Little did German chemist Justus von Liebig know that a chance invention would lead to one of the biggest modern-day obsessions—the mirror. For a scientist credited as the founder of organic chemistry along with being extolled for his work as an agricultural scientist, his mirror innovation in 1835 became the silver lining of his career. Over the years, the mirror has travelled quite a distance from being a mere functional object to a statement-making embellishment. Becoming every decorator’s dream material, it is also being extensively used in furniture, lighting, decorative accessories and even futuristic installations.
Creating startling illusions that give depth and dimension to any space, flat wall mirrors have given way to varieties, including filigree, ornate, embossed, etched, and carved. “The mirror forms you see today, especially in furniture, are interpretations of what we first saw during the Art Deco period starting 1920. They followed a conventional aesthetic pattern and were largely utilitarian. Today they are mighty design idioms,” says Parushni Aggarwal, founder and Creative Director, Studio Creo.
Modern interpretations: In their contemporary embodiment, mirrors are exposed to different ideas, sizes and stories. Take for instance, The Glance Mirror by Boca do Lobo, a luxury design brand, that has imagined the distortions in a mirror as beautiful. It is a telling of human life symbolised through the artfully rendered cracks. Mostly used as a central element in any decor space, such mirrors are akin to art. For a more serviceable offering, one turns to dressing tables and mirrored wardrobes. “They are phenomenal for reflecting light and making a room seem bigger, brighter, airier,” says Aggarwal, adding, “We’re also seeing a lot of hodiernal spaces choosing freestanding bedroom mirrors, preferred for their mobility.”
Mirrors are also being integrated into chest of drawers and side tables. “A bed with mirrored frames makes a dramatic assertion. Living rooms can do a lot with coffee tables or end tables with a mirror to offer just a little bit of brilliance. Mirrored folding screens are huge this year,” says Aggarwal.
Mirrored surface now lends itself to cutlery, plates and boxes too. “Further explorations can be seen in colour tones that are added into mirrored surfaces. A rainbow or a pearlescent finish adds a third dimension,” says Akansha Dixit, co-founder and CEO, Craft Maestros.
Wet set: Bathrooms and kitchens are not far behind. Serving as a backsplash for both places, it’s a clever cleanliness hack. “One has typically used tiles till date but now mirrors are earning prominence. All the spluttering from cooking hits the glass panel behind the kitchen counters, thus protecting the walls. Likewise, in bathrooms, the vanity sink wall is being built with a layer of glass to protect against splashing,” says Pooja Arora, a Delhi-based independent interior designer. Another popular way of using them is as window frames like the way WoodenStreet, a furniture store in Gurugram, has fashioned. Drawing from Gothic architecture, it has a wooden frame with a mirror set within it. You could also use it as storage shelves as they have in their hexagonal compartments mimicking natural beehives with mirrored back panels.
Small is significant: The small decor product segment is one of the most useful this year. The average home requires more practical design additions rather than big, bold expressions. You need products that look good but also serve a purpose. “Mirrored trays, vases, votives, jewellery boxes are all hot sellers within this category,” says Bhawana Bhatnagar, Interior Stylist and Founder of Casa Exotique.
Complementary benefits: Mirrors juxtapose well with most materials. Brass, wood, leather and steel are being used widely. “The demand for mirror work with mother-of-pearl has escalated. Bone inlay with mirrored finishes is niche but being received well,” says Jeroen Wolterink, Creative Director, INV Home. “Take our Frame of Mirror, a product created with small pieces of mirrors, with mother-of-pearl in the centre of the pyramids. In another case, a slider door has been contrived using geometric mirror cut-outs. There is also a wall composition with mirror cubes placed on the wooden veneer. All these are excellent examples of the extent of transformation that mirror has seen,” he says.
Into the future: Mirror amalgamates with technology to create unique art installations. Daniel Rozin, an Israeli-American artist, has created a prototype of a digital mirror called Angles Mirror that mimics the outline of human anatomy. Mirror paintings with elaborate renditions will become a powerful medium for cultural activism. And like that, every epoch will see its reflection through its mirrors.