen, Sight Unseen, and at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Since then, she has continued to expand her body of collectible furniture while collaborating with leading brands and galleries, establishing a practice that seamlessly bridges architecture, interiors, and contemporary design.