“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. Her practice centers on the creation of handmade pieces that are guided by the belief in a sacred, intimate connection between the material, maker, user, and environment. Caely’s designs merge her background in experiential design and traditional craftsmanship, resulting in functional objects that imbue a sense of spirit and expressiveness within the spaces they inhabit.
Caely holds an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Psychology from Kenyon College. She has studied at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and completed an Artist-in-Residence program at Anderson Ranch in 2025, where she dedicated focused studio time to refining her technical skills and advancing her distinctive visual language across new bodies of work. Caely is also a member of The Furniture Society. Her work was recently exhibited at Shelter during NYCxDesign 2025.
Recent Press: Sight Unseen, May 2025
All work is custom made upon request.
For all inquiries: caelymelford@gmail.com