PHILIA MAGAZINE

Nicolas Bossard is a Paris-based architect (HMONP) and founder of Nicolas Bossard Architecture, established in 2018 following his experience with LVMH and Studio Vincent Eschalier. His practice is rooted in transformation, engaging with projects that present both structural and contextual complexity, where existing conditions are reinterpreted through a precise and contemporary architectural language.

Working across a wide range of scales and typologies, the studio develops projects that span compact living environments, large-scale refurbishments, rooftop extensions, heritage interventions, and mixed-use programs. Each intervention is approached as a dialogue between constraints and possibilities, with a particular attention to spatial clarity, material expression, and the relationship between architecture and its environment.

In 2024, the studio was selected for the Bpifrance Accelerator Architecture & Design – France 2030, further supporting its development within the contemporary architectural landscape. Operating through an agile network of independent experts, Nicolas Bossard Architecture adopts a flexible and collaborative structure, enabling each project to be shaped by a tailored combination of skills and perspectives.

Kazuya Ishida is a Japanese ceramic artist based in Bizen, one of Japan’s six ancient kiln sites, known for its traditional unglazed stoneware. Born into a family of potters, he trained at the Bizen Ceramics Center and Kyoto Prefectural Ceramics Technical Institute before completing an apprenticeship under Jun Isezaki.

Following several years in the UK, where he expanded his approach to ceramic practice, Ishida established his independent studio in Bizen in 2013. His work is distinguished by dynamic, spiraling surface marks—an expressive language rooted in rhythm and movement, influenced by his early interest in breakdancing.

Working with natural clay and ash glazes in dialogue with Bizen tradition, Ishida develops contemporary forms that evoke elemental landscapes—eroded rock, shifting tides, and geological textures. Bridging heritage and experimentation, his practice reflects a deeply physical engagement with material, where process, fire, and movement shape each piece into a singular, tactile expression.

Zanini de Zanine is a Brazilian designer based in Rio de Janeiro whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible furniture, interiors, and art. Drawing inspiration from Brazilian culture, craftsmanship, and natural materials, he creates sculptural works that balance organic forms with a refined contemporary sensibility.

Blending artisanal traditions with industrial production, Zanini de Zanine develops pieces distinguished by expressive materiality and a strong connection to place. His work reflects an ongoing dialogue between heritage, sustainability, and innovation, resulting in timeless designs with a distinctive sculptural presence.

Espacio 18 Arquitectura is a Mexico-based architecture studio founded by Carla and Mario Avila. Working across residential, hospitality, and mixed-use projects, the studio develops a sculptural approach to architecture rooted in geometry, light, and landscape.

Their practice is guided by a process of reduction, seeking clarity of concept, precision in proportion, and a sensitive response to context. Through a restrained and materially honest language, Espacio 18 Arquitectura creates spaces that feel both timeless and grounded.

Balancing structure and atmosphere, their work reflects a careful orchestration of form and material, where each element contributes to a cohesive and enduring whole.

Zena Holloway is a British bio-designer and founder of Rootfull, a London-based studio exploring the intersection of nature, craft, and material innovation. Her practice centers on cultivating plant roots into sculptural lighting and objects, allowing natural growth processes to shape each piece. Formerly an internationally acclaimed underwater photographer, Holloway’s experience documenting marine environments inspired her transition into bio-design. Through Rootfull, she has developed a pioneering process that merges biological growth with traditional craftsmanship. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London Design Festival.

Studiopepe is a Milan-based architecture and design studio founded in 2006, working across interiors, collectible design, and creative direction. Renowned for its multidisciplinary approach, the studio creates immersive environments and objects that balance refined materiality with a strong sense of narrative, combining formal precision with poetic expression.

Through a thoughtful interplay of colour, texture, and composition, Studiopepe develops projects distinguished by their layered atmosphere, contemporary elegance, and enduring emotional resonance

Tom Robertson is an Australian architect and the founder of Tom Robertson Architects, a Melbourne-based practice dedicated to residential design. His work is defined by a quiet clarity and a sensitivity to material, light, and context, with a focus on creating spaces that feel both timeless and deeply personal.

Established in 2013, his studio has developed a collaborative and client-focused approach, where each project evolves through careful dialogue and a considered design process. Robertson’s architecture reflects a balance between function and atmosphere, often expressed through a restrained material palette and a strong connection to place.

Through his practice, he continues to explore how architecture can shape everyday life, creating environments that are thoughtful, enduring, and attuned to the people who inhabit them.

Harshita Jhamtani is an Indian designer and the founder of Harshita Jhamtani Designs, a Mumbai-based studio established in 2019. Her practice is rooted in a thoughtful balance between material innovation and environmental responsibility, with a focus on creating objects that are both visually striking and enduring in function.

Trained in architecture at the University of Mumbai and in furniture design at the Florence Institute of Design International (FIDI), Jhamtani approaches design through a multidisciplinary lens. Her work reflects a sensitivity to form, material, and process, often exploring sustainable techniques and conscious production methods.

At the core of her studio is a commitment to longevity — designing pieces that transcend trends and are intended to be lived with over time. Through a refined, minimalist language, her work engages with a broader dialogue on sustainability, craftsmanship, and the evolving role of design in shaping a more responsible future.

Saerom Yoon (b. 1985) is a Seoul-based designer and artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans collectible furniture, sculpture, and installation. Educated in woodworking and furniture design at Hongik University, he explores the poetic relationship between material, light, and memory, transforming ephemeral experiences of nature into sculptural works that balance functionality with artistic expression.

