We’re reaching the point in our house where we’re finally trying to slowly upgrade the “we’ll-just-put-this-here- for-now-since-we-just-moved-in” phenomenon that happens when you unpack and just toss things anywhere (yes, we are just getting to this phase after over a year and a half of living here, haha). So we finally decided to address this old mirror that used to hang in our first house’s den, which we then popped above our fireplace mantel with a tiny finishing nail the first week we moved in. Why do we need to address it? Because it gotz to go. Why does it gotz to go? Because it’s way too small! Comically small. Here’s an older shot of it almost straight on. See how weensy he is? Poor guy.
We had always meant to get something bigger and upgrade, but the rest of the kitchen kept us pretty busy and then it was onto some bedroom tweaks and some bathroom upgrades and the deck so our little fireplace mirror dodged getting the boot for a while. Not the real boot (we’ll find another spot for him) but just the above-the-fireplace boot because we wanted something bigger to:
- reflect more light
- make that soothing little zone feel expanded and more defined
- bring some of the wood tones from the cork floor up onto the wall
So anyway, long story long, we had passively looked for something at local shops/thrift stores for a while and then I went rogue while John was out getting his deck-ness on and Clara was napping. I tiptoed down the hall into the guest room (which is right near Clara’s room so I had to be all stealthy-like) and decided to try the giant mirror that we had randomly leaned above an old dresser in there about a year ago.
Yup, I dragged that monster into the kitchen, got my buns up on a chair while holding said beast of a mirror, and somehow managed to lean it up on the fireplace mantel to see how I liked it. The whole leaning thing wasn’t the best look (it basically leaned so much due to the placement of an outlet on the top of the mantel that it reflected the ceiling which was ugly to the max) but the color and size were actually surprisingly good. So I left it up there to mull and ran back to the office to finish some book stuff and then John came in and said “that looks awesome – let’s hang it up.”
And then I fainted.
Ok so I didn’t really faint but I made a big show out of fake fainting because 1) John is usually very “meh” about new changes (they have to grow on him) and 2) to see some random thing I did while he was off doing other backbreaking work that is sure to lead to more backbreaking work for both of us (hanging a giant heavy mirror into thin wood paneling isn’t exactly like tapping in one tiny finishing nail) isn’t usually something he’s enthusiastic about. But he was.
So after my big fake fainting show (which by the way was not met with the right level of responsive panicking if you ask me, but that could have been due to my bad acting) I stood up and we got down to the business of hanging it. We used four heavy duty 2.5″ screws, two of which we could drive directly into studs (aka: very strong) and two of which we used heavy duty anchors to secure (just for more reinforcement and so it would hang straight and centered since the studs were in odd places and necessitated two other screws to keep things hanging straight).
But first we had to move the hanging hardware on the back of the mirror which was screwed into the back of the frame since it used to hang vertically. Since we wanted it to hang horizontally we had to move it to the other side of the frame and then we used heavy duty picture hanging wire between those two metal holders so it could be slipped over all four of the screws that we would put into the wall to hold it up. Oh and don’t mind the crazy duct tape on the back. This mirror was a $5 yard sale score a few years back and it came all taped and crazy looking in the back, but the front is significantly less ridiculous looking and it’s all very stable regardless of the anti-confidence-inspiring effect of the tape (the thing’s not about to fall apart or anything). Thank goodness.
Anyway, so we moved the hanging hardware (reusing the screw that held it into the old vertical placement and transferring it over to a horizontal placement) and then added heavy duty picture hanging wire (the strong kind, not chintzy floral wire or anything).
Isn’t she a beaut? Just kidding. Seriously, could there be more duct tape in this shot?
And here’s the hubs driving those screws into the stud and anchor set-up I mentioned.
The four-screws-plus-hanging-wire process might sound complicated, but the whole thing probably took us about twenty minutes. So it wasn’t fast like hammering in a finishing nail, but it wasn’t this crazy long process involving fancy math equations or anything. And the cool thing about adding a hanging wire is that things are a little easier to get up (it just has to catch over the screw heads but it’s not maddening like little picture hooks can be when there are multiple nails or screws (getting them all to catch at the same time can make you want to stick a spork in your eye).
The difference of a nice big mirror is crazy. It’s a little more orange than the floor so I might stain it a bit more mocha to work more seamlessly with the cork, but just having that giant reflective surface is such a huge upgrade.
Here it is from further away. The height that it adds is awesome because it balances other tall things in the room like the pantry and even the tile that goes to the ceiling on our wall with open shelves.
Oh and you’ll notice from that picture above that we got another cheap-o Urban Outfitters rug for the cooking area of the kitchen. First we moved our original one from the fireplace zone into the cooking area for a trial run (to make sure we didn’t get annoyed by it or drop stuff on it constantly) but since there’s about a foot of space around the perimeter (in front of the stove, sink, rest of the counter, etc) we didn’t have any issues, so we ordered it and there she blows.
But back to the matter mirror at hand…
I just tossed some random things up there (like this thrift store find from Atlanta with KB). But since it’s so neutral I can basically put anything up there with it – and you know I love to change things around whenever the urge strikes…
Clara photo bomb.
But seriously, just look at the difference from the little guy that we had before and our new guy above:
John says this side of the kitchen feels like “one of those homes in the Fan now” which is a downtown neighborhood with amazing architecture and all of this great large-scale character. It’s basically his way of saying that the ceiling feels high and it’s like one of those fancy rooms with good molding that are over 100 years old. I would simplify the description by just saying that this mirror bounces around approximately ten times more light, makes the room feel bigger and airier, and serves as an amazing focal point all the way from the front door. Sweet. So it’s totally one of those under-an-hour changes that just involved something we already owned (which kinda makes us mentally chide ourselves for not figuring it out sooner, but what can ya do). I’m just thankful we didn’t end up buying something new. The overall scale and the chunky wood frame are perfect – and the fact that we found it back in 2008 at a yard sale for five bucks is the icing on the cake. Woot!
We still have a few more changes we’re planning to make to this zone over time, so stay tuned for those updates as we inch along. In the meantime, are there any new mirror (or old mirror from another room) switches going on at your place? Any toddler photo bombs? Or weird mom-sneaking-around while your kiddo naps and you get a wild hair to redecorate something?
Angela says
Gosh, what a difference one tiny , I mean BIG, change makes. Looking good, now on to the next project. : )
Jane says
I love the size of this new mirror over the fireplace. Looks more posh :)
Sherry – on an unrelated note , I had to tell you about a Zoya Nail polish color called Jules since you like “shiny” “golden” bling :) it is such a pretty golden/bronze-ish color..you definitely should check it out!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love Zoya! Thanks for the tip. Jules is a pretty name too!
xo,
s
Jane says
Oh and I preordered your book frm amazon! Looking forward to it..woohoo!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Jane!
xo,
s
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
Love the upgrade! (Or repurpose??) I would love to see more color around it.. like the rest of your kitchen with it’s color pops. But I am sure it will change a bunch before you are done lol
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
I love the mirror (what a deal!) and it definitely seems to warm up the space, especially in the Clara photo bomb picture. I didn’t do any good sneaking around during our nap times last weekend – naps were half the usual time. Oh well, it meant I got to play with them more and could ignore the dishes a little longer!
Sarah says
Looks great! This is the first time I’ve noticed the drum shade on the ceiling light fixture in the fireplace area. I’d love to do something similar with all of my, ahem, “boob lights”. How did you do it? Is there a post I missed about it?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it’s from Ikea! Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2012/05/and-then-there-was-light/
xo,
s
t says
Resist the urge to match things up too much . . . from the photos it looks great the way it is; different finishes bring a lovely layered and blended look to a room that sets apart good decorating from decorating.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we think we’ll live with it a while just to be sure! I promise we won’t rush into anything :)
xo,
s
Julie says
Every change you make to that area — from opening the wall to putting in the island to the new chair to the mirror — makes the area make more sense. Now it seems like the heart/hearth of the home! Also, is the color of the wood similar to the dining room table?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s actually really close!
xo,
s
Gina says
I must be the odd one out here; I actually liked the white mirror up there better. I must be weird…
The smaller mirror gave you more space to actually decorate your mantel, and the Burger canvas up there is priceless!
I love the big mirror too, just not in that spot.
Love all your switcheroo ideas !!
LauraC says
“stick a spork in your eye . . .” haha! One of those classic YHL lines that makes me snort out loud, can’t we all relate!
