Abbey's Mirror

Over the past few months, I have been working with Abbey Nova (of Design Scouting fame) to decorate her amazing NYC apartment. Abbey and her little family are so, so lovely. It's been a treat to get to know them and to collaborate on their space, which is about 95% done now. Hooray! I was looking at my notes from our first meeting and there were about three pages of to-do items. We are down to FIVE items! Crossing off a to do list is just about my favorite thing in the world.

Here's a photo from that first meeting. Abbey got this great mirror on sale from Pottery Barn a while back and it's no longer available. At $300 or so full price, it wouldn't break the bank, but it also wasn't super cheap. I love the shape and the finish and I was so surprised when Abbey told me where she bought it.

Then last week I was at IKEA buying some Ribbas and I spied this new series called Odby. The largest frame is almost exactly the same as Abbey's mirror.

For $40 you can buy the Odby at IKEA and then get some mirror cut for another $20 or so and then paint or gold leaf the frame. $50-70 buys you a really lovely, large mirror, perfect for a dining room, above a mantel or in a powder bath.

{Stay tuned for more photos and some great projects from Abbey's apartment.}

Frameless Mirrors

Remember this mirror on mirror project from my parents' bedroom suite redo? The basic idea was we used an approaching ridiculous number of 3M Picture Hanging Strips to hang these frameless IKEA mirrors on top of their bathroom's basic vanity mirror.

If you're looking to tackle this project in your house, check out the selection of pretty inexpensive frameless mirrors from this eBay seller.

Scalloped

Octagon

Arched Louis Phillipe style

Frenchie

Also totally diggin this almost venetian style mirror ($69) from Lowes.

Honeycomb Mirror in Action

I finally bought the Pier 1 Honeycomb mirror a few weeks back and I'm loving it! Here's a beautiful home in a recent issue of Southern Living that features the same mirror...

I am obsessed with this over-sized lumbar pillow on the sofa!

Scans via Fran's beautiful blog, Green Street. Don't forget to check out the rest of the images from the spread!

Faux Tortoise Shell Mirror

I stopped in to Todd Romano's lovely store the other day to look at some Bob Collins fabric for a client. While I was there (after getting distracted by the table covered in juicy Christopher Spitzmiller lamps) I noticed this beautiful bamboo mirror in a blue faux finish and couldn't stop thinking about it all day. I started thinking about trying a faux finish on one of my mirrors.

I've had my heart set on trying a tortoise shell finish. And then I saw this amazing table in this month's House Beautiful and I love the idea even more. Miles Redd had it painted to look like green tortoise shell.

I did some googling and came up with this image for inspiration.

The next step is getting the technique down. Does anyone have any experience with tortoise shell faux finish? Or maybe a good book to recommend?

(PS This Ballard mirror (which is 20% off right now!) would be a good choice for a project like this. You'll want to go as simple as possible with the face of the moulding for a more realistic look.)

Louis Phillipe Mirrors

We lived in Brussels for a couple of months about two years ago. I fell in love with all the antique Louis Philippe mirrors that I saw at all the flea markets in Belgium and France. I didn't buy any because I was worried about the cost of shipping such a big heavy piece. If I could do it again though, I'd just get a half or a whole freight container and go crazy at all the fleas (are you listening to me Gabby and Jordan!?)

What I love best about these mirrors is how they maximize mirror surface area with out being a boring square shape. They are really big and help to brighten a room, but still lend some softness to a space with their rounded edges. Some of my favorite rooms featuring Louis Phillipe mirrors:

Ruthie Sommers in Cottage Living


Courtney Giles

via things that inspire

Lonny

For those of us without thousands of extra dollars to spend on a gorgeous antique mirror at ABC or on 1st Dibs, IKEA sells a great full-length version for $99. Love it.

Or if you're in the market for a shorter wall mirror, this one's on eBay for $145. Wouldn't it be great gold or silver leafed or painted out in a fun color?

Bamboo Mirror

I got sooo many emails about the vintage greek key bamboo mirror!

It was sold very quickly at the Arlington Flea, but you can get a similar mirror from Ballard. It's on sale right now for $199.

Honeycomb/Peacock Mirror

I usually like my mirrors and my lamps to be vintage. There are just so many unique and inexpensive options available at thrift stores and on eBay and Craigslist. It seems silly to spend hundreds of dollars on something new and cheaply made.

Jonathan Adler for Liz Lange, via Domino

But every now and then an option is available at a retail store that I really love. This Honeycomb mirror is available at Pier 1.

Full price is $250, but it was on sale for $89 at my local Pier 1.

Much less expensive than a vintage peacock mirror or even other new versions (like this gorgeous one from Wisteria).

I think it's a pretty spin on the sunburst style and is just the right amount of glam and sparkle.

via

PS The lovely and talented Reichel blogged about this here too. xx

More Thoughts on Mirrored Walls

I've been thinking more about putting mirror tiles or sheets on walls. Specifically, about how to make it scream 'chic!' and not 'bad 80's tract home!'

Some ideas...

Antiqued finish on the mirror:

Todd Romano

Jan Showers

Maybe some rosettes on the tiles to break it up?

Adding moulding makes the mirror look more expensive, less DIY.

JK Capri Hotel

Layering with bookshelves is one of my favorite looks:

House Beautiful

I really love the idea of hanging art on the mirror.

Elle Decor

Want another way to achieve the 'wall of mirror' look without the commitment? Add mirror to your interior doors.

via Full House

Christina Murphy

Susan Jones

Trick of the Eye

Do you ever get tricked at stores into thinking the shop is WAY bigger than it actually is? Mirrors, baby.

Here's one way to do it right...

image via Lonny

I have a feeling there is a DIY project in my future involving a small dining room and a box of inexpensive mirror tiles from the hardware store. Before seeing this photo I would have gone with plain, flat finish mirrors, but I actually like the look of the bevel here.

Ooh. How cool would a wall of octagonal mirrors be?

Layered Mirrors

I love to use vintage or antique mirrors in decorating, but if there is a time or space constraint, I always point my clients in the direction of Ballard Designs.

I've been eyeing this mirror (on sale for $150).

I would get a pair and recreate a version of this bathroom featured in House Beautiful.

But, since the small size of this mirror is not very practical, I would probably opt for a layered look, like how this Venitian mirror was hung.

design by Tricia Huntley Zend, image via My Notting Hill