Artist Profile: Cate Orr

Mirror Designer

Cate Orr is a designer with a special interest in mirror making. Her passion for interior design is coupled with a fascination in construction processes and a need for hands-on expression. She began making mirrors in 2002.

Cate lives in Eastbourne, on the eastern side of Wellington harbour, in an original beach cottage that dates back to 1900. The spare bedroom is her workshop. Naturally, the cottage, with its 3 metre stud, is full of mirrors, each positioned to capture and reflect.

Mirrors add depth, altered perspective and light – Cate Orr

Cates father is an engineer and plays a vital role in the production of the mirrors. In his small Lower Hutt workshop that belonged to his grandfather, Tom Orr fabricates the distinctive steel frames.

The lines of division, the steel frame, the rivets and other embellishments bring a new interpretation to the environment in which the mirror sits. The raw deep edge of the glass plays with the reflected images – Cate Orr

Cates mirrors reflect art deco design and kiwiana influences, through her use of paua, pounamu and greywacke. Framed in steel there is an added emphasis on contemporary industrial design.

Cates mirrors have sold both nationally and internationally and can be found in collections in Italy, USA and Australia.