As for mirrors, I did have an adventure with one this very week actually. I finally (after a year) decided on a color to paint the mirror in our hallway (it’s old, oval, and came with the house) and had it all taken apart, painted; it was perfect. So two days ago I am carefully re-screwing the mirror into the frame when c-r-a-c-k, I managed to spit it in two! Still not sure how I managed to do that though, but guess I wasn’t as careful as I thought. Anyway, I was so mad at myself for breaking it, but I was able to find a shop close by that can custom cut another mirror for it. I use it everyday, so there was no option of not replacing it. My $5 makeover just turned into a $36.50 makeover, grrrr!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, we know how that goes!
xo,
s
Erin says
I have a mirror that has bounced around my house since we moved in last year. I’ve always hated it and felt like it looked cheap but couldn’t coax myself to get rid of it… Last week I repainted our dining room, repainted the buffet table in there and rearranged the layout. I put the mirror up and it’s PERFECT!
Kristen @ LoveK says
I love the upgraded mirror!! It looks awesome over the fireplace, and I can only imagine how much light it bounces around.
Kate says
I love it. It’s wood right? In the pictures it definitely has the look of an antiqued bronze/gold mirror. I love those oversized. It really gives the room a different look. Good call!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s wood and has these cool metal plates on the corners (might rub and buff them so they’re ORB like the pendant lights).
xo,
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
I like the change. The mirror looks more at home over the fireplace than it did in the guest bedroom. The more I look at your kitchen the more I would like to see a change in colors. It’s not bad now but it would be interesting to see what it would look like in a darker more rich tone.
Ted says
Looks great!
Of course, when I read this line:
” And the cool thing about adding a hanging wire is that things are a little easier to get up…”
I thought “That’s what SHE said!”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you got me.
xo
s
Christina @ Homemade Ocean says
I can’t wait to see it stained!
Is that a giant clam shell in the fireplace? Everytime I see it I oogle it, so now I have to ask!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! It’s faux! I love that crazy thing.
xo,
s
Heather V says
The new mirror looks great! And an added bonus is that the old circle mirror doesn’t compete with the circular/same size ceiling light fixture in your little sitting area. Nice to have the variety of shapes!
Nicole M. says
Nice! Honestly, I really like the mirror’s finish the way it is. It isn’t too matchy, matchy and is a stand out piece. Who wants something like that to blend in!? I actually think the mirror brings out the lighter color in the cork floors and compliments them nicely! But I am only seeing this from a photograph point of view…it might look different in person. Love, love, love the blog and all your progress on the house!
Kim says
Love it! If you’re trying to find something to do with the displaced mirror, maybe you could turn it into a chalkboard? I have one of those cheap full-length mirrors from Target ($10 I believe?) and I was thinking of doing this because I don’t need it as a mirror anymore!
http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/05/diy-mirror-turned-chalkboard.html
You could do the same and put it in your office and put cute quotes on it, or even in the guest room with a cute welcome message? Just brainstorming here!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s another fun idea!
xo
s
kari says
I live in the Fan and while I’m still working on decorating (only a few more pieces left to go!), I would love if you wanted to house crash once it’s complete to see how a young profressional lives in a charming home of the early 1900s :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! We’d love that!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I love it! I love that you did this all by yourself … with the side help of John. Haha. It looks fantastic! Fantastic. Oh did I mention it looks fantastic? No? Well, it does.
Leyna says
I love that you go rogue once in a while, even if it’s something as minor as this (looks great, btw!). Just the other day I was wishing I had a husband who didn’t care at ALL about anything so I could just buy/move whatever darn rug or wall-hanging or accessory I wanted without his input (This is a man who has seriously proposed a shark mural in our living room…more than once…even though he already has a giant shark picture in his office…huh??). But nooooo. Marriage is a partnership and I have to take the high road since I KNOW Sherry would never EVER go behind John’s back on decorating decisions…or would she? Dum dum dum. Ha! At the very least, tell me you’d nix the shark mural (as in, 20 ft x 20 ft mural) idea, too. Please.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I think I’d try a bunch of different things while he’s gone and hopefully come up with something undeniably awesome to hopefully sway him when he returns!
xo,
s
Erin says
Good call! LOVE the switch. I tend to rearrange a lot too. Some great ideas and some not-so great-ideas. Most famous rearrange is an idea I had in college. I put our living room in the dining room and vice versa. Roomie came home from class and saw me pouting on the sofa in the dining room. Not a good idea. Ha!
Bethindc says
will the pair of topiaries still work with this mirror? (is there enough room on the mantel?) Because they’d look awesome doubled in that mirror.
