“The tender use of objects. The soft spoken relationship between us and things”
- Eva Zeisel
Caely Melford is a furniture and lighting designer based in Mystic, Connecticut. She founded her studio in 2017, where she specializes in crafting handmade pieces that are guided by the belief in a sacred, intimate connection between the material, maker, user, and environment. Her designs are a harmonious blend of her background in experiential design and traditional craftsmanship, resulting in functional objects that imbue a sense of spirit and expressiveness within a space.
Caely’s current body of work explores how the activation of materials can mirror temporal shifts, the fluidity of our realities, and call into question the positioning of perspective. Through the interplay between an object and its surroundings, she illustrates the notion that nothing is fixed, finding beauty in uncertainty and strength in vulnerability. Her materials serve as metaphor, bridging the dualities of impermanence and permanence, and as commentary on how these constructs have been tied to gender hierarchies embedded in traditional craft practices. In her eyes, her pieces are not just objects; they are vessels—capable of holding, absorbing, and emanating a sense of both lastingness and fragility.
Caely holds an MFA in Furniture from Rhode Island School of Design, as well as a BA in Psychology from Kenyon College. Additionally, Caely attended The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship to hone her woodworking skills. She lives in Mystic, CT with her husband, Will, and their sweet dog, Willow.
Caely is a current Artist-in-Residence at Anderson Ranch, CO.