Arts and Crafts Mirror
Concept drawing
The Brief – A Bespoke Hand-Forged Mirror
The aim of this project was to create a bespoke decorative mirror that celebrated the character of hand-forged steel while remaining elegant enough to sit comfortably within a contemporary interior.
The design developed around a series of flowing forged scrolls, arranged to frame the mirror with a sense of movement and rhythm. Rather than creating a rigid or heavily symmetrical border, the individual elements vary in scale and form, giving the finished frame a more organic, handcrafted character.
The original design drawing established the proportions and overall composition while leaving room for the subtle variations that naturally emerge when working with traditional hand-forged metalwork.
Running scrollwork assembled around a template for the glass mirror
In the Forge – Traditional Blacksmithing & Forged Scrollwork
The mirror frame was made using traditional blacksmithing techniques, with each of the decorative steel scrolls was firewelded into the frame.
Creating a design with running scrollwork in this style requires careful control of proportion and form. Each element needs to relate to those around it and must be formed accurately in order to maintain balance and flow.
The larger sweeping curves establish the overall shape of the frame, while the smaller forged scrolls provide detail around the edge of the mirror. The result is a richly detailed piece of bespoke interior metalwork in which the process of forging remains clearly visible in the finished design.
Completed mirror on an edited backdrop to maintain clients privacy
The Finished Project – A Sculptural Piece of Interior Metalwork
The completed mirror combines an intricate hand-forged steel frame with contrasting highlighted details that draw attention to the individual scrolls and introduce warmth against the darker steel.
Once fitted with the mirror glass, the relationship between the decorative frame and its reflection gives the piece a lightness that contrasts with the solidity of the forged material. The flowing steelwork creates a strong sculptural outline without overwhelming the mirror itself.
The finished piece demonstrates how traditional blacksmithing and contemporary design can be used to transform a familiar household object into something individual. Designed and made as a one-off commission, the mirror is both a functional object and a distinctive example of bespoke forged interior metalwork.