New Mirror Collection
Melbourne-based interior design studio Sally Caroline has partnered with furniture and art practice denHolm on a range of sculpted limestone mirrors.
Playful, irreverent shapes and functionality meet in the debut collaboration between interior design studio Sally Caroline and furniture and art practice denHolm. The You’re Beautiful, Yes You range of mirrors expands Sally Caroline’s SC Collection, furniture equally at home in residential, commercial and hospitality settings. The range – the first foray into mirrors for both studios – fuses Sally Caroline director Sally Knibbs’ focus on scale, form and detail with denHolm founder Steven John Clark’s unique approach to shape and signature use of raw limestone. “Steven suggested we collaborate on a series of vessels, then I suggested mirrors,” explains Knibbs.
The collection comprises four mirrors – Selene, Cassette, Bloom and Grace – produced in a limited edition of 20. Despite their idiosyncratic shapes, the pieces were designed to strike a balance between artistry and purpose, thoughtfully tailored to the spaces where crafted mirrors are most cherished – entries, passages, powder rooms and wardrobes.
You’re Beautiful, Yes You started on paper, with Knibbs capturing ideas on scale, form and detail through sketches – a strong visual brief that set the foundation for a productive and creative partnership. Clark then enriched each piece with his experimental sensibility and expertise in navigating the technical challenges of sculpting limestone. “Crafting mirror frames in limestone requires precision,” he says. “We had to maintain strength in the lines without compromising the collection’s fluid forms.”
Each mirror boasts a strong visual identity, with some drawing inspiration from classic mirror shapes and styles and others possessing a more artful aesthetic. The Cassette references 1980s ceramics with a series of irregularly shaped, embossed square tiles composed around a square mirror. “A single circular motif creates a point of interest and balance – a kind of tongue-in-cheek moment,” says Clark. The Selene is equally playful, with half-moon tiles framing a square-shaped mirror. These scalloped forms sit both horizontally and vertically, bringing a third dimension to the piece. “Selene’s composition offers an unexpected sculptural moment,” says Knibbs.
Then there’s Bloom, which puts a modern spin on the archetypal oval mirror. Here, the limestone framing the mirror is cut to resemble puffs of clouds interspersed with cut-outs shaped like diamonds and flowers, resulting in a collage-like effect Knibbs describes as “elegant and artful”. Grace – which is available in Arch and Oval iterations – features finely shaped linear and arched limestone tiles, separated by diamond- and pebble-shaped motifs. Elegant and refined, its slimline frame “was the most technical aspect of the collection,” says Clark.
While the range is an expansion of Sally Caroline’s SC Collection, it also reflects Clark’s distinctive approach to design and making, reimagining limestone in places where the material is least expected. True to the collection’s whimsical spirit, each mirror is made in Melbourne, a testament to the enduring value of hand craftsmanship.
