Hand-Carved Teak Wood Cheval Floor Mirror | Oval Glass with Gilt Candle Arms

The Story Behind This Mirror

A cheval is furniture before it is decoration, and that changes how it is made. The columns, the feet and the stretcher form a structure that has to stand steady on an uneven floor, carry a heavy plate, and survive being pushed across a room - so the joinery is cut to furniture standards, dry-fitted and tested under load before any carving or gilding begins.

The columns are turned first, then fluted by hand along their length, which is slow work because a flute that wanders is visible from every angle on a round section. The pivot mechanism is fitted and adjusted so the plate holds any angle it is set to without drifting - too loose and it creeps, too tight and it strains the columns. The urns are turned and then carved. The candle arms are shaped, and the foliate mounts around the oval and across the cornice are carved separately and applied.

Only then is the piece finished: the timber brought to its deep warm tone, the gilt laid by hand on the carved mounts alone and rubbed back at the high points, and the bevelled oval plate fitted and balanced last.

Factual specification for this hand-carved teak wood cheval floor mirror:

• Material: Solid teak wood, hand-carved and hand-turned (no veneer, no engineered wood)
• Style: Louis XVI cheval floor mirror, free-standing
• Finish: Deep warm timber tone with hand-applied gilt on the carved mounts; customisable to full gold, antique gold or a lighter wood tone
• Frame detail: Turned and hand-fluted columns, carved urn finials, arched cornice with foliate gilt mounts, carved gilt candle arms projecting from both columns, carved stretcher with gilt-mounted panel, splayed feet
• Glass: Bevelled oval mirror plate, pivoting between the columns and adjustable to any angle
• Orientation: Free-standing on the floor; not wall-mounted
• Candle arms: Supplied as shown, or wired for lighting, or omitted - specify at order
• Size: Custom sizes made to order - share your ceiling height and floor space and we will quote
• Make: Made to order, handcrafted by master Indian artisans
• Delivery: Pan-India, free shipping

Packaging and Transit Protection

A cheval is shipped as components, because a standing frame with a pivoting plate cannot travel assembled without stressing its joints. The oval plate is removed from the columns and packed separately - covered with a shatter-retention film, faced with rigid board on both sides, then foam-blocked in its own compartment. The urn finials and the candle arms are unshipped where possible and individually foam-wrapped.

The columns, cornice, stretcher and feet are each sleeved in high-density foam along their full length, with extra protection at the turned and fluted sections and at every gilt mount, and taped clear of the finish so no adhesive touches gilding. Everything is blocked into a purpose-built wooden crate with foam on every face and cross-bracing so nothing can shift. The crate is marked for orientation, fragility and lifting points. Assembly instructions and any fittings are packed with the components. We photograph everything wrapped and the crate sealed before dispatch, and our team assembles the mirror at your address rather than leaving you to do it.

Shipping and Delivery

This is made to order and involves turning, carving, gilding and mechanical fitting, so plan for the longer end of our window. Typical lead time is 4 to 6 weeks from order confirmation, extending if you change the height, the plate shape, the timber tone or ask for the candle arms to be wired for lighting. The exact timeline is confirmed in writing at order and we share photographs after turning and carving, after finishing, and of the assembled piece before it is broken down for transit.

Delivery is free anywhere in India. The mirror ships as components in a single crate and our team handles unloading, assembly and placement at your address, including setting the pivot tension so the plate holds the angle you want. Please confirm doorway and stair widths and lift internal dimensions in advance. Tell us your floor type as well - the feet can be supplied with protective pads for hard floors. International orders are quoted case by case on request.

Craftsmanship Assurance and Care

The solid teak structure, the turning, the carving and the joinery carry our craftsmanship assurance, and because this is standing furniture the assurance covers the pivot fittings and the stretcher joints as well. If a joint loosens, a column splits or the pivot fails through a fault in the making - rather than impact, misuse or an attempted self-repair - we repair or replace it. Glass breakage after delivery and water damage sit outside it.

Dust the fluted columns and the stretcher with a soft dry cloth run along the grain, and use a clean dry soft brush on the gilt foliate mounts, the urns and the candle arms. Never use water, chemical polish, alcohol or ammonia cleaners on either the gilt or the timber finish. Spray glass cleaner onto the cloth rather than at the plate so nothing runs into the pivot housings. Two things specific to a cheval: never drag the piece across a floor - lift it, because dragging racks the stretcher joints - and do not force the plate past its natural travel. If the pivots loosen with use, they are designed to be re-tensioned; contact us rather than overtightening them yourself. If you specify wired candle arms, have them connected by a qualified electrician.