Mirrors have moved well past their practical role. Designers now treat the frame, the reflective surface and the light falling across both as material in sculptural mirror design. The eight pieces below show how far that shift has gone.
At the inaugural Walker Design Triennial, Eleni Petaloti, co-founder of the New York and Athens studio Object of Common Interest, argued that bending reflective surfaces can raise questions about memory. In her framing, reflection works as a metaphor as well as a function. A physical mirror responds to light, movement and the person standing in front of it.
The designs fall into two groups within sculptural mirror design. Some make the frame the main sculptural element. Others alter the glass itself through color, texture and unusual fabrication. Materials range from tinted cast resin and glazed ceramic to glass fused from recycled sheets.
Frames and surfaces in sculptural mirror design
Roll & Hill and Bower Studios: Fringe
Brooklyn-based Bower Studios developed the Fringe collection with the manufacturer Roll & Hill. Founders Danny Giannella and Tammer Hijazi arrange mirrored panels in precise geometric patterns. Warm timber frames hold the panels, and thin graphic outlines run between them.
The layering creates depth across what would otherwise be flat planes. Fringe is available through Roll & Hill, starting at $3,960.
Ready To Hang and MoMA Design Store: Jelly Ring Mirror
New York studio Ready To Hang produced the Jelly Ring Mirror for the MoMA Design Store. Founder Jeffrey Renz builds on his studio’s garment-inspired work. Hand-turned spherical elements sit around a rounded reflective plane.
The result looks compressed, almost like an embrace. Produced in vibrantly colored glass, it sells for $995 through the MoMA Design Store.
Salon 94 Design and Sabine Marcelis: Phase and Phase Vertical
Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis debuted the Phase collection at Salon 94 Design in Manhattan. The circular and vertical forms rely on her ombré-tinted cast resin. The tint filters incoming light and reflects the room around it.
The surface shifts as natural light changes through the day. Marcelis presents the pieces as luminous objects rather than ordinary looking glasses. Inquiries about the Phase collection can be made at salon94design.com.
Mutina and Ronan Bouroullec: Carrousel
French designer Ronan Bouroullec worked with the Italian tile producer Mutina on Carrousel, a limited-edition series of ceramic-framed mirrors in several sizes. The openwork borders come in high-gloss Gris or Orange glazes. They throw highlights across a wall as the sunlight moves.
Bouroullec’s sculptural mirror design keeps the geometry clean and minimal. The ceramic still carries a slight irregularity from the hand that shaped it. Carrousel is available through mutina.it, with pricing on request.
Mutina’s ceramic work reaches beyond mirrors, and Faye Toogood’s figurative clay tiles with Mutina shows how the same producer approaches sculptural surfaces through human-made irregularity.
The Future Perfect and Studio RENS: Glass Ensemble
Eindhoven-based Studio RENS introduced Glass Ensemble at The Future Perfect in New York. Designers Renee Mennen and Stefanie van Keijsteren fuse sheets of upcycled glass with colorful foils. They then polish the surfaces to change how light passes through.
Each mirror design works as a three-dimensional geometric accent and as a usable mirror. The collection grows out of the studio’s ongoing study of color theory. Glass Ensemble is available at thefutureperfect.com, starting at $4,900.
Cristina Grajales Gallery and Fernando Mastrangelo: The Divide
Cristina Grajales Gallery in New York presented The Divide mirror as part of Fernando Mastrangelo’s recently debuted Territories collection. A silvered glass center stays smooth and polished. Around it, a rim of ground stone, tinted sand and cement creates a rough, eroded edge.
The gradients suggest the natural strata of vulnerable coastal landscapes. The viewer’s own reflection lands inside that imagined landscape. By making the frame the main expressive element, Mastrangelo turns a functional looking glass into a work of art.
Otras Formas and Jennifer Choi: the Seasons Mirror
Jennifer Choi designed the Seasons Mirror, which debuted at Otras Formas, a New York showroom. The wall-mounted piece measures 33 inches square. A sculpted wooden frame curves smoothly around the central glass panel.
Choi takes her cues from natural cycles. She turns those shifts into flowing lines and warm tonal variations across the carved timber. Pricing is available on request.
Blu Dot’s Mojo Mirror
Blu Dot’s Mojo reworks the classic floor-standing mirror. The piece stands 79 inches tall, and its organic outline departs from the usual rectangle. Its asymmetrical curves echo a roughly hewn rock.
The form turns an everyday dressing aid into a room-defining centerpiece. The Minneapolis company pairs that sculptural shape with accessible manufacturing. The Mojo sells for $1,250 through bludot.com.
Sculptural light is another way designers reshape everyday hardware, as seen in Reza Raeisifar’s aluminum blinds turned sculptural lights, a project that turns a utilitarian object into a striking form.
What these mirrors share
Each sculptural mirror design asks the viewer to look twice. The glass still reflects a face and a room, but the frame, the tint or the surface texture pulls attention away from the reflection and toward the object. That shift, from tool to sculpture, is the common thread. A mirror that changes with the light and the viewer may be the most useful object a room can hold.
Sources & Links
Source: design-milk.com
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Fringe mirror collection by Bower Studios cost?
The Fringe collection, developed by Bower Studios with Roll & Hill, starts at $3,960. It is available through Roll & Hill.
Where can I buy the Jelly Ring Mirror and how much is it?
The Jelly Ring Mirror, produced by Ready To Hang for the MoMA Design Store, sells for $995 through the MoMA Design Store. It is made from vibrantly colored glass with hand-turned spherical elements.
What materials make up Studio RENS’s Glass Ensemble mirror?
Glass Ensemble fuses sheets of upcycled glass with colorful foils, then polishes the surfaces to change how light passes through. It is available at thefutureperfect.com, starting at $4,900.
What is the Blu Dot Mojo Mirror and how tall is it?
The Mojo Mirror reworks the classic floor-standing mirror and stands 79 inches tall. Its asymmetrical, organic outline departs from the usual rectangle and echoes a roughly hewn rock.
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