A good many furniture makers have taken advantage of the naturally variegated edges of their subject material to create magnificent works of craft using the organic wooden forms before them. This mirror applies the same principle but to far more drastic effect.

We tend to think of mirrors as objects of defined shape, size and scale – simple things with potentially ornate borders around them. By framing a piece of brightly reflective glass between gnarled wooden borders, these mirrors by designer Caryn Moberly are (naturally) unique as each takes a form that is informed by the existing properties of the burred elm that frames it.

Through strong tonal contrast, significant overlap of the frame and mirror and the unique rough-framed reflections these choices afford, this designer challenges the conventions around one of the most common, everyday household items we have – and renders the resulting mirrors with as much potential to be considered artworks as practical home furnishings.

“Caryn Moberly is the original designer of River Mirrors and has been designing River Mirrors since 2002. She chooses and hand works each piece  and the result is a unique mirror that is a beautiful work of art. Caryn uses the natural undulating shape of the tree to form the river banks, and so no two mirrors are the same. She signs all of the mirrors, either on the reverse or on an engraved glass disc on the front of the mirror.”

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“The mirrors celebrate the natural features of the wood which include the undulating shape of burrs, splits and holes. These  features are part of the beauty of the piece and give it its own character, making it unique. The wood has been kiln dried so it is suitable for indoor furniture. However it is a natural substance which reacts to heat and humidity. Therefore the mirrors are not recommended for bathrooms or directly over a heat source.”

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