Working primarily with dyed acrylic resin, wood, and metal, Yoon creates luminous compositions inspired by the shifting colors and atmospheres of sunrise and sunset. Through an ongoing exploration of transparency, reflection, and color, his works capture fleeting moments of landscape and emotion, inviting quiet contemplation while dissolving the boundary between design and sculpture. His work has been exhibited internationally and recognized with distinctions including Wallpaper* Design Awards’ Next Generation Designer of the Year.

Sisan Lee (b.1995) is a Seoul-based designer whose practice explores the relationship between nature and the artificial. Working across sculpture, furniture, and spatial objects, he investigates how raw natural materials interact with the structural logic of industrial production.

Through the use of materials such as stone, wood, and metal, Lee creates compositions that highlight the tension between organic irregularity and industrial precision. His works often reference primitive structures while employing contemporary fabrication techniques, resulting in objects that feel both timeless and distinctly modern.

Operating between design and sculpture, Lee’s practice reflects an ongoing interest in the dialogue between natural formation and human intervention. By allowing material characteristics to guide form and structure, his works seek a quiet balance between raw material presence and constructed order.

Studio Chacha, founded by Cha Shin-sil, is a Seoul-based design studio working primarily with glass. Her practice explores the delicate balance between control and unpredictability inherent in the material, embracing the transformative qualities of heat, light, and transparency.

Through experimental processes, Cha reinterprets familiar forms into sculptural objects that blur the boundary between function and art. By layering colors, altering geometric structures, and manipulating glass through lampworking techniques, her work creates optical depth and shifting visual effects that invite closer observation.

Positioned between collectible design and material exploration, Studio Chacha produces objects and furniture that emphasize the expressive potential of glass, where subtle variations in color, texture, and form transform everyday typologies into unexpected visual experiences.

Minseon Kong is a Seoul-based floral artist and spatial director. Having studied art from an early age, she majored in Fine Art before completing a master’s degree in Visual Design. Grounded in a painterly sensitivity and a structured understanding of design, she now works with flowers as a medium through which she composes spatial environments.

Through her brand Midsummer, Kong interprets the nuances of each season with subtle precision. Rather than treating flowers as decorative elements, she approaches them as materials that carry time and atmosphere. With restrained structures and carefully considered negative space, she creates scenes that are quiet yet distinctive.

Her practice centers on introducing a minimal structure to nature. Within her installations, intention and chance, order and seasonality coexist, forming moments where natural presence and spatial composition come into delicate balance.

Hyungshin Hwang is a Seoul-based designer whose work explores memory, materiality, and structure through furniture and objects. Trained in woodworking and furniture design at Hongik University, where he earned both his BFA and MFA, Hwang develops a distinctive formal language that transforms everyday experiences and emotional narratives into carefully crafted forms.

Central to his practice is the ongoing Layered Series, first introduced at KIAF in 2007. Through modular construction and layered surfaces, the series reflects the accumulation of time, memory, and lived experience. Hwang’s work has been exhibited internationally at Milan Design Week, DMY Berlin Design Festival, Design Days Dubai, and Art Beijing, while also being presented at institutions including La Triennale di Milano, the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, and the National Hangeul Museum. Alongside his studio practice, he has taught at several leading universities in Korea, continuing to shape a body of work defined by a quiet sensitivity to material and form.

Andre Kikoski, AIA, LEED AP, is the Founding Principal of Andre Kikoski Architecture. A commitment to creating transformative architecture runs through all of the firm’s work, shaping projects that balance innovation, materiality, and experience.

Andre received his Master’s degree in Architecture from Harvard University, where he earned distinctions for innovation in design and technology. Prior to founding his practice, he trained with leading figures and firms including I.M. Pei, Peter Eisenman, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and William McDonough.

He currently serves on the board of the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation in Los Angeles, which oversees the Hollyhock House and supports a mission to foster a vibrant and inclusive space for creativity, cultural expression, civic dialogue, and social empowerment. Andre is also a former Trustee of the Van Alen Institute and a member of the Alumni Council Emeritus at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Andre speaks internationally across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. His engagements include ArtHamptons, Harvard University, the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, New York University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Parsons School of Design, and Pratt Institute, among others.

Stem is a design studio founded by Aman and Sugandhi, whose practice explores the relationship between material, emotion, and everyday objects. Guided by a quiet appreciation for nature and craftsmanship, the studio creates collectible lighting, sculpture, and functional objects that balance sculptural simplicity with a strong sense of intimacy and meaning.

Working slowly and intentionally with carefully selected materials, Stem develops timeless pieces that celebrate tactile beauty and emotional resonance. Each object is conceived as a lasting companion, reflecting a philosophy of thoughtful making, enduring craftsmanship, and quiet, purposeful design.

Toshiki Omatsu is a Tokyo-based Japanese designer, born in 1973, and a member of the Architectural Institute of Japan. He graduated from the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture and Design (B.Arch.) in 1996, and later received a diploma from The Berlage Institute in Amsterdam in 1999, supported by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Overseas Study Grant.

After working in several architecture offices across London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, he founded his own practice, Toshiki Omatsu Atelier, in 2005, where he designs architecture, furniture, products, and artworks. Over the years, he has won several competitions in Japan. He currently serves as Chairperson of the Space Design Department at Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo, the oldest design school in Japan.

Since 2018, Omatsu has been actively developing furniture under the concept “Aluminium x Technology beyond Art & Design”, with a particular focus on the expressive and technical potential of aluminum.

Beatriz Bolibar is a Barcelona-based interior designer, ceramic artist, and founder of Cuit Studio. Trained in interior and hospitality design, her practice brings together interior architecture and handcrafted stoneware objects, exploring the relationship between space, material, and everyday rituals.

Through Cuit Studio, she creates interiors, lighting, vessels, and sculptural objects guided by a sensitivity to craftsmanship, natural materials, and a slow, intentional design process. Her work seeks to create warm, timeless, and emotionally resonant spaces for contemporary living.