Designing and producing refined metal furniture, sculpture, and accessories for nearly three decades, Manifold is a studio where the process is guided by the natural qualities of metal. Expertly finished joints and uniquely patinated surfaces show our devotion to the craft. Co-owned and operated by Ross and Elizabeth Fiersten, the studio is a group effort, with everyone having an important part to play in bringing ideas to life.
Fourteen years ago, the business began hosting art exhibitions and welding classes in addition to housing a fabrication shop and showroom. At that time, Ross and Elizabeth decided to rename their business ‘manifold’ (formerly metal+works) because a multitude of activities were coming out of one entity.
As exhibitions and welding lessons have taken a back seat to production and design work, a direct connection between the Manifold workshop and the showroom remains. That connection reinforces a guiding mission: to overtly preserve the link from the object presented to the process of its crafting.
Drawing from his education in architecture and sculpture, Manifold co-founder Ross Fiersten creates objects that play with the tension between rational forms and natural processes, exploring the interplay of contour and constraint that drive the creative process. Ross established his first studio in 1999 after spending 4 years honing his skills as an apprentice metalworker in San Francisco. When his life partner Elizabeth added her art and design skills to the studio a few years later, Manifold was born.
Born and raised in Santa Fe, Manifold co-founder Elizabeth has never left New Mexico in the twenty five years she’s been living in Chicago. The mountain desert landscapes and surrounding artistic communities form the basis of her design aesthetic, while interactions with metal in the shop develop her construction ideas. Elizabeth designs work that encourages a tactile experience and is an invitation to enliven the home environment.
