Decorating With Mirrors

Coastal Living Designer Jill Johnson; Photographer Grey Crawford

Mirrors can be a great way to expand a space, add interest, make a statement, reflect light or a great view and generally add sparkle. Here are some ideas for incorporating mirrors into your space...

Designer Jeffrey Billhuber layered an antique mirror over the window for use with this floating dressing table.

Architectural Digest Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

Stylist and designer Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Design created this huge dramatic wall with black paint and 48 rectangular mirrors (via Canadian House and Home)

Framed mirrors also make a dramatic statement in this bedroom...

Coastal Living Photo: Jean-Philippe Piter

House Beautiful photo credit: Lisa Cregan

Designer Vincent Wolf likes using massive, over-scaled mirrors leaning against walls, as you can see in the bedrooms he designed above and below. This is some of what he told House Beautiful about that. "It's taking an architectural approach to a decorative object — like cutting open a wall onto a space beyond. It's also more casual and interesting to lean something than to hang it. Once a mirror is hung, it's isolated on the wall. But when it leans, the floor runs right into the glass."

I love the idea of layering mirrors like designer Mary McGee did in her living room. You could also just layer a great frame over a mirror and it would work just as well.

House Beautiful Photo: Miguel Flores Vianna

The mirror used in this bedroom designed by Gary McBourne (House Beautiful - Photo: James Merrell) was too small so they added what Gary calls a "sash" to give it scale. I'll admit that, even though this room is beautifully designed, it isn't my style but that doesn't matter. The basic idea can be used in any room from casual to formal and contemporary to traditional and there are a variety of items (fabric, ribbon, rope, etc.) you could use to make your "sash". Just hang the mirror on the wall and then attach the "sash" to the back of the mirror and the hook.

In this Coastal Living idea house they mirrored the doors of this dual vanity which draws your eye to the detail. (Photo: Tria Giovan)


This is much more subtle but these vanity doors and drawers are also mirrored.

Coastal Living Photo Dominique Vorillon

Mirrored night stands are so pretty, aren't they?

BHG.com

The next four images are from Homes and Gardens. You can see the rest of their slideshow, How to Decorate Using Mirrors, on their site. (Photos: Carolyn Barber)

Displaying a variety of mirrors on ledges is a creative and fun idea to punch up your space.

Adding mirrors to an armoire in a bedroom is a great idea, especially if you're short on space to add one anywhere else.

Reflective drum shades could be stunning in the right space!


Using a mercury glass mat for a centerpiece. I've used a framed mirror in the same way in the past, which also works well.

Just for fun... Can you tell what this frame is made from? I'm sure you probably can. Colored plastic spoons! :-) Country Living


Cute tennis racket mirrors from Country Living. Imagine how many different things you could repurpose as mirrors once you start thinking outside the box...


Hmmm... Any ideas on how I can get my mirror to reflect the same view that this mirror is reflecting? :-)

myhomeideas Photo Keith Scott Morton

If you're interested in more inspiration for decorating with mirrors, check out the mirror image post that I did back in August.

The Ultimate Flou Beds

This is my idea of the perfect bed.

The frame of the mattress is on a suspension system that lifts easily -- just hit the release button and it pops up with a light tug-- very ingeniously designed. The frame is separate from the head-board. Also, the enclosed space stays clean, unlike underneath a bed. Made in Italy by Flou

Patricia Gray writes about emerging trends, her inspirations, "What's HOT" in the world of Design, as well as sneak peaks of her work.

Another White Bedroom

I don't know how I missed including this picture in my last posting on White Bedrooms.

Shabby Chic via Cote de Texas
Cote de Texas describes this picture as: Gustavian and Shabby Chic - the new combination.
I would love to sleep in this bedroom!!

Patricia Gray writes about Interior Design inspirations, emerging trends, and the world of Design.
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{ Campaign Beds }

What is the history of campaign furniture? The invention of campaign furniture – meaning furniture made for travel –was designed for military and naval use. It grew in tandem with the growth of the British Empire and its colonies in the second half of the eighteenth century. The Napoleonic era is probably the best know for examples of campaign furniture which were designed to be dismantled for travel and assembled at the end of the journey.

Ever wonder why these beds are so dreamy, maybe it is because they have their origins in travel to foreign and exotic destinations. I am imagining that the canopy held fabrics that helped to keep out all sort of bugs and protect somewhat against the elements.


Happy Weekend.....Happy dreaming

Reference Books:
The first English pattern book references to the subject occur in Ince and Mayhew’s book The Universal System of Household Furniture (1759–1762), with two designs for folding sofa-beds and a field bed. Chippendale’s The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director (1762) illustrates six designs for field beds with folding hinged slats, and Thomas Sheraton illustrates a design for a ‘sofa bed’ in The Cabinet Dictionary (1803).

Postscript Jan 30/08
An Aesthete's Lament has left a comment that I thought was so good I wanted to include it in the main post: "Some of the beds featured seem to be versions of the iron beds that were used in 18th-century France and moved from house to house by the nobility (obviously they could have been used in campaign or expeditionary situations as well). Such beds were considered less prone to insect infestation, et cetera. Typically, the light iron framework would be covered with curtains and fabric and folderol, rather in the manner of a lit à la polonaise; these could be moved and packed away should the owner decide to relocate from his city house to his country house, et cetera. The first time I ever saw one of these iron beds without its draperies was in the apartment of the French decorator Jacques Grange, where I once visited. In his bedroom, the lit à la polonaise just stood there, utterly stark, its ironwork frame like calligraphy written in the air. The company Oly makes a lovely version of these, called the Walker bed.

Turquoise Bliss

What girl doesn't love this little turquoise box?

Florence Broadhurst wallpaper

Who inspired who? The color for the Tiffany box and the Florence Broadhurst wallpaper look almost identical. I have recently been reading the book: FlorenceBroahurst - Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives. She has quite a few designs in turquoise for her wallpapers that were designed in the 60's & 70's. I like that this color is once again fashionable and is being used in interiors.

Refreshing and Sophisticated: A mix of blue and green, turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication. Some shades of turquoise have an old-fashioned 50s and 60s retro feel. Turquoise has the same calming effects as the mixture blue and green it is comprised of .

Culture of Turquoise: This in-between color represents water, thus the names aqua and aquamarine. It's also a valuable and popular mineral often turned into jewelry. Turquoise is closely associated with the Middle East and the American Southwest.

Dominio
David Hicks Carpet

House Beautiful

Burnham Design via Desire to Inspire
I like the effective use of painted stripes flowing from the wall across the ceiling.

John Stefanidis
Francis Elkins Chair via StyleCourt

Timothy Whealon

LaraHutton via Desire to Inspire

Florence Broadhurst wallpaper

Tiffany box via StudioWellSpring

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