I just returned from a few days out of town with the kids. The 73 degree temps of Park City, Utah felt like a gift and each morning while mulling over the real estate listings, I was trying to figure out how to make a 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage,(total gut job) work for a family of four. When I mentioned to my husband, on the phone that night, that the location was amazing and the pricetag was only 2.3 million, he told me to get back to Phoenix . So here I am back in 112 degree heat.
You wonder why I mention the trip at all. Well, everytime I venture out past the city limits of Phoenix, Az. it refreshes my design sense and helps me to interject different styles into my projects right here in the Valley of the Sun. I saw a mirror surrounded with twigs that was so chic. Hung above a Stone Creek console in an entry with a sisal rug underfoot you have instant comfort and a welcoming feel for your home. Top that console with a great lamp on one side, a fresh topiary on the other and maybe an old silver bowl to throw keys and mail. Instant charm.
Mirrors can be an inexpensive way to add space and bounce light around the room. I have a huge mirror in my entry way. It measures 5’x7′ and I have it propped against the wall, loft style. I found it in a second hand shop and besides a little touch up with a brown crayon it comes off as very expensive. It makes the entry feel special and for a few hundred dollars it’s a piece I’ll never get rid of. It sits opposite a window and the reflection is magic.
My girlfriend wanted to lighten up her dark kitchen and dining area and I thought the solution would be to mirror the backsplash in a huge rustic buffet. The juxtaposition of heavy worn wood with an elegant mirrored backsplash was the exact element it needed. She loved it …and that’s all that matters.
I used small round mirrors in various sizes in my daughters room. We hung them in a random pattern. It actually looks good against her apple green wall color . It reflects off the crystal lamp and other chrome accents in the room. P.S. That wall color is the first thing to go when she’s off to college!
When hanging a mirror be mindful of what it is reflecting. If it’s a window that shows off those beautiful trees in your backyard…bingo you have a winner. If it reflects your refrigerator please try another wall.
Another tip…The smaller the room the bigger the mirror. I had the opportunity to decorate my friends pint size 7’x9′ for Mom only space. The mirror seemed huge but once hung, it reflected the outdoors and gave a sense of space. It turned out to be a jewel box of a room and the only place in the house that doesn’t have golf clubs, strewn boxer shorts or shoot em’ up video games.
Now back to my husband. I come in the house from the trip. He runs to get his new passport picture and he’s not happy. Seems the mirror in our bathroom shows he has more hair than he actually does. When he got the passport photo back he thought he looked like a 54 year old middle aged guy with thinning hair. Maybe mirrors do have magic.
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