Founded by Angie West from Texas and Alberto Vélez from Bogotá, the studio embraces a fascination with materiality, a deep respect for craft as an integral aspect of design, and an obligation to participate in the shepherding of American making.  Based upon a sense that there are stories as-yet untold in design, the work is both provocative and exploratory.  

This embrace of the unusual, the unforeseen, as well as the durable and resilient, are part of Refractory’s ethos, as expressed in its name. The term refractory references an unyielding nature and applies to both personality and process. While inspired by the powerful and mysterious forces of nature, evolution, and transformation, the work also bears the mark of disciplined, classically trained designers.

The studio draws from a deep love and reverence for the terrain and geology of the frontier. Arid western formations, tectonic forces, and the rugged honesty of erosion all exemplify the harsh but sublime beauty of those that preceded us in civilization, a philosophical foundation for the studio’s ethos.  Each work is one-of-a-kind, a result of heat, of chemical interaction, and of the hand, giving rise to variation and imperfection.

Refractory is co-located with its production partner and sister company West Supply, a highly regarded design and art fabrication studio, foundry, and glassworks atelier.  Here the works are developed, patterned, moulded and crafted by industrial designers and artisans who have mastered centuries-old techniques now influenced by modern processes and technology.  Capable of casting in innovative methods as well as handling the complexities of design and development, project management, fabrication, finishing, and patination, all at the highest level, the atelier is a rarity among a limited group of US-based studios.  Future editions will include hand-blown glass, stone, encaustic, ceramics, textiles and weavings.  

Refractory is engaging in an open-ended renaissance of American artisanship and small-scale urban manufacturing.  The atelier offers artisans and master craftspeople a space to experiment and create, to work alongside other master craftspeople, and to be the magic behind some of the world's most elevated works in these materialities.  Sustaining and enhancing livelihoods in an industrial art ecosystem and building a platform to teach future generations are central to Refractory’s mission.