PHILIA MAGAZINE

Julia Melnychenko Yalanzhi is a Ukrainian designer, artist, material researcher, and founder of Yalanzhi Objects, whose multidisciplinary practice explores the intersection of collectible design, craftsmanship, and material innovation. Rooted in nature, Ukrainian cultural heritage, and intuitive form, she creates sculptural furniture and objects that reinterpret familiar archetypes through organic geometries, tactile surfaces, and contemporary material experimentation.

At the core of her practice is an ongoing exploration of sustainable materials, including Zemletsvit, a proprietary biocomposite developed from minerals, cellulose, natural fibers, and pigments. Balancing engineering, artistic research, and traditional craftsmanship, Yalanzhi creates collectible works distinguished by their expressive forms, material richness, and timeless character. Her work has been exhibited internationally at events including Salon Art + Design, COLLECTIBLE, Révélations, 3 Days of Design, and CONTEMPORAIA, and is held in private collections worldwide.

Ricardo Fasanello (1930–1993) was a Brazilian designer known for his innovative approach to furniture and industrial design. Born in São Paulo and later based in Rio de Janeiro, he developed a distinctive design language characterized by bold organic forms, technical experimentation, and a deep understanding of materials.

Combining artisanal craftsmanship with industrial processes, Fasanello created sculptural yet highly functional pieces, including the iconic fiberglass seating and swivel chairs for which he is best known. Today, his work remains a landmark of Brazilian modern design, celebrated for its originality, innovation, and timeless appeal.

Madeleine Sloback is an interior designer specializing in thoughtfully curated residential spaces that balance functionality, warmth, and timeless design. From early in her career, she discovered a strong passion for residential interiors, finding the greatest reward in transforming collaborative client visions into highly personal homes.

With over a decade of experience, Sloback has worked on hundreds of homes, developing a deeply client-focused approach shaped by her ability to connect with a wide range of personalities and lifestyles. Her expertise extends beyond design alone, drawing from hands-on experience in finishing carpentry as well as multiple personal home renovations.

Leading a team of skilled designers, Madeleine combines creativity with practical construction knowledge to create spaces that feel refined, livable, and tailored to each client’s unique way of living.

Dovain Studio is a Lisbon-based design studio founded by Sergio Prieto and Tiago De Lima. Working across collectible furniture and lighting, the studio creates sculptural pieces that balance artistic expression with functional design.

Drawing inspiration from architecture, travel, and everyday experiences, Dovain Studio is known for its bold use of color, geometric forms, and refined material palette. Collaborating closely with local artisans and manufacturers, the studio combines traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary design language, producing works that blur the boundaries between art and design.

Justus Knut Schomann (b. 1999, Cologne) is a German designer whose practice moves between industrial and collectible design. After working closely with designer Mike Meiré, where he gained experience in creative direction and interdisciplinary design processes, Schomann established his independent practice, JKS Studio, in Cologne. His work explores the dialogue between archetypal forms, contemporary materials, and refined craftsmanship, creating furniture and objects that balance functional clarity with sculptural presence.

Drawing on materials ranging from cast bronze and natural stone to advanced composite fabrication, Schomann approaches design as a quiet yet enduring presence within everyday life. Guided by a fascination with material behaviour and making, he creates pieces that seek not only to serve a purpose, but also to evoke calm, permanence, and lasting emotional resonance.

Estudio Orth is a multidisciplinary furniture and interior design studio based in São Paulo. Founded in 2018, it is led by the couple Seba Orth (designer) and Luísa Bianchetti (visual artist), who have been guiding the studio from its foundation.

With a maximalist palette of materials in service of a minimalist language, its work presents a sculptural approach to functional items such as lighting fixtures, seating, tables, rugs, and everyday accessory objects. Its practice engages with themes such as symbolism and brutalism, exploring forms that move between organicity and rationality.

All pieces are meticulously handcrafted by master artisans, one at a time. In the creative process, ancestral techniques such as metal casting, solid wood carpentry, and the use of exotic Brazilian stones lend material identity and maturity to the products.

