About C&V Designs
Chase and Valerie lead a collaborative design studio devoted to thoughtful objects, careful process, and the quiet character of natural materials.
Both graduates of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, they bring together distinct but complementary practices that shape the studio’s work with equal parts artistry, utility, and intention.
Together, they create furniture, tools, and home goods through a collaborative process shaped by use, setting, and the people each piece is made for. Valerie brings an artist’s sensitivity and a strong sense of organization to the studio, drawing from her background as an award-winning fine art photographer and years of experience in banking. Chase brings a foundation in product design and research and development, developing the systems, jigs, and production methods that help ideas take form with clarity and precision.
Their work often begins with observation, then moves into the shop. They are drawn to simple structures, honest construction, and materials that reveal their character through making. Each piece is approached with intention, balancing function, proportion, and quiet detail.
On their small farm, they mill wood from naturally fallen trees, giving the material a deliberate second life. Milling requires patience. Long before a piece is made, the wood is allowed to dry and settle, slowly revealing its nature. By the time work begins, a familiarity has already formed. Each project becomes a collaboration between hand, material, and time.
They value the irregularities that emerge in natural materials—the shifts in grain, the marks, the subtle evidence of process and place. These elements are not treated as flaws, but as part of the conversation between maker and material. Each decision is made carefully: whether to stabilize, emphasize, or leave something untouched. The result is work that seeks refinement without erasing honesty, allowing both the material and the space it inhabits to guide the final form.