WITH A BACKGROUND IN ARCHAEOLOGY AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL CABINET MAKING,
the Indiana-born artist Chandler McLellan draws deeply from nature in his body of work, which includes everything from custom furniture to sculpture to otherworldly yet entirely functional vases and bowls. 2025 saw his expansion into lighting with Troy Lighting, after an introduction by Collab Society.
The collection, available at Hudson Valley Lighting Company, is a clear evolution from his sculpture work and strikes a beautiful balance between eye-catching and organic, modern and accessible. Each piece is named after a town or memory from Scotland, reflecting the quiet elegance and enduring strength of its landscape. Scotland is also where Chandler studied archaeology and first began working with wood.
Table lamps, pendants, sconces, and a floor lamp round out the collection. Thurso is a pendant lamp inspired by the sea-faring community of the same name. Recalling the comfort of a ferry station during harsh conditions, he sought to imbue the design with a soft warmth both in materiality and luminance.
“I think good collaborations should accomplish three things. They should make brands better at what they already do. They should add credibility to or strengthen the industries that are involved. And they should each bring the ability and resources to do something new, or something they would be unable to do otherwise.”
Chandler continues, “I was very green, still am, when I was approached by Collab Society. I felt as though I was being taken under the wings of family. I can’t say there has ever been a moment during the licensing and relationship-building process when I felt my best interest was not being considered as a top priority. Three words to describe them: real, reliable, friends.”
“They do hard work, they understand nuance and value add. They open doors. I can’t wait to see what they put in front of me next!”
In the coming months Chandler is excited to explore new fabrication technologies, both to meet production demand and push the boundaries of wooden sculpture.