Catherine Kwong is an American interior designer known for her refined approach to luxury residential interiors, blending modern architecture with rich materiality, custom detailing, and carefully curated artworks and objects. Her work is distinguished by a balance between contemporary restraint and warmth, creating spaces that feel both sophisticated and deeply personal.

Based in San Francisco, Kwong founded Catherine Kwong Design with a focus on crafting timeless interiors that emphasize atmosphere, craftsmanship, and livability. Often described as “a modernist with romantic tendencies,” her design language combines architectural clarity with layered textures, collected elements, and subtle moments of unexpected beauty.

Before establishing her own studio, Kwong worked closely with renowned designers Bill Sofield and Paul Vincent Wiseman. She holds degrees from Brown University and Parsons School of Design, and was named a “Designer to Watch” by Architectural Digest for her thoughtful and disciplined approach to contemporary interiors.

Faezah Shaharuddin is a Singaporean multidisciplinary designer and founder of Studio Kallang, whose practice explores the relationship between nostalgia, cultural identity, and contemporary design. Working across furniture, objects, and visual communication, she creates pieces that reinterpret familiar forms through a refined and playful lens, balancing functionality with narrative and emotional resonance.

Trained at the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, Shaharuddin combines a strong graphic sensibility with a material-driven approach to design. Through Studio Kallang, she develops collectible furniture and objects distinguished by thoughtful craftsmanship, subtle cultural references, and a timeless aesthetic, while collaborating with international brands and presenting her work at exhibitions including Milan Design Week and the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Based in Mexico City, Querétaro and San Francisco, Colección Estudio creates objects at a slower pace and with a more humane process that fosters long-lasting emotional connections with the spaces you inhabit. Inspired by stories and techniques rooted in Mexican culture, we translate them into limited-edition furniture, accessories and collectible design for your home. Colección Estudio is made up of three Mexican designers, Andrés Cacho, Daniel Martínez and Manuel López who found a common interest in exploring the intersection between art, design and craftsmanship.

Julian Mayor is a British artist and designer whose work explores the relationship between digital technology, craftsmanship, and sculptural form. Working primarily with welded sheet metal, he develops pieces through a unique process that combines advanced computer modelling with meticulous hand fabrication. The resulting works balance precision and spontaneity, transforming industrial materials into fluid, light-filled forms that blur the boundaries between sculpture, furniture, and functional design.

Educated in Industrial Design at the University of Northumbria and later in Design Products at the Royal College of Art under Ron Arad, Mayor has developed a distinctive practice that merges technological innovation with a deep sensitivity to material and making. His works have been exhibited internationally in institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and MUDAC in Lausanne. Through objects, installations, and public commissions, he continues to investigate how digital processes can give rise to expressive and deeply human forms.

Fernando Mendes is a Brazilian architect, designer, and woodworker based between Rio de Janeiro and Vale das Videiras. Working primarily with wood, he creates furniture and objects that combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, balancing technical precision with a deep sensitivity to material and form.

After more than two decades in design carpentry and over thirty years of close collaboration with Brazilian design master Sergio Rodrigues, Mendes has developed a distinctive practice that embraces the natural character of wood, including its textures, imperfections, and unique qualities. His work has received numerous international awards, and he currently serves as president of the Sergio Rodrigues Institute.

Linda Boronkay is a London-based interior designer known for her emotionally driven and richly layered interiors. Born in Budapest, she developed an early passion for design through her family background in architecture, art, and antiques before originally training in fashion design in Paris.

Having lived across Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, New York, and Paris before settling in London, Boronkay draws inspiration from travel, art, fashion, cinema, and craftsmanship. Prior to founding her own award-winning studio, she served as Design Director at Soho House, leading projects across Europe, Asia, and the UK.

Today, her studio is recognized for creating immersive and emotionally resonant spaces, and her work has been featured in House & Garden’s Design 100 and Country & Town House’s Best 50 Interior Designers.

Hanna Englund is a Swedish ceramic artist based in Rio de Janeiro. With a background in fashion and product design, based in Stockholm and Shanghai, her love of creation has always been an essential part of her life. She turned to ceramics after moving to Brazil, drawn by the grounding and meditative nature of clay. 

