PHILIA MAGAZINE

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.

KASANAI is a Belgian design studio founded by Virginie Steeland in 2021. Working across collectible furniture and objects, the studio explores refined materiality through a minimalist design language that values permanence over trends. Inspired by the belief that thoughtful interiors contribute to a more mindful way of living, KASANAI creates sculptural pieces that balance architectural presence with quiet elegance, transforming materials such as hand-finished microcement and stainless steel into timeless forms.

Guided by craftsmanship, restraint, and an enduring appreciation for natural textures, the studio develops collections that celebrate simplicity, durability, and tactile beauty. Each piece is conceived as a lasting investment, encouraging a slower, more intentional relationship with design while enriching everyday spaces through understated sophistication.

Cinzia Moretti is the founder and Creative Director of Moretti Interior Design, an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning interior architecture and design studio based in London. Run by husband-and-wife team Cinzia and Michele, the studio specializes in crafting luxury interiors both in the UK and overseas. Their expertise lies in blending colour psychology, lighting design, and biophilic principles to create spaces that enhance well-being and elevate luxury living.

Jean-Baptiste Van den Heede is a Belgian cabinetmaker, sculptor, and designer whose work bridges traditional craftsmanship and contemporary artistic expression. Born in Argentina and raised in Belgium, he was introduced to woodworking at an early age through his family’s cabinetmaking workshop, developing a lifelong relationship with wood and artisanal making. His education spans carpentry, cabinetmaking, carving, furniture design, and sculpture, culminating in a degree in Sculpture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège.

Now based near Madrid, Van den Heede creates furniture and sculptural works distinguished by their organic forms, symbolic language, and deep respect for natural materials. Working exclusively with native woods, he combines technical mastery with a highly personal artistic vision, drawing inspiration from ancient cultures, abstract signs, and the expressive possibilities of handcrafted objects. His work has been exhibited internationally and recognized for its unique balance of functionality, craftsmanship, and contemporary design.

Sheena Murphy is the founder of nune (formerly Sheep + Stone), a design studio established in 2014 with projects spanning New York, Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Norway, and the Cotswolds. After spending over a decade living in New York, Seattle, and Bangalore, she returned to London in 2018 and now works between London and Madrid.

Originally trained in business, Murphy later completed a graduate degree in interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York before working with renowned studios including Bunny Williams and INC Architecture + Design, where she contributed to private residences and hospitality projects such as 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.

Rooted in the belief that thoughtful design contributes to wellbeing, nune creates warm, approachable spaces across residential and hospitality projects. The studio works collaboratively with clients, architects, craftspeople, artists, and makers, with a strong emphasis on human experience, sustainability, and supporting independent creative communities.

Rachel Usher is a multi-award-winning interior designer and the founder and Creative Director of her eponymous design studio, established in 2012. Fully accredited by the SBID (Society of British and International Interior Design), she is recognised for a thoughtful and emotionally driven approach to interiors that extends beyond aesthetics, focusing on how spaces can enhance the way people live and feel within them.

Together with her studio team, Rachel places great importance on understanding each client’s personality and lifestyle, believing that meaningful interior design begins with human connection. Her work is guided by the idea that the spaces we inhabit have a profound impact on emotional wellbeing and everyday life.

Alongside her studio practice, Rachel is also the founder of The Business of Interiors and host of the podcast If These Walls Could Talk, where she explores the realities and nuances of working within the design industry.

Julie Nelson is a British ceramic artist whose practice explores the natural world through the expressive materiality of clay. Drawing inspiration from biology, botany, and landscape, she creates sculptural collections that investigate the patterns, rhythms, and subtle irregularities found in nature. Working in series, Nelson presents groups of objects that contrast and complement one another, revealing the interconnected relationships that exist within natural systems.

Rooted in an exploration of elemental forms, her work reflects themes of pattern, entropy, and transformation while celebrating the quiet complexity of the environment. Alongside her sculptural collections, projects such as Flock extend her practice into participatory installations, examining ideas of migration, identity, and collective experience through the gathering of individual forms.

Ciona Lee is a Korean-Italian artist and designer based in London whose practice focuses on hand-built ceramics and sculptural objects. Working primarily with clay, she creates organic forms inspired by nature and the human body, balancing simplicity, texture, and material expression.

Originally introduced to ceramics in Barcelona in 2016, Lee developed her practice through self-directed exploration. Often using neutral-toned clays and minimal glazing, her work celebrates the raw qualities of the material and the spontaneity of the hand-building process, resulting in unique pieces that embrace imperfection and individuality.

Interior Fox was founded by Mariana Ugarte and Jenna Choate, a creative duo known for crafting bold yet highly livable interiors tailored to each client’s lifestyle and personality. Combining Mariana’s background in furniture design with Jenna’s expertise in styling and interiors, the studio has developed a distinctive approach that balances functionality, warmth, and contemporary character.

Known for their refined use of colour, texture, and spatial layering, Interior Fox has built a reputation for delivering thoughtful, client-focused interiors with a fresh and modern sensibility. Their work has been featured in publications including Elle Decoration, Livingetc, The Guardian, Tatler, and Forbes, and they have collaborated with international brands such as H&M.

