Mirror Mirror {Finally} on the Wall

A few weeks ago I told you that I had found the perfect mirror at Home Goods.  It was a Drexel Heritage mirror and I loved it.  The problem was, when I got it home, it was much bigger than I had realized.  I really loved the mirror and knew it belonged in my dining room.  After much thought and planning, I had a solution.  As with most of my plans, it was going to involve moving things.

Here is the after photo.  Let me tell you what it took to get here.

When I got the mirror home I knew I wanted it on the far side of the room.  One of the problems was that this server is on the petite side with it's pretty legs and the mirror seemed to overpower it.

The sideboard on the other side of the room is a heavier looking piece and I felt that the mirror would be better over it. However,  I didn't want the mirror on that side.  This meant that I needed to move this piece to the other side and the other piece to this side.  Are you with me??

Take notice in this photo how the server is not centered on the wall - don't know why we did that

It also meant my favorite bird pictures had to be relocated.  I thought I would split them up on either side of the dining room window instead of the green matted picture you see.  I would move those pictures to the living room.  Do you see how out of control this was getting for one mirror?  On Sunday my parents were over and I used this opportunity to run this all by my mom.  She was in agreement that it would work.  She said, "let's start emptying everything out and move the furniture." 

 I love my mom - she's my perfect partner in crime.  

Once the furniture was moved it was time to call in my dad and husband to do the heavy duty work of hanging the mirror.  

Here is the mirror hung over the bulkier buffet/server.

Notice how we now centered the buffet.

It looks so much better centered and also doesn't make the mirror look at overwhelming.

I love my Ethan Allen lamps against this mirror.

Here's a great close-up of the mirror and the lamps.

The detail in the mirror picks up the detail in the chandelier and the detail in the curtain rods.

Here's a super close-up of the lamps.

Here's the other side of the room.  I actually like the plates and sunburst much more above this more delicate piece.  This is one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I have in my home.

You can see that my bird pictures were relocated to on either side of the dining room window.

The green-matted floral pictures were moved to the living room 

and hung on either side of that window.

The beautiful rose art from Bombay was replaced by the floral.

The rose art was moved...

to the left of the display case to balance it's mate on the other side.

The best part of all of this moving was that each time we only made one hole in the wall to hang the pictures (usually we make several before getting it right).  Lol

 I can't wait to hear what you think!

Don't forget to stop back tonight for my Fall into Fall party.

The link opens at 8pm EST.  

Hope to see you then.

-Judy

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was the best!  Yesterday was Father's Day and my birthday.  My husband gave me such a wonderful birthday gift.  It is something I have been wanting for a while now.  In fact, if you've kept up with my blog you've read about me wanting this on several occasions.  In fact, I almost bought it on Craigslist a few months back...however it was from 

someone across the country and that just seemed to risky.  

Well, without further ado, I am so pleased to introduce you to the mirror of my dreams:

Yep...it's the Ethan Allen venetian style mirror I have been lusting over for months.

We hung it at the end of the hallway above the Ethan Allen dresser I scored at their warehouse sale this year.  If you remember, I found that lamp at a Home Goods in Binghamton, NY while I was there with my daughter for a tennis tournament.  It goes perfectly with the new mirror.

 It adds a ton of dimension to my hallway, not to mention so much glamour.
It completely transforms the entire area.

 Here are a few close-up photos.

 Look at all of that gorgeous detail. 

I tried for months to find something that I liked as much, or at least that I could live with.  Sometimes it's better to just wait and get what you really love.  It was the best birthday present...ever!!

Thanks sweetie!

I can't wait to hear what you think of my new mirror.

-Judy

Sharing at: Between Naps on the Porch

What Can A Mirror Do For Your Space

Most everyone has a mirror over their bathroom vanity.  Decorative mirrors can not only be useful, but can beautify your home.  Mirrors can act as a sort of magician.  Mirrors can completely transform a room.  A mirror allows the light to bounce around a room and gives the appearance of a much larger room.

Look at the difference in this before and after.  There was much discussion about my hanging that mirror (it hangs above the toilet).  It had even a better effect than I thought.  Not only does it make the room look so much bigger, reflecting the beautiful chandelier, but it also completely distracts from the fact that the toilet is the first thing you see when you walk into the bathroom (a complete pet peeve of mine).

Mirrors can visually expand a space.  The addition of the mirrors on either side of the bed give the overall space a larger appearance.  Above is a photo of my guest room...below is a photo from Pottery Barn.  Both rooms use long tall mirrors on either side of the bed.  I can attest that my guest room looked so much bigger as soon as I added those mirrors.

Image from Pottery Barn

The light bounces and reflects off the mirror making the room appear lighter and brighter.

Image from Candice Olson Divine Design

Here are a couple of bedrooms from one of my favorite decorators, Candice Olson.  She often uses mirrors in her designs.  Here again, in both photos, she flanked the bed with mirrors.

Image from Candice Olson, Divine Design

When you walk into my daughter's room the first thing in front of you is the large mirror.  She has what I like to call a space-challenged room (so many doors and windows there is very little actual space for furniture).  The addition of the mirror really makes the room look larger and reflects the beautiful armoire on the other side of the room as well as her chandelier.

I'm a fan of having a mirror over a fireplace.  I have a two-story great room and the mirror reflects the upstairs balcony beautifully.

Image from Candice Tells All-HGTV - Candice Olson

Look at that gorgeous mirror behind the piano in this photo from Candice Olson.  Stunning.

Here are a few more tips for using mirrors effectively:
1.  Multiply the look of a gorgeous chandelier by placing a mirror behind it.

2.  Place a mirror across from a window to bring more light into a room.

3.  To make a hallway look longer, place a mirror at the end of the hallway.  To make a hallway look wider, hang mirrors along the side walls of the hallway.

4. Place a mirror in an entryway.  Not only will it make your entry look larger, it's great for taking one more look at yourself before you leave the house.

I'd love to know how you use mirrors to beautify your home.

-Judy