The Magic of Mirrors

Hi, Monika here! By now, I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with the mirrored furniture trend. However, done wrong, it can look tacky and a little dated--after all, no one wants their living room looking like a ballet studio. Using antique mirror is an elegant, textured twist on this overdone trend. It is a unique way to add age and personality to any room.

Recently we used antique mirror in a client's home. We decided to move an existing cabinet from the bathroom into the kitchen, painted it white to match the rest of her kitchen cabinets, and had the standard glass replaced with antique glass. Not only does this add a beautiful decorative element to her kitchen, it has several practical pluses: 1) the opacity conceals all of the dishes, bowls, etc. behind it, resulting in a more clean look (and you don't have to worry about messy cabinets!), and 2) using mirrors is a great way to make a smaller space look larger.

Before, and...

...After!

We also added the same antique glass to her other kitchen cabinets to maintain the mirror look throughout the kitchen:


What do you think? Here are some other great examples of antique mirrors being used in cabinetry:

Photo Credit: House Beautiful

Photo Credit: Apartment Therapy

Like I said before, using a plain mirrored wall can run the risk of making a room look like a ballet studio. However, there are many creative ways to pull off a mirrored wall. Again, texture can play a huge role; antique glass is a great way to go (or safety glass, like in designer Thom Filicia's own living room the last photo!). You can also try breaking up the space by using multiple smaller mirrors so it's not so overwhelming (see photo 3; very visually arresting, don't you think?). Here are some of my favorites:

Photo Credit:

Photo Credit: Elle Decor

Photo Credit: Apartment Therapy

Photo Credit: Thom Filicia

Don't forget they make a lot of great furniture in antique glass as well! Check out this great antique mirror console table by Schumacher we found on our latest trip to the DC design center: