PHILIA MAGAZINE

David Jimenez is an American interior designer and creative director based in Paris. Before founding David Jimenez Studio, he held artistic leadership roles at Pottery Barn, RH and Williams Sonoma, helping shape the creative direction of some of America’s most recognised home furnishings brands. His studio now undertakes residential and commercial projects across Europe and the United States, combining art, antiques and contemporary furnishings in interiors that feel layered, personal and comfortable.

Since moving to France, Jimenez has drawn inspiration from French architecture, craftsmanship and the rituals of everyday life. His work has appeared in publications including AD, Elle Decor, Veranda, House Beautiful and The New York Times. His book, Parisian by Design: Interiors by David Jimenez, was published by Rizzoli in 2022, and he is a two-time honoree of the 1stDibs 50. He divides his time between Paris, the French countryside and his international projects.

Gini Moynier is a creative office based in Switzerland, founded by Amandine Gini and Victor Moynier. Working across products, spaces and imagery, the duo grounds its practice in research into materials and processes. Their work brings contemporary social questions into dialogue with cultural heritage, developing narratives through design.

Their clients and collaborators include the International Olympic Committee, Karimoku New Standard, Ligne Roset, the Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève, On Running and Tajimi Custom Tiles. Their work has been exhibited at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and the Palais de Tokyo, and they have received awards and grants from the Dezeen Awards, Fondation Casino Barrière de Montreux, Pro Helvetia and the IKEA Foundation Switzerland.

Craig Nener is a Perth-based architect and founder and director of GROTTO Studio, established in 2020. Working across residential, cultural and commercial projects, his practice explores the relationships between landscape, atmosphere and everyday life. He holds a Master of Architecture with Distinction from the University of Western Australia and gained experience with Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and London, and MORQ.

Drawing on vernacular buildings, passive design and traditional craft, Nener’s work gives particular attention to proportion, materials and natural light. His approach emphasises clarity, restraint and longevity, creating buildings grounded in their surroundings. The studio’s first completed house, Shadow House, received the 2024 Dezeen Award for Home Renovation of the Year, the 2025 Peter Overman Award and a national commendation from the Australian Institute of Architects in 2025. Alongside his practice, Nener teaches architecture at the University of Western Australia and contributes to discussions on housing, beauty and the future of Australian cities.

Lauren Li is a Melbourne-based interior designer behind Sisällä, a studio whose name—Finnish for “inside”—reflects her heritage. Her practice centres on creating personal, considered interiors that respond to the lives, memories and aspirations of their inhabitants. Through thoughtful combinations of colour, texture and spatial planning, she balances elegance with the practical needs of everyday life.

Her work spans new builds, renovations and furnishing projects, developed in collaboration with architects, builders and craftspeople. Alongside her design practice, Li mentors fellow designers through The Design Society and specialist software training. She is also the author of The New French Look (2023) and Beachside Modern (2024).

Felipe Caboclo is a Brazilian architect whose practice, Felipe Caboclo Arquitetura, focuses primarily on residential projects. His work explores the relationship between space, materiality, light, and human experience, approaching each project as a response to a particular place and way of living. Attention to proportion, detail, and the qualities of materials shapes an architecture closely connected to everyday life.

For Caboclo, architecture is also a means of understanding how people inhabit time and form lasting relationships with their surroundings. Beyond visual beauty, his practice seeks to give spaces a distinct personality that can be rediscovered over decades, creating homes whose significance develops through the experiences and memories of those who inhabit them.

Keiji Kadota is a Japanese architect and interior designer who founded UNC STUDIO in 2020, following his architectural studies and experience at architecture and interior design firms. Working across interiors, architecture, and furniture, he pursues a thoughtful exploration of natural materials, seeking to create lasting character through simple interventions. His designs develop through an understanding of each site, conversations with clients, and close collaboration with craftspeople, with bespoke furniture often forming an integral part of the space.

An early project, Loose Kyoto, helped shape this approach through hand-selected timber, a restrained material palette, and custom-designed benches and tables. At CHALLE, Kadota brought Japanese and Mexican influences together within a traditional Kyoto machiya, using a deep crimson finish made from persimmon tannin and red iron oxide. These projects reflect his interest in the expressive possibilities of materials and in giving existing spaces a new purpose while preserving their architectural memory.

Founded in 2013 by Makoto Suzuki and Ayumi Koyama, AtMa is a creative studio working across spatial design, objects, installations, and material research. Its projects range from retail environments and restaurants to exhibitions, window displays, and furniture. Alongside commissioned work, the studio develops independent projects exploring contemporary social questions and runs COM, a space for presenting its own work and collaborations with artists.

AtMa’s practice is rooted in close observation of materials, places, and human interactions. Moving between research and making, Suzuki and Koyama explore the histories and possibilities within existing objects and environments. Their work considers design as a means of revealing relationships between people, materials, and space, allowing each project to inform an ongoing process of inquiry.

Simone Lorusso is a multidisciplinary art director, writer, and storyteller whose practice moves between design, technology, politics, and fashion. Working across editorial and creative projects, he explores contemporary culture through writing, visual communication, and art direction. His multidisciplinary approach allows him to engage with a wide range of subjects, connecting creative disciplines and examining the ideas, people, and cultural contexts that shape them.

Alongside his creative practice, Lorusso regularly contributes to international publications including Vogue Living, Openhouse, Livingetc, industrialkonzept, and Design Wanted. His writing has also appeared in books and independent publications such as Cose Journal and Arxipelag, reflecting his involvement in both established editorial platforms and independent publishing.

Bergendy Cooke is a New Zealand architect based in Barcelona, working internationally across residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. Born in Christchurch, she graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture with Honours from the University of Auckland in 1994. Her career has taken her from New Zealand to London and New York, where she worked with internationally renowned practices including Zaha Hadid Architects, Adjaye Associates, and Peter Marino Architects. In 2007, she established Studio Bergendy Cooke in New Zealand, developing projects across residential and hospitality architecture. Since returning to Barcelona in 2014, she has continued to work internationally, with projects spanning New Zealand, Europe, and Morocco.

Her work has received international recognition, particularly for Maison Brummell in Marrakech, which won Dezeen’s Hospitality Project of the Year in 2024 and Archello’s Hotel Building of the Year in 2023. The project also received an Architizer A+Award in the Hotels and Resorts category in 2024 and was nominated for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2025. Her residential work has also been recognised with a HOME of the Year award in New Zealand in 2021. Cooke’s projects have appeared in numerous architectural publications, including Taschen’s Homes for Our Time 2 and Contemporary Morocco.

Noz Nozawa is a San Francisco-based interior designer and founder of Noz Design, a studio she established in 2014 after leaving a career in the corporate world to pursue her passion for design. Her practice is rooted in the belief that interiors should reflect the individuality of the people who inhabit them, creating expressive, personal spaces that encourage a sense of belonging. Rather than following a particular aesthetic, she embraces unexpected combinations of colors, materials, and details to create environments that tell the stories of her clients.

Her work has earned recognition from Architectural Digest’s New American Voices, House Beautiful’s Next Wave, Sunset Magazine’s Best of the West, and the Luxe Magazine Gold List. Alongside her design practice, Noz is committed to fostering a studio culture centered on kindness and putting people first. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ayşe Yasaman Demir is an Istanbul-based interior architect and designer whose practice spans interior architecture and collectible design. Through Studio Ayşe Demir, she creates sculptural mirrors and objects that explore the interplay between materials, light, and perception, bringing together artistic expression and functionality.

With craftsmanship and experimentation at the heart of her practice, Demir approaches each piece through an intuitive, hands-on process involving modelling, mould-making, casting, and careful finishing. Her work is characterised by organic forms, expressive surfaces, and a curiosity for the possibilities of different materials. Moving between sculpture and functional design, her creations invite a closer consideration of reflection, materiality, and the relationship between objects and the spaces they occupy.

