Nira Solid White Oak Full Length Mirror

Details

Nira is a tall panel of oak that has been squeezed in from both sides. The top and the bottom are straight-cut ends, two clean horizontal lines that hold the whole thing steady, and every bit of movement happens down the length instead. The sides push out below the top, draw in above the middle, swell again through the lower half, then close toward the floor. Both edges do the same thing at the same height, so the outline is symmetrical and the mirror stands as one calm upright object rather than a shape asking for attention.

It is narrow for its height, narrow enough to take the strip of wall beside a doorway or the gap between a window and a corner, which is usually the only place a full length mirror can go. The frame is a broad band, close to a sixth of the mirror's width, and its face does not lie flat. It rolls as it travels, thickening at the top corners and at the points where the sides come in, thinning along the straighter runs, so a single edge catches the light at three or four different angles on the way down.

Golden-brown oak, worked from solid stock

The tone is golden-brown and steady, closer to honey than to anything washed out, with fine low-contrast lines and no knots or dark streaks interrupting them. The flowing grain travels the length of the band and leans with every turn it takes, never running straight across the curve. That is what solid stock does. A veneered frame has to be wrapped around a form, and the tight inside of a curve is always the first place it confesses.

The glass is recessed rather than fixed to the front: the wood carries it from behind and closes around the opening, so you meet the depth of the oak before you meet your own reflection. In all three of these rooms Nira simply stands on the floor and rests against the wall, with nothing propping it up.

Cut in Konya, after your order

Every Nira is the work of Mehmet Ali, born in Konya, who has spent more than thirty-five years with wood. The mirrors are recent; the workshop behind them is a great deal older. He cuts and shapes each frame himself, and nothing is built ahead of time. Boards are chosen and the form is cut once your order comes in, in the size you ask for, so expect the color and figure of your piece to sit a little apart from these photographs.

Nine sizes, one proportion

Nine sizes, from 75 x 29 cm (29 x 11 inch) up to 225 x 88 cm (88 x 34 inch). The proportion holds all the way through, so the big ones stay just as slim against their height: they gain presence without claiming a wider piece of wall. For a full reflection with a step or two of room behind you, start around 150 x 58 cm (59 x 23 inch). The sizes above that suit tall ceilings and a hallway where the mirror is meant to be the first thing you notice.

Sending it out and looking after it

Pieces have gone to around twenty countries so far. Each one leaves the workshop padded and boxed in protective material and travels worldwide under a tracking number. Dust it with a soft dry cloth and keep the wood away from damp. If you are torn between two sizes, message us before you order, a couple of questions about your wall usually settles it.

Where Nira keeps its edges in step, Aden in solid oak pulls them apart: the crest sits higher on one side, the waist lands off center, and the oak reads honey-amber instead of golden-brown. It stands beside this one in the oak full length mirrors.