Ayres is a Mexico City–based design studio founded by Venezuelan textile designer Karim Molina. Drawing on a multicultural background spanning Venezuela, Argentina, Italy, and Mexico, the studio creates collectible furniture and objects that explore the dialogue between nature, architecture, and sculptural form.

Working primarily with marble and lava stone, Ayres reinterprets these materials through refined textures and soft, organic forms. The studio’s collectible pieces balance durability with sensitivity, creating timeless objects distinguished by elegant materiality and quiet sophistication.

Sharon Lillywhite is the Founding Partner and Creative Director of Oliver Burns Studio, an internationally recognized interior design practice known for its refined approach to contemporary luxury. Over the past two decades, she has established herself as a trusted advisor to private clients, developers, and luxury brands, leading projects across the UK and internationally with a combined value exceeding £1 billion.

Recognized as one of Walpole’s “Power 50” most influential figures in British luxury and a recommended advisor on the Spears 500 Index, Lillywhite is known for her highly personal and detail-driven approach. Central to her vision is the concept of “Thoughtful Luxury” — creating elegant, quietly luxurious spaces that go beyond aesthetics and are shaped through craftsmanship, collaboration, and narrative.

Working closely with world-renowned artisans and makers, Sharon personally oversees the studio’s bespoke commissions, ensuring each project reflects a timeless sensibility and exceptional level of care.

HADGE is a multidisciplinary architecture and interior design practice founded in 2020 by Belgian architect Dieter Vlieghe. After earning his Master of Architecture from KU Leuven, St. Lucas Ghent, in 2015 and collaborating with various architects and designers, Vlieghe established HADGE as a platform for exploring architecture, interiors, furniture, and object design through a highly atmospheric and artistic lens.

Rooted in a pursuit of balance between form and emotion, HADGE creates spaces and objects defined by restraint, material honesty, and timeless simplicity. The practice is guided by a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, tactile raw materials, and the subtle interplay of light, texture, and atmosphere. Through residential, artistic, and collectible design projects, HADGE seeks to create environments that are serene yet deeply evocative, where unique handcrafted pieces evolve with time, developing a patina that reflects the lives of their users.

Holloway Li is a London-based interior architecture and design studio founded by creative duo Alex Holloway and Na Li. Known for a highly conceptual yet refined approach, the studio works across hospitality, retail, workplace, and residential projects, creating spaces that balance strong architectural identity with warmth and functionality.

Their portfolio includes a diverse range of projects, from the reimagining of Mother London’s Shoreditch headquarters to hospitality projects such as WunderLocke Munich, Bermonds Locke, and a rooftop extension for The Hoxton. The studio has also developed retail and showroom concepts, including a new flagship experience for bathroom brand Coalbrook.

In addition to their interior architecture practice, Holloway Li launched their first furniture collection in collaboration with Uma. The studio continues to expand internationally, with upcoming projects including a large-scale modular apartment hotel in Canary Wharf as well as new hospitality developments across China, Tokyo, New York, and London.

Altin Studio is a contemporary design practice founded by Yasmine, an interior designer trained at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (ENSAD), and Mehdi, a civil engineer educated at the Université de Bretagne Sud. Rooted in a deep appreciation for Tunisian craftsmanship, the studio draws inspiration from ancestral techniques, natural materials, and the cultural richness that has shaped the region throughout its history.

Working closely with a network of artisans across Tunisia, Altin Studio develops contemporary handcrafted furniture and objects that balance tradition with innovation. Defined by an organic and restrained aesthetic, their work celebrates materiality, texture, and imperfection while exploring the enduring relationship between craft, nature, and contemporary design.

Borja Barrajón is a Spanish sculptor based near Madrid whose practice is rooted in a deep exploration of stone and materiality. Trained at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Madrid, he has developed a distinctive body of work that bridges sculptural tradition and contemporary expression.

His work has been exhibited in galleries and art fairs in Spain and internationally, earning recognition through numerous awards, including the International Urban Sculpture Competition of the City of Pamplona and the Cosentino Prize International Sculpture Competition. Through his sculptures, Barrajón continues to investigate the relationship between form, matter, and space.

Millie Turner is the founder of Millie Turner Designs, a boutique full-service design studio based in London, working on projects across the UK. What began as a freelance career evolved into a fully-fledged studio in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Since then, Millie has grown the business to a team of six, delivering a diverse range of projects. Her design approach blends timeless and contemporary elements, crafting homes that feel warm, personal, and effortlessly lived-in. With a love for layering textures, natural materials, and playful pops of colour, she creates spaces that are both functional and inviting—never cold or staged, always full of life and personality. At Millie Turner Designs, it’s not just about interiors—it’s about creating spaces that tell a story.

Wonwoo Koo is a South Korean designer whose practice bridges collectible design, furniture, and functional sculpture. Trained in furniture design and with a background in product and interior design, he explores the intersection of art and design through objects that balance sculptural expression with everyday utility. Drawing inspiration from nature, art, and the quiet moments of daily life, Koo creates refined pieces characterized by organic forms, thoughtful craftsmanship, and a meticulous attention to proportion. Viewing design as a sculptural language, his work seeks to achieve harmony between originality, functionality, and enduring aesthetic value.