Her sculptural work blends Scandinavian minimalism with the organic boldness of Rio. Influenced by the human body and tropical nature, her pieces explore form through hand-building and casting techniques. A signature element is the use of molds made from tropical fruits – an intuitive way of honoring forms that live deeply in the Brazilian imagination. Self-taught, Hanna embraces experimentation, tactility, and material honesty, allowing the process to shape each piece. Many surfaces are left raw, while others are treated with deep, oxidized glazes. Her practice reflects a commitment to durability and timelessness, creating objects meant to endure physically and emotionally. Her work includes sculptures, lighting, and vessels designed for architectural interiors and exhibitions, all made by hand in her Rio de Janeiro studio.

PROSA was created in 2021 by the couple Júlia Rovigo and Gabriel Pesca. An architect and a woodworker, respectively, this project emerged from their desire to combine their experiences and translate them into the design and execution of furniture.

PROSA is dedicated to extensive research and investigation of wood as a material. The studio revives knowledge and techniques from classic naval carpentry for the execution of its works, where strength and durability meet organic curves and forms.

All of their creations incorporate experimental elements in handling wood, seeking new ways to understand and explore its natural characteristics. Their products are made with a focus on nature, the people who inhabit it, and the future of the interaction between the two.

Marie Coomber is Design Director at Concept Eight Architects & Concept Eight Design, known for their design-led approach in creating bespoke homes as unique as their clients. Marie works with a team of 12 out of her Surrey-based studio, just outside of London. With an eye for sophisticated architectural interiors and a passion for crafting deeply personal spaces, we believe in our homes curating lifestyles for our clients. Switching her career 18 years ago from a dermatology lecturer to an interior designer, she joined her husband, who led the architecture business, in creating a complete design studio delivering both architecture and interior design for discerning clients. Marie has always enjoyed working with people to find solutions to improve lifestyles. She thrives off turning ideas into reality and gets a buzz from liaising with clients to understand their aspirations and vision for their dream home and how she can turn this into reality, gaining the satisfaction of working closely with clients from conception to completion.

And achievements for the company we have won and been shortlisted in various industry awards, including The British Home Awards, as well as winning best in category for the International Property Award. This is coupled with the studio work featuring in 2no. hardback coffee table books for architecture and interior design that feature up-and-coming studios around the globe.

Ricardo Fasanello (1930–1993) was a Brazilian designer celebrated for his innovative approach to furniture and industrial design. Born in São Paulo and later based in Rio de Janeiro, he combined a passion for engineering, craftsmanship, and experimentation to create a distinctive body of work defined by bold forms and technical ingenuity.

Blending artisanal methods with industrial processes, Fasanello developed furniture that balanced functionality with sculptural expression. Best known for his iconic fiberglass seating and conversation-oriented swivel chairs, his designs embody a uniquely Brazilian modernism characterized by fluid forms, material innovation, and timeless appeal.

Today, Fasanello remains one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century Brazilian design, admired for work that continues to feel remarkably contemporary.

Hanna Englund is a Swedish ceramic artist based in Rio de Janeiro. With a background in fashion and product design across Stockholm and Shanghai, she turned to ceramics after moving to Brazil, drawn by the meditative and tactile nature of working with clay.

Her sculptural practice merges Scandinavian restraint with the organic vitality of Rio. Inspired by the human body and tropical landscapes, Englund creates hand-built and cast works that explore form, texture, and materiality. Often incorporating molds made from tropical fruits, her pieces celebrate the shapes and rhythms of Brazilian culture while maintaining a timeless and understated sensibility. Working from her Rio studio, she produces sculptures, lighting, and vessels distinguished by their raw elegance, material honesty, and enduring presence.

PROSA was created in 2021 by the couple Júlia Rovigo and Gabriel Pesca. An architect and a woodworker, respectively, this project emerged from their desire to combine their experiences and translate them into the design and execution of furniture.

PROSA is dedicated to extensive research and investigation of wood as a material. The studio revives knowledge and techniques from classic naval carpentry for the execution of its works, where strength and durability meet organic curves and forms.

All of their creations incorporate experimental elements in handling wood, seeking new ways to understand and explore its natural characteristics. Their products are made with a focus on nature, the people who inhabit it, and the future of the interaction between the two.