Chatsworth is a compelling place to reflect on design. Wherever you look, in Chatsworth, the house looks back. At every step, you find yourself reflected. Silver- grey in an ancient mirror. A ghostly shape in polished wood. Distorted in the graceful curves of a silver coffeepot. Wobbling on the surface of a garden pool.
Over the course of nearly 500 years, the house and its surroundings have been transformed many times over. Each generation of the Devonshire family has put its stamp on the property, in constant pursuit of excellence. You’ll see a tradition of innovation in each room, in displays of Old Master drawings, and in unique pieces of furniture.
This exploration was celebrated in our 2023 temporary exhibition, Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth. Throughout the house, visitors were able to encounter recent and commissioned works by sixteen international designers. Each had responded to one of Chatsworth’s spaces, either indoors or outside in the garden. They were chosen for the way they reflected upon some of the key issues of our time: climate, sustainability, equality, and how we connect to each other. The installations reflected Chatsworth’s history while adding a whole new chapter.
The participating designers were from a diverse group, from all over the world. Their creativity felt right at home at Chatsworth. It’s both a historic house and an incomparable setting for the new.
Find out more about each designer and their work in the guide below.
Explore the exhibition
Ini Archibong (b.1983), USA & Switzerland
Dark Vernus 1, 2021
blued steel and glass
Untitled #7, 2023
sound piece
Vestibule
Michael Anastassiades (b. 1967), UK
Bamboo Lamp Series, 2021
moss bamboo, waxed linen thread, pewter, spring steel, brass, borosilicate glass, components
Library
Wendell Castle (1932 - 2018), USA
Illusion-Reality-Truth (edition 1 of 8), 2015
Temptation (edition 3 of 8) 2014
A New Seeing (edition 1 of 8) 2015
all bronze
The Ring Pond
Andile Dyalvane (b. 1978), South Africa
Rhythms Vase, 2014
white stoneware clay, with stained highlights
Ingxondorha (Volatile Rocky Terrain), 2022
Umthombo (Spring), 2022
Umgodi (A Mine), 2022
Amaza (Waves), 2022
Isiziba (A Pool), 2022
glazed, hand-coiled stoneware
Cornish Waterfall, 2019
stoneware
Chapel Corridor
Ndidi Ekubia (b. 1973), UK
Turbine II Wine Cooler, 2013
Silver Palm Vase, 2020
Midrib Harmony Vase, 2020
Bowl, 2022
Cup, 2018
Cup, 2020
Journey Vase, 2001
all hammer-raised Britannia silver 958
State Closet
Najla El Zein (b. 1983), Iran
Seduction, Pair 06 (edition 4 of 8), 2019
Iranian red travertine
Rose Garden
FormaFantasma (founded 2009), Italy
Water Filter, Stalagmite, 2012
Water Filter, Stalactite, 2012
Water Filter, Funnel, 2012
Water Filter, Funnel 2012
Water Filter, Tongue 2012
all carbonised oak, mouth-blown glass, copper
Water Filter, Spoon, 2012
carbonised oak, mouth-blown glass
Glass bottle, 2012
carbonised oak log, mouth-blown glass
Green Satin Drawing Room
Joris Laarman (b.1979), The Netherlands
Maker Bench (Hexagon) prototype, 2018
oak, walnut
Maker Bench (Hexagon) 2018
oak, walnut
Chatsworth Symbio Bench, 2023
Burntwood Quarry gritstone, bryophytes
Painted Hall and Salisbury Lawns
Max Lamb (b. 1980) UK
6 x 8 chair, 2021
western red cedar
6 x 8 chair, 2021
western red cedar
State Drawing Room
Fernando Laposse (b.1988), Mexico
Black Furry Armchair (Prototype), 2022
dyed agave fibres, upholstered linen polyester blend, plywood
White Agave Cabinet, 2021
birch plywood, sisal, steel mesh, kiln-dried Canadian maple
State Bedchamber
Jay Sae Jung Oh (b. 1982), South Korea & USA
Salvage Series Chatsworth Chair, 2021
various plastics, leather cord, plywood
State Music Room
David Roentgen (1743-1807), Germany
Dressing table
Writing table
North Sketch
Giuilio Romano & William Kent
Design development process drawings by artists including:
Giulio Romano (c. 1499–1546), Italy
William Kent (1685–1748), UK
Old Masters Drawing Cabinet
Samuel Ross (b. 1991), UK
Amnesia or platelet apparition?(edition 3 of 8), 2021
marble, powder-coated steel
Optimistic uncertainties. solicit integration (Material Articulation), Prototype, 2021
Fior di Pesca marble
Anxiety Birthed Corrosion (edition 1 of 8), 2021
marble, painted steel
Jut, impale, emerge (edition of 8), 2021
marble, powder-coated steel
Sculpture gallery
Chris Schanck (b. 1975), USA
Cryo III, 2022
Steel, wood polystyrene, polyurea, aluminium foil, resin, suede, onyx
Concretion (edition 3/8), 2021
Aluminium
Grotto
Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007), Italy
Vase no. 7, 2006
glass and rope
Vase no. 16, 2006
glass and patinated aluminium wire
Xiangzheng, 1999
glass polished and oxidised aluminium wire
Vase no. 4, 2006
glass and rope
Lingam, 1999
glass
Great Chamber
Faye Toogood (b.1977), UK
Pew Bench/Moon (edition 2 of 8), 2016
Spoon Chair / Moon (edition 1 of 8), 2016
Spoon Chair / Moon (prototype), 2016
all sand-cast bronze, silver nitrate
Lode II (edition 1 of 8), 2021
Trove I, 2022
Trove II, 2022
Plot II (Prototype), 2022
all hand-carved Purbeck marble
The Chapel and The Oak Room
Joseph Walsh (b. 1979), Ireland
Enignum Brackets, 2022
Enignum Bed VIII, 2015
ash
North Sketch and Sabine Room
All works courtesy Friedman Benda, New York, and the artists; apart from works by Max Lamb and Jay Sae Jung Oh courtesy of the artists and Salon 94 Design, New York; and Ndidi Ekubia courtesy of Adrian Sassoon, London.
Joseph Walsh works, Joris Laarman Maker Bench (Hexagon), and historic works are from the Devonshire Collections.
Mirror Mirror is produced in collaboration with Friedman Benda with support from Salon 94 Design and Adrian Sassoon. The exhibition is co-curated by Glenn Adamson, previously Director of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, and Head of Research at the V&A, London.
Our official media partner is Dezeen. Our headline arts sponsor is Sotheby’s.
All imagery copyright of Chatsworth House Trust/ Devonshire Collections, Friedman Benda and artists, Salon 94 Design and artists, and Adrian Sassoon and artists.
