Have I ever mentioned how much I love mirrors? Not from a vanity standpoint (I mean, c’mon now) but I do so love the way they bounce light around, and how they play with reflections…
Our house is long and narrow, so playing light off the windows makes the place feel airier, and makes the space appear a bit wider too. These are good things.
After we moved our bedroom to the front of the house, and we’d settled on making the sexy dressing room next door, I had it in my head that I wanted to find a ginormous mirror to sit across from the doorway into the bedroom, to the left of the fireplace. The space alone is big… I thought about shelves for displaying books and belongings, but decided instead if I could find such an expansive mirror (that didn’t cost the earth) that I would try to acquire it. I’ve had my eyes peeled for some time now.
So, I’ve been thinking of the words I’d use to describe my ideal bedroom, so I can work backwards. It’s a good trick – you should try it.
My ideals:
restful
elegant
glamourous
sexy
beautiful
These are the words I come back to whenever I’m selecting items, whether big or small. In this space, I’m not interested in whimsical or playful or energetic. Not in the room I want to sleep in. (Nor have all the dirty-dirty in. No thanks.)
I could have lived with a white plaster kind of thing – very French looking, but a touch rococo for the space. A bit feminine too. Also, usually tres expensive. I didn’t see one in the right scale that I could afford.
I thought a piano-lacquered black frame would be quite lovely… perhaps a bit formal? There’s enough dark furniture in the room already, not to mention the floor (where ARE you, silver cowhide when I need you?) But I thought I’d end up with something black – I could make it work.
A design-y friend of mine recommended that I try the Louis George store in Ogilvy’s which is a fancy-pants store full of fancy-pants furniture and accessories, and I think it’s safe to say that most of the people I know are not shopping there much. Like, $2400-for-a-side-table kind of place. *Ahem* Gorgeous. Ornate. Wonderful. Indeed, they did have mirrors on sale when I visited… from around $1400 down to the low, low price of $850-ish. Um… yeah, no.
But then.
Last weekend I went shopping at the awesome place that rhymes with Sinners (yes, the same day we lost Ava Scarlett’s excellent sunglasses – poo.) and I do believe I found something delicious…
I love, Love, LOVE the silvery finish… it’s all pearly, and so freaking pretty, I can’t get over it. For the super-low price of $149, the glass is slightly wonky. It’s fine when you stand at a normal distance away from it to check yourself, but it’s as you get further away that the image is a bit off, and becomes a bit wavy. I reasoned that as long as no one looks shorter or fatter (one can’t look like Elvis-Hobbit… that never bodes well for starting one’s day off right) then it would be fine. It is, in fact, a SKINNY mirror! Oh JOY!! And there’s a tiny crack in the moulded edge of the frame, but with the fine strié finish, a person is hard-pressed to find it. I got an extra 10% off for that defect. (Heh.)
It’s seven feet tall, by four feet wide. I think it’s looking pretty gorgeous…
…and yes those ARE clear sequins on a silver satin pillow I also snapped up last week. Glamourous AND sexy, my darlings. RAWR!!
G.G.
