Surrealism in Design 

Sylvan Fiss is an Italian born furniture designer based in San Francisco, California. In practice since 1973, Fiss has curated a recognizable design style over the span of his career, quietly attracting renowned interior design professionals and furniture designers alike. Fiss operates under his business name, Sylvan S.F., a design house and manufacturing facility composed of an in-house team of skilled trade specialists. Using only the finest exotic and rare luxurious materials and leading-edge design techniques Sylvan S.F. uses leading-edge design techniques that are beyond trend in the world of limited-edition collectible design. 

Since adolescence Fiss has been mechanically and architecturally inclined. Fiss draws excitement from inventing, creating and designing new manifestations that push the limits of design norms. Graduating from the Pasadena Art Center with a degree in Architectural Design Fiss set off to make his mark on the world. Directly out of trade-school Fiss obtained a design position with Kriess Imports in Los Angeles, California where he received the Pacifica Design Award for Rattan Design Furniture. 

During the early 1980’s, Sylvan took an apprenticeship with California interior decorator Pepe Matthieu. Fiss admired the way that Matthieu curated his client’s homes with mixed pieces of Hollywood Regent, Neoclassical and Hollywood Gothic styling. It was here that Fiss developed his fondness for eclectic contemporary design. Fiss enjoyed and excelled in mixing styles and finishes to create unique spaces that transcend traditional decorating styles. 

He learned from Matthiu how to use found objects, not necessarily affiliated with the design world, and reinterpret them into creative functional art-furniture. This empowering experience compelled Fiss to start his own furniture design company in 2002, Sylvan S.F. (Sylvan San Francisco).