“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 recently completed an Artist-in-Residence program at Anderson Ranch, 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 most 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