In the living room at Fox Hall, the mid-eighteenth-century English bull’s eye mirror is hung over the mantelpiece. The “hippocam” that crowns the mirror is a subtle reference to my passion for horses!
A pretty mirror can be the best “bang for your buck” to decorate a wall! The cost of a mirror quite often is only a fraction of what a painting may cost. Mummy instilled in me never to buy reproduction art. It’s always better to purchase a lovely mirror than inferior artwork. The artwork you choose to present on your walls provides a window into your interests and tastes. Like “books by the yard,” reproduction artwork is little more than a soulless placeholder on your walls.
In my first book, The Pretty and Proper Living Room, the chapter, “Magnificent Mirrors and Wall Art,” suggests that mirrors have the unique ability to enhance the design of your interiors, whether reflecting the flicker of a candle or the smiles of your guests. Mirrors are similar to a living painting, one that is always reflecting the current state of your room, the outside view, or simply capturing the life of any moment!
A mirror, referred to as a “looking glass” in England, has been used historically as a means to increase the daylight or candlelight in a room before there was electricity. Mirrors are now hung as the eye-catching focal point on a wall. An ornate gilded frame is the artwork! When selecting a mirror, ensure that the frame complements the furniture and architecture of the room. Formal surroundings deserve formal mirrors. Hepplewhite, Chippendale, and Adam-esque mirrors continue to reign supreme in classically tailored interiors. While an antique mirror is preferable, especially with a well-earned patina on the glass, reproduction mirrors can be divinely elegant too. Tantamount to a collection of pretty shoes or pearls, I believe that one can never have too many mirrors!
This page is from The Pretty and Proper Living Room and it features the mirror in my office which is over the mantelpiece. It was the first mirror that Stuart and I ever bought. We thought it was an antique because we purchased it in an antique store on Cape Cod. When we went to hang it, we discovered underneath the backside paper that it was a new reproduction- lesson learned, but we still love it!
Grandmillennial Tip:
There can be more than one mirror in a room. Consider creating a design theme in a room around a collection of mirrors, and have fun with them!
When hanging a mirror over a fireplace mantelpiece, decide what you intend to display on the mantel first, and then hang the mirror up far enough so that the decorative piece on the mantel does not completely disguise the details on the bottom of the mirror frame.
Place a sculpture in front of a mirror, so that one can appreciate the back of the sculpture in the reflection of the mirror… double the enjoyment!
Candlelight in front of a mirror is a decadent doubling of what I consider “romantic” lighting. When placing a mirror over a sofa, bring the mirror up far enough so that when someone is seated, and their head accidentally tilts backward during a good belly laugh, their head will only strike the wood frame, not the glass portion, which could crack or break.
Forbidden Faux Pas:
No-no: To resilver or replace the looking glass on an old mirror.
Imperfections are part of the charm of an antique mirror. Embrace the distorted look. The soft-focus created on the mirror from years of use may give you a reflection from the fountain of youth! (Another reason why an antique mirror is well-received by guests when they visit your powder room!)
No-no: To spray cleaners directly on the front of the mirror.
Instead, spray a soft cloth with the cleaning solution. Then, gently wipe the front surface of the mirror. Water and liquids can drip into the frame and begin to disintegrate the silver coating on the back.
No-no: To vacuum the back of a mirror or dust it vigorously.
The suction of the vacuum, or the action of abusive dusting, will challenge the integrity of the backing paint which protects the silver layer.
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