Designer Megan Molten drew inspiration from coastal antique markets in Saint-Tropez and Palm Beach for her mirror collection with Cooper Classics. Influenced by midcentury French styles, the seven mirrors feature organic shapes, woven materials, and textured whites, blending vintage and modern aesthetics.
We caught up with Megan to discuss how the collaboration came together.
Raymond Paul Schneider: When did you first start developing this new collection?
Megan Molten: I started developing this collection in the summer of 2023. The conversation about designing mirrors for Cooper Classics sparked after the team saw my lighting collection for Mitzi. After a few conversations, we were on the same page and excited to dig in! After the contract was signed, it took about 12 months from start to finish to design the mirrors. Luckily, the Cooper Classics team was great at interpreting rough design sketches!
RPS: What was the overall timeline from conception to final design?
MM: I sent the team images of vintage mirrors and accessories as well as specific design details that I really liked, and I also started sketching mirrors with those elements incorporated into the frame details and shapes of the mirrors. That process took us into the fall. The team then prototyped our designs and sourced material at the factory during the fall and winter. By spring of 2024, we were approving most of the designs and tweaking some materials and sizing into the early summer. By late summer of 2024, everything was finalized and on order for our fall High Point debut.
RPS: What was your initial inspiration, and where did the idea(s) come from?
MM: I found inspiration for this collection by visiting antique shops in France when I visited Saint Tropez and the Paris Market, as well as St Barths during my 40th birthday celebration.
I found that when I was looking back at my photos, there were a lot of similarities in woven materials, gold fan palms, white painted mirrors, and artistic palm-inspired motifs. My goal was to bring in a vintage, coastal French vibe but make it current.
RPS: Describe your overall creative and design process.
MM: My creative process is jumpstarted with travels. I take lots of pictures everywhere I travel, whether it’s a small vintage shop or a vast scenic landscape. I then review the images and look for commonalities when I get home and have my quiet creative time; that is usually in the evening when my girls have fallen asleep! From there, I consult with my design team to make sure whatever we are designing solves a problem that we often encounter or provides design details that may be hard to currently source from our existing vendors.
RPS: Did you have a specific audience or theme in mind?
MM: I use my design work and our firm as the audience I’m looking to sell to. I ask ourselves what is missing in the marketplace to ensure we create a collection that is not only beautiful but different and needed. When I’m sourcing mirrors, I’m looking for a wow factor. I want a statement mirror in an entryway or in a powder bath. The mirror needs to be unique and special in a small space. To achieve this at an attainable price point is what was missing. I also went with white in a lot of the colors of this mirror collection. This is very intentional, as designers are using fabulously colorful wallpaper everywhere. White, while simple looking in a silo shot, pops against a wall of patterned wallpaper.
RPS: What methods, tools, and materials did you use to develop and prototype this design?
MM: The collection uses three main materials: resin, metal, and natural material. The Maxine and Evelyn feature a hand-tied rattan, while the Sissy mirror is a hand-tied raffia that is tied to metal to give it its shape. The Norma, Bunny and Mitzi mirrors are made using a hand-carved resin mold. Once the mold is created, the resin material forms the frame. Once the frame is created, it is painted white.
RPS: Were there any challenges that influenced or changed the final design?
MM: The main challenges were solidifying the material used and getting the scale right. The first attempt went really well but rarely is a first attempt perfect. We had to adjust some material to make sure it was able to be formed into the shapes I was looking to feature and ensure it remained durable and affordable so that the mirrors have lasting (and selling!) power.
RPS: Describe your brand’s overall DNA and ethos.
MM: I describe our brand aesthetic as “Lowcountry Luxe,” which is marked by airy, modern features with thoughtful colors drawn from my coastal surroundings. Our brand DNA will always be marked with natural, woven, and modern elements that blend seamlessly together. Our goal is for every client to walk into their home and feel like they’re in their own personal sanctuary that energizes and restores them from whatever life throws their way.
Photography by Margaret Wright.
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