Earlier this week, I spent few days at High Point Market - one of the largest furniture markets in the country. Everything you could ever imagine in the realm of home furnishings is there. Its the size of IKEA times 1000. I logged 10 miles a day walking through the labyrinth of displays feeling like I was in The Blair Witch Project because I kept ending up at the same place (except in a good way because being surrounded by furniture is the opposite of a horror film). Its going to take me a few months and several blog posts to process that trip, but in the meantime, let's talk mirrors.
Check out these three mirrors in the photo below. Aren't they beautiful?
Designing a home is all about problem-solving and mirrors solve a lot of them. They #1 serve as art #2 reflect back your room and #3 bounce light around. Let's discuss.
Art is tricky. The first issue is finding something that you would want to look at every day. It has to resonate emotionally in a positive way - bringing back a good memory or conveying a message through an image or color that feels good. Then you have to buy the art. Then you have to frame the art and likely go custom. All I see is dollar signs. Then there are mirrors... They take up a lot of surface area making their cost per square inch much less than a custom-framed piece of art. Add a unique frame and the visual interest makes it a stand-alone piece. Wavy wood was a big theme this year and I love it (see more pics below the post).
Another fascinating fact about mirrors is that they reflect back whatever is front of them. When I was designing my living room, I debated putting a large mirror over the fireplace or at the far end of the room. I opted for the far end because then it reflects back the beautiful room I had worked hard to put together. Its like getting double scoop of a really good thing. Put a plant in front of the mirror and *boom* now you've got two plants.
Mirrors also bring life to a deadened area. Our foyer felt dark and depressing before adding the mirror. Not a lot of light comes in so we needed to bounce it around the space as much as possible. The mirror opened up the whole room and made it feel like part of the house. Everyone commented that it felt like a completely different place once the mirror went up. I picked a mirror with a simple frame to complement the carved wood console table which is the real star of this room.
Now you understand why mirrors are your best friend. They work hard at making your home brighter and more welcoming and you'll never get tired of them. Think about where in your house you could use more light, reflect back an area you love most or be in a spot where you can check out your fine self each time you pass by and then go buy yourself a mirror.
More mirrors from around Market:
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