Mirror mirror on ...

IT IS not just galloping narcissism that makes us want to hang mirrors in our home. Sure, its nice to do that double-check in the mirror in the morning before you head out to face the world but from an interior design point of view, mirrors are a vital component in most rooms. That old trick of hanging mirrors to make spaces seem large still works and all that light refraction certainly makes rooms seem brighter. Then there's the design element of the mirror itself. Remember you don't just look in a mirror, you also have to look at it.

Carol Booth is a gilder and restoration expert who began designing mirrors when she realised that her traditional gilding skills could be married to modern shapes to make contemporary looking mirrors.

"People are buying contemporary furniture with clean lines and new shapes," she says. "I realised that they want something to hang on their walls that work with that."

It was shortly after launching her off-the-peg range that she started getting individual commissions. "Clients commission mirrors for all different reasons," says Carol. "The most common reason is having an odd shaped space to fill or recently I had a commission for two mirrors that would fit exactly over two custom made dressing tables." Her range of gold and silver mirrors were quickly spotted by designers who used them in the bedrooms in Dublin's most style conscious hotels, the Clarence, the Merrion and the Morgan.

A fine art graduate of NCAD, Carol took a gilding course in London before setting up her own studio in Dublin.

To create the luxurious finish that is a feature of all her mirrors she uses gold, silver or the less well known aluminium leaf, as well as Dutch metal and various paint finishes.

A medium-sized circle or square mirror costs £375, while her dramatic four foot circles cost £450. All of the mirrors are available at Minima, on Dublin's St Stephen's Green.

For commissions Carol Booth can be contacted at her Dublin studio, C24, tel: 01 8550724.