PHILIA MAGAZINE

Sander Bottinga is a Dutch designer based in Amsterdam whose practice explores the expressive potential of light, material, and handcrafted production. With a background spanning fashion, interior, and object design, he developed a multidisciplinary approach rooted in form, color, and the tactile qualities of authentic materials. His work investigates how lighting can function simultaneously as sculpture and utility, creating objects that transform the atmosphere of a space.

Working primarily with iron, brass, leather, wood, ceramic, and linen, Bottinga creates limited-edition lighting and collectible objects distinguished by meticulous handcraftsmanship and subtle variations that make each piece unique. Produced in collaboration with artisan workshops and often assembled by hand in every detail, his works balance refined materiality with sculptural presence, blurring the boundary between functional lighting and decorative art.

dAM Atelier is an experimental design studio founded by Paolo d’Alessandro and Marco Malgarini. Working between architecture and collectible design, the duo creates sculptural furniture and objects defined by bold geometric forms, structural exploration, and a refined minimalist aesthetic. Rooted in their architectural education at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, their work balances technical precision with artistic expression.

Richard Yasmine is a Lebanese interior architect and designer based in Beirut whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible furniture, lighting, objects, and interior design. Trained in interior architecture and later in art criticism and curating, he develops concept-driven works that merge storytelling, craftsmanship, and cultural identity. Rooted in the layered history and contradictions of Lebanon, his practice transforms emotion, memory, and symbolism into sculptural objects that exist between functional design and collectible art.

Working closely with Lebanese artisans, Yasmine combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary technologies to create pieces distinguished by bold geometry, poetic narratives, and refined materiality. Blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination, his work explores themes of identity, ritual, and human experience, resulting in collectible designs that balance conceptual depth with sculptural expression.

Vince Skelly is an American sculptor and designer based in California, whose practice explores the relationship between sculpture, furniture, and the natural world. Working primarily with salvaged old-growth redwood, cedar, and fir, he hand-carves each piece from a single block of wood, allowing the material’s grain, history, and imperfections to shape the final form. His work balances functionality with sculptural expression, drawing inspiration from ancient monuments, vernacular craftsmanship, and the landscapes of the American West.

Guided by an intuitive and process-driven approach, Skelly transforms fallen trees into collectible objects distinguished by their bold silhouettes, tactile surfaces, and quiet monumentality. Combining traditional woodworking with a deeply material-led practice, he creates timeless works that celebrate the enduring character of wood while exploring the dialogue between utility, memory, and sculpture. His work has been exhibited internationally and featured in publications including The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Sight Unseen.

Jörg Pietschmann is a German sculptor and designer whose work explores the expressive potential of wood through sculpture, furniture, and functional objects. Based near Hamburg, he works primarily with salvaged and naturally fallen timber, transforming oak, lime, beech, olive, maple, and driftwood into singular forms that balance organic character with refined craftsmanship. Through a deeply material-driven practice, Pietschmann reveals the inherent beauty of each piece of wood, allowing its history, grain, and natural imperfections to guide the creative process.

Working at the intersection of art and design, Pietschmann creates hand-carved objects that range from sculptural vessels and furniture to large-scale wooden sculptures. His works are characterized by their simplicity, timelessness, and strong connection to nature, preserving the raw vitality of the material while transforming it into contemporary forms. Through this dialogue between craftsmanship and organic growth, Pietschmann creates pieces that are both atmospheric and enduring, inhabiting the space between functional object and sculpture.

Laurène Guarneri is a French designer and artisan based in Paris whose practice centers on sculptural mirrors that explore the poetic relationship between light, reflection, and perception. A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris-Cergy, she founded her studio in 2018, developing handcrafted pieces inspired by fleeting moments of everyday life and the quiet beauty found in nature.

Guided by a minimalist yet deeply sensitive approach, Guarneri creates mirrors that transcend their functional purpose to become contemplative objects. Through refined forms and meticulous craftsmanship, her work captures ephemeral qualities of light, sky, and landscape, inviting a slower, more poetic way of experiencing both the object and the space it inhabits.

Batten and Kamp is the collaborative art and design practice of Alexandra Batten and Daniel Kamp, a New Zealand-born duo currently based between Paris and Hong Kong. Working at the intersection of art, design, and sculpture, they create functional objects distinguished by a conceptual approach that blends organic and industrial materials in refined, minimalist compositions.

Drawing inspiration from natural history, science fiction, and the landscapes of their New Zealand upbringing, Batten and Kamp develop works that explore contrasts between the primordial and the contemporary, the artificial and the natural. Through collectible furniture and sculptural pieces, the duo creates objects that are both thought-provoking and deeply connected to materiality, form, and human experience.

Lucas Tyra Morten is a multidisciplinary artist duo based on the west coast of Sweden, working at the intersection of art, sculpture, and collectible design. Through their atelier, they create handmade, limited-edition furniture, objects, and installations that explore the fragile relationship between permanence and impermanence. Occupying the space between functional design and artistic expression, their work challenges conventional notions of utility in favour of emotional resonance and material presence.

Guided by an intuitive and experimental approach, Lucas and Tyra combine organic materials with industrial processes to create sculptural forms marked by texture, imperfection, and the traces of the maker’s hand. Influenced by nature, architecture, and the existential qualities of time, their practice celebrates craftsmanship, transience, and the quiet beauty found in objects that evolve through use and experience.

Lorenzo Bini is an Italian designer whose practice explores the intersection of sculpture, furniture, and collectible objects. Through his studio Binocle, he develops pieces that investigate the expressive relationship between geometry, material, and craftsmanship, creating refined forms that balance architectural clarity with sculptural presence.

Guided by a minimalist sensibility and a fascination with natural materials, Bini works with stone, wood, metal, and glass to create timeless furniture defined by precise proportions and tactile finishes. Rooted in thoughtful making and meticulous detailing, his work celebrates material honesty, understated elegance, and the enduring dialogue between object and space.

Willem van Hooff is a Dutch designer and artist based in Eindhoven. A graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, he established his studio in 2019, where he creates sculptural furniture and objects through a process rooted in craftsmanship and material experimentation. Working across ceramics, wood, metal, and mixed media, he reinterprets traditional techniques to create tactile works that balance expressive form with functional purpose. Inspired by history and vernacular craftsmanship, his practice explores the emotional and cultural resonance of handmade objects through a contemporary perspective.

Naama Hofman is an Israeli designer based in Berlin whose practice explores light as a sculptural and architectural medium. Through her studio, founded in 2010, she creates collectible lighting distinguished by geometric forms, refined materiality, and atmospheric presence. Working with glass, brass, stainless steel, and acrylic, Hofman develops handcrafted pieces that balance technical precision with a quiet, timeless aesthetic, transforming light into an integral element of spatial experience.

Shinji Wakasa is a Japanese designer and artist whose practice explores the relationship between material, process, and sculptural form. Working at the intersection of collectible design and contemporary craft, he creates furniture and objects distinguished by their quiet monumentality, tactile surfaces, and understated elegance. Rooted in a deep sensitivity to natural materials, his work embraces imperfection, allowing texture, time, and the making process to become integral elements of each piece.

Working primarily with wood, stone, and metal, Wakasa combines traditional craftsmanship with an experimental approach to construction and surface treatment. His practice investigates the expressive potential of materials through refined forms that balance structural clarity with organic irregularity, resulting in timeless works that blur the boundary between sculpture and functional design.