Discover Woodworker Casey McCafferty’s Ingenious Designs

The New Jersey–based artisan crafts bold furnishings and objects out of ebonized ash, walnut, and stone

Man sitting in a workshop surrounded by abstract wooden sculptures and tools, wearing a casual outfit and sandals.
Woodworker Casey McCafferty in the studio. Photo: Joe Kramm

Casey McCafferty creates bold multidimensional tables, chairs, and totems out of massive chunks of wood, embellished with clever details and nuanced textures. His love of nature is matched only by his respect for Studio Craft movement masters such as Wendell Castle. “I started off with a huge interest in craft. Using hand tools for me was an addiction,” he explains. “I have now strayed from them and am using power tools. I consider my sculptures to be doodles that end up looking very primal.”

A self-taught woodworker raised in a family of masons, McCafferty worked in a bank before relocating to northern New Jersey to set up his studio, where he produces masterfully carved objects out of ebonized ash, walnut, and stone. “I have been lucky enough to get to a point where I sculpt in the studio, and my private clients and galleries that represent me are just about as excited as I am for each new sculpture,” says the artist, whose work is available through Jeff Lincoln Art + Design in Southampton, New York, and London’s Gallery Fumi. “The goal is to stay passionate about what I am producing. I want the practice to always be driven by passion and never by demand.” 

Artist carving a large abstract wooden sculpture in a studio space with focused expression and tools in hand.
Casey McCafferty works on a totem. Photo: Joe Kramm
Wooden abstract sculptures standing in a dimly lit gallery space against a plain white wall.
A group of wooden totems by Casey McCafferty. Photo: Joe Kramm
Abstract wooden sculpture standing on a concrete floor in a minimalistic setting with a light gray background.
A wooden totem by Casey McCafferty. Photo: Joe Kramm
Tall wooden totem sculpture with abstract carvings on a plain background.
A wooden totem by Casey McCafferty. Photo: Joe Kramm

“The goal is to stay passionate about what I am producing. I want the practice to always be driven by passion and never by demand.” 

Casey McCafferty

Artistic room with red humanoid wall murals, modern wooden furniture, a cushioned chaise lounge, and a person visible through the doorway.
McCafferty’s New Jersey studio. Photo: Joe Kramm

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2021 Winter Issue under the headline “Material Goods.” Subscribe to the magazine.