Pier Mirror in Gilded Teak with a Hand Painted Upper Panel

A pier mirror lives in the one position in a room that is never lit from the front.

It hangs between two windows, so daylight arrives from both sides and crosses in front of it. Nothing on the frame is ever illuminated straight on, and by the middle of the day both sides are lit while the centre is comparatively dark.

That changes how the piece has to be made.

The carving is set out so its deepest shadows run vertically rather than horizontally - vertical relief catches cross-light and reads clearly, while horizontal detail in that position simply disappears. The scrolls on both sides are therefore worked with more depth than the top and bottom.

The painted panel is composed for the same light. Its subject is placed with the strongest tones towards the middle, where the frame is darkest, and it is painted in a slightly higher key overall than a panel meant for a wall lit from the front - because cross-light flattens a painting rather than modelling it.

Hung anywhere else, none of that would matter. Hung on a pier, it is the difference between a mirror that reads and one that goes flat by noon.

Material: solid teak in the frame, carved surrounds, scrolls, base shell and back structure.

Proportion: tall and narrow, for the pier between two windows.

Upper panel: hand painted figure composition within a carved gilt surround, composed for cross-light.

Side panels: hand marbled, framed by gilded carved scrolls worked with extra depth to catch side light.

Base: large carved shell and scrollwork.

Glass: tall plate set in the lower part of the frame at standing eye level.

Finish: gilded by hand with hand painted and marbled panels.

Made to order: size, painted subject, panel treatment and finish are all customisable. Custom sizes made to order - final measurements confirmed in writing before production.

Painted panels and gilded carving mark in different ways, so each is protected separately.

Acid-free tissue is laid directly over the painted panel and the marbled panels before anything else - nothing textured touches paint - then foam sheet, then a rigid board across each panel area.

The gilded carving takes tissue and then foam pressed into the hollows rather than over the raised work, with the base shell and the top scrolls individually blocked.

The plate is taped in a grid across its face, foam-faced and boarded.

The mirror travels flat in a hardwood crate with corner protection at every arris and clear orientation marking.

Multi-layer protective packaging is included on every order at no extra cost.

Delivery is free anywhere in India, with guaranteed dent-free arrival. No distance charge, no size charge and no handling fee.

Production begins once your dimensions are confirmed in writing - and for a pier mirror we ask the width of the pier itself, since that dimension is fixed and the mirror is built to it rather than the other way round.

We photograph your actual mirror through the build: the frame, the carving, the gilding, the panel painted, and the finished mirror.

On site, our team unpacks it flat, marks the fixings and hangs it level, then checks the panel in the room's own cross-light.

Send us lift dimensions, stair turns and doorway widths ahead of dispatch so the route can be planned. Every photograph on this page is of the actual product, not a render.

The solid teak frame and joinery carry a 20-year warranty - the frame members, the panel surrounds, the scrolls, the base and the back structure.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs with the mirror and never expires. Teak's natural oils are its own defence and our warranty stands behind them.

The mirror plate and the hanging fixings are covered against manufacturing defect.

The painted panel is the work of one hand and is recorded against your order number, along with the marbling and the gilding. Painted work can be cleaned and retouched years later, and having the original palette on file is what allows that to be done invisibly. Contact us and we will arrange it.