WELCOME to CAROLINA PANACHE! I believe our homes should be a haven, a place of beauty and peace that reflect who we are and what's important to us. I'm on a journey to add personality and panache to every corner of my house. For me, good design evolves, grows and changes with the needs of one's lifestyle. I want my home to be creative, to be stylish, to be entertaining, to be real. I hope you will join me on my journey. It's always more fun to travel together.
This blog is all about bringing style and elegance to the home. The art of dressing your home goes beyond hanging a few items on the wall and arranging furniture. Much like a fabulous set of earrings or a new stylish handbag may take your little black dress from fine to fabulous, home accesories and key furnishings can take your rooms from ho-hum to singing the Halleluiah Chorus! Join with me as we discover new ways to add panache to every room of the house.

Decorating With Mirrors

Today I wanted us to chat about MIRRORS. I have loved decorating with mirrors for what seems like my entire married life. My parents gave me a large rectangular mirror the first Christmas after I married and it has proudly hung in my living room or dinning room ever since. The mirror can hang either horizontally or vertically. For many years I hung it horizontally. At the time I lived in a small bungalow with standard 8 foot ceilings. I assumed that since my ceilings were rather low, I would have to always use the mirror in this way. One day after I had repainted the living room and dining room and had new flooring installed, I decided to try some tricks I had learned about decorating small spaces.

Here's lesson #1:

If you want your space to live large, don't be afraid to decorate to the ceiling.

What I mean is, don't be timid about using all the wall space, all the way up to the crown molding or ceiling. So I turned my big, ornate mirror vertically for the first time! In order for it to clear the buffet I had to hang it so high it almost touched the ceiling. Wow! What a difference that made. Instantly this simple change seemed to add volume to my room
and draw the eye upward!

Here's lesson #2:

Use mirrors to double the impact of your home's beauty and elongate views.

When you carefully consider the reflection seen in the mirror, you can create an expanded sense of openness, maximize the availability of natural light, and add dimension and interest to a flat wall.

Here's lesson #3:

When decorating with mirrors make sure the reflection is one of beauty.

Mirrors can give your room added sparkle, twinkle and pizazz and create the loveliest type of double vision. However, when placing mirrors, be careful that the reflection is one you want to see twice. I visited a potential client one day and upon entering her Foyer I noticed that she had hung a mirror in the hall. Directly across the hall was the Powder Room and when the door was open you saw the reflection of the toilet. Definitely not what you want to reflect.

In the photo above, a classic gold round mirror is hung over a rather ornate, white mantle. Drawing the eye instantly to this focal point, thus allowing the eye to roam freely over the accessories placed in a symmetrical arrangement on the mantle. The reflection you see is more of the lovely, warm ambiance of the room.
In this photo, a large vertical mirror is used over the buffet table in the dinning room. While the photo doesn't show this detail, the placement is directly behind the dinning table. I believe that the full reflection will be one of the beautiful table and it's guests when occupied.


Have you noticed how it has become the "thing to do" to hang wreaths, framed art, and other mirrors on top of mirrors? In this photo, a framed art piece is hung from cord over the expanse of mirrored wall space.



I love how a collage of mirrors is used to decorate this Master Bedroom. Keeping with black, round frames in various sizes, this designer has created a focal wall that naturally draws the eye to the bed while reflecting ambient light and adding "sparkle" to the calm and restful decor. I will feature a Master Bedroom Redo in a future post. You will see how I used a grouping of various shaped gold mirrors to recreate this affect in my house.



In this last example, an unadorned mirror is hung above a low chest.
An abstract art piece is then set on top of the chest and "leaned" back on the mirror.
The reflection that is seen is of the windows across the room doubling the natural light.
Another great use for mirrors is to disguise an unattractive area in a room, or enhance a prominent architectural feature. So whatever your goal may be for decorating in 2009, consider doubling the beauty with a beautiful mirror!

(Photos - Traditional Home - http://www.traditionalhome.com)

Happy Decorating!

~ Alisa








47 comments:

Melissa Miller said...

Hi Alisa, :)

They are all so pretty and really lovely ideas.
I have been seeing the wreath hanging on the mirror idea around lately. I really like how it looks. I may have to look for the perfect wreath to hang on one of my many mirrors throughout our home.

Thanks for the kind words yesterday. I really appreciate them very much.
TT was a way for me to meet new bloggers in the beginning so I knew you would enjoy it too. I plan to post another one this week. It's addictive! LOL!

Have a wonderful weekend.
~Melissa :)

"Blossom" said...

I love decorating with mirrors also. My husband says I have too many. LOL
Blossom

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Love mirrors...you left out mirrors under centerpieces and as placemats! Mirrors aren't always for walls! LOL

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Great suggestions. I love mirrors and have several. They really do double the size of a room. Thanks for all the tips. Marty

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

What a beautiful and informative post.. I love deocrating with mirrors and have them in many areas through out our home..
hugs ~lynne~

Deborah aka Miss Bee said...

Such pretty suggestions!

Good to meet another Carolina girl - I'm in Raleigh.

Have a blessed weekend,
Deborah

Lady Katherine said...

Love all the info on mirrors. I have many, but never seem to hang them. I will have to pull them out of storage! lol

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