Cross has her own studio with a full complement of portable tools, but heads to Maker Works when she needs bigger equipment and like-minded workers. “I can do this stuff myself, but bouncing ideas off other creatives is one of the most valuable things a designer can have,” she says. | Photo by Mark Bialek
Since establishing her Ann Arbor studio in 2016, the U-M art grad has won nineteen international design awards for the ingeniously styled furniture she builds at Maker Works, the nonprofit south-side workshop. Often custom made for her interior design clients—she also has an interior design degree from EMU—they include colorful wall-art Squiggles made from PVC, acrylic, and wood, and Bolts, wooden cocktail tables threaded on marble bases. “The furniture work has a monolithic nature that is somewhat serious and whimsical at the same time,” she says.
Cross traces her interest in design to watching her mother renovate the house where she grew up, then helping select its furniture. After graduation from the U-M, she added an MFA from the Royal College of Art in London, then returned to Ann Arbor to open her studio.
“I wanted the freedom to create and follow my vision, while also collaborating with clients to realize their visions,” she emails. Her private studio has a full complement of portable tools and equipment for woodworking, casting, and finishing. But her larger pieces require “stationary tools or a Computer numerical control (CNC) [tool], which is where Maker Works comes in.”
Cross credits the space for providing the resources necessary to craft her first collection, Elements, in 2022. It won WantedDesign’s “Best of Launch Pad” award for furniture.
“For every piece, the development is very different and specific,” says Cross. “It is a pretty intimate relationship because I’m making my pieces myself. When you put your blood, sweat, and tears into something, it’s sad to see it go, but it is also a joyous moment because you know that you are not the only person who values the work.”
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Maker Works executive director Josh Williams says other members, like ceramicist and interior designer Laura Earle, also produce multipurpose items. But he calls Cross an inspiration.
“The projects she brings on, they’re challenging. There’s not a known path to do what she is doing,” says Williams, who’s been with Maker Works since 2014. “There is a uniqueness to Erika and her projects. The time and precision she puts into her projects is beyond anyone I’ve ever met.
“Her constant grace in whatever she is doing is amazing,” he adds. “We’re all fascinated by tools and materials and how you can make a material turn into something more meaningful to you. Erika exemplifies all the cool stuff about the shop.”
Cross says that crafting a single piece can take anything from an afternoon’s work to a year, with prices ranging between $400 and $40,000. She’s currently working on commissions for Peridot restaurant downtown and Mothfire Brewing Co. on Ellsworth.
Future plans include a potential art exhibition in Detroit and a showcase in Milan, Italy. She occasionally teaches product design at Lawrence Tech and wants to host a class at Maker Works once her schedule allows. She also hopes “to bring as many new members to Maker Works as I can. … Design is a communal thing.
“I can do this stuff myself, but bouncing ideas off other creatives is one of the most valuable things a designer can have,” says Cross. “The staff is amazing, and what I love is if you are stuck on a problem, there is somebody in that building that has an answer to it.”