Eilidh Izat is a Scottish architect and co-founder of Izat Arundell, an architectural practice rooted in a deep respect for landscape, craftsmanship, and the relationship between buildings and the communities they serve. Her early interest in architecture was shaped by her grandfather, fostering an appreciation for materials, making, and the role of architecture in everyday life. After studying architecture and gaining experience with international practices, she co-founded Izat Arundell with a focus on thoughtful, context-driven design.

Her approach brings together contemporary architecture, local materials, and traditional craftsmanship, with an emphasis on creating buildings that respond sensitively to their surroundings. Through close collaboration with craftspeople, she explores how architecture can foster a lasting connection between people and place. Her own home, Caochan na Creige, on the Isle of Harris, embodies this philosophy and was awarded the RIBA House of the Year 2025, recognising its considered relationship with the landscape and local craftsmanship.

escapefromsofa is an Istanbul-based multidisciplinary design studio founded in 2009, working across architecture, interior and product design. The practice develops residential, hospitality and commercial projects, bringing together contemporary design with a strong sensitivity to context, materiality and craftsmanship. With an approach that balances aesthetics and functionality, the studio creates spaces that are both distinctive and deeply connected to the people who inhabit them.

At the heart of escapefromsofa’s practice is an exploration of natural materials, textures and the relationship between architecture and everyday life. Drawing inspiration from art, nature and its cultural surroundings, the studio combines refined detailing with a thoughtful use of colour, light and form. Through close collaboration with clients and craftspeople, escapefromsofa seeks to create timeless, welcoming environments that reflect the character of each project while offering a meaningful spatial experience.

Kodai Suga is a Japanese metal artist and sculptor whose practice explores the expressive possibilities of metal through sculptural form and patination. After completing his Master’s degree in Arts and Crafts at Kanazawa College of Art in 2020, he developed an approach to bronze that combines precise, minimal forms with richly varied surfaces, using chemical reactions to create distinctive colours and textures.

Working with bronze casting and self-developed patination techniques, Suga embraces the changing and unpredictable qualities of metal as an integral part of his process. His works often balance a sense of strength and delicacy, exploring the relationship between material, form and perception. His work has been presented internationally at fairs including TEFAF Maastricht, Treasure House Fair, FAB Paris, Art SG, and ZONAMACO, as well as in exhibitions with A Lighthouse called Kanata in Tokyo.

Tala Fustok is an English-Palestinian interior designer and founder of London-based Tala Fustok Studio. Drawing on her multicultural heritage and architectural training at London’s Architectural Association, her work combines diverse influences with an intuitive approach. After working in Paris on projects including Hôtel de Crillon, she returned to London, where she designed the award-winning Mandrake Hotel before establishing her own practice. Her studio was named to the AD100 in 2025.

Through Tala Fustok Studio, she creates immersive residential, hospitality and commercial interiors shaped by art, collectible design, materiality and architecture. Her projects span residences and hospitality spaces internationally, including Laylow in Notting Hill and projects for The Mandrake. Characterised by raw and refined materials, experimental colour and unexpected details, her interiors balance atmosphere, comfort and function. In 2026, Fustok is expanding into furniture and lighting with her first collection, developed with artisans in the UK and southern Italy.

David Trubridge is a New Zealand-based designer known for his work across lighting, furniture and sculptural installations. Originally trained as a naval architect at Newcastle University in Britain, he later established himself as a designer and maker after a five-year sailing journey with his family that brought him to New Zealand. His practice combines craftsmanship, sculptural exploration and contemporary design technology, deeply informed by nature.

Trubridge’s work has gained international recognition, with pieces held in major collections including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Among his notable works are Body Raft, produced by Cappellini, and the Icarus installation, acquired by the Centre Pompidou. In 2019, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to design.