YoungHouseLove says
I think they could work, I just wanted to switch things up! They’ll be back in the future I’m sure!
xo,
s
Natalie @ barnesdailycircus says
We made our first DIY attempt for our house…I thought it would be easy…not so much. You guys are professionals.
http://barnesdailycircus.blogspot.com/2012/08/monday-day-i-learned-about-my-husbands.html
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we have those stressful days too, I promise!
xo,
s
Leslie says
I love that this gives your kitchen the “something old in every room” title. I don’t mind the color, I think it keeps everything from being too matchy/modern.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes! Now that I’m on the something old train thanks to the buffet!
xo,
s
Michele says
love it guys! love the size, love the light reflected and LOVE the wood tones brought up onto the wall. (though i see your point about a possible darker stain later on.)
LOVE! well done!
Ashley says
I hate to admit it, but I got REALLY nervous when you said you propped the frame up on the mantel. I instantly got flashbacks of your recent incident with the buffet and imagined this mirror laying on the floor in 103 pieces with 7 years of bad luck floating around. I wanted to yell “Sherry, what are you thinking, crazy girl?!” I’m so glad that didn’t happen and all turned out for the best!
YoungHouseLove says
I know, right? So glad it didn’t jump on me!
xo,
s
amy c says
the mirror looks great, but i noticed that your rug seems that have taken some abuse. does the light color show dirt badly and how do you go about cleaning it?
YoungHouseLove says
We just vacuum it. So far it’s not bad at all! No complaints!
xo,
s
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
Love the new mirror! It’ll definitely look better mocha, but I love the larger size! And it’s always great to find ways to change a room up for free!
When we first toured our house we fell in love with the exposed brick in the kitchen/dining room and joked it was like bringing a little downtown to the suburbs. Then we had people over that actually live in the Fan and they said it made them feel at home haha! http://www.attemptsatdomestication.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dining-room2-1024×768.jpg
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I love that!
xo,
s
Jeanine says
Totally love the new placement of the mirror! It looks great. I’ve been staring at a giant Ikea picture above my mantle for the past 3 years now and I think this post may be the little kick in the tush to get myself a mirror for over my mantle.
Oh, and I do the fake fainting too whenever my husband likes the same thing I do! haha It usually isn’t met with concern either, just an eye roll!
Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says
Very pretty – it frames that space perfectly.
Lisa says
Wow! It really elongates the room – your eye travels upwards from floor to ceiling. Also, LOVE how the mirror ‘mirrors’ the shape of the inset of the fireplace. Nicely done :)
Bambino by the Bay says
It really looks great! I actually love the color of the mirror too- nothing needs to be too matchy-matchy! Any consideration to putting the round white mirror in the place of the other one? It looks from your photos that it might work really well there and play off the white doors of the room. Either way- very well done!! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah that could work too! Will keep you posted!
xo,
s
Nichole says
I love the mirror switch-a-roo! You’d said you were thinking of swapping the dark round mirror over the bed in the guestroom for something with more contrast – now you have a spare white mirror that would pop on that lovely dark turquoise! At least as a temporary option…
PS: Love the deck progress!
PPS: Can’t wait for your book! I pre-ordered it a while ago as a “happy anniversary to us” gift :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s true about the mirror! And thanks for preordering Nichole!
xo,
s
Hallie says
What are the dimensions of that mirror? (Doing some mental comparisons for a project coming up.)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s about 34″ tall and 48″ wide. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Katie Rose says
I bought a large mirror from a church “garage” sale a few years back. The back was broken so duct tape was also the previous owners way of keeping everything in place! I never changed it up either. Hey, don’t fix what’s not (technically) broken! :)
Steph says
I absolutely love it! I never notice anything “wrong” with anything you guys change until you swap it out for something else! I thought the old mirror looked wonderful until you posted this upgrade, now I see how much better it looks! Makes me wonder what kind of swaps I’m missing out on in my own house, haha. I bet the mirror change has even more of an impact in person!
Linda says
Love the change (although I liked the white mirror and mantel-scape as well), but, please tell me Burger’s portrait has a new place of honor somewhere? I love that artwork!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, he’s proudly hanging on the wall now! Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2012/08/an-overdue-art-update-in-song/
xo,
s
heyruthie says
way better. love it. and i actually love that the patina of the frame doesn’t “match” the kitchen. I’ve been gunning for the “something old in every room” thing for a while, and I’m right on board with this one!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Something old!
xo,
s
Koliti says
Amazing how a little switcher-roo can make such a big difference. Great example of scale/proportion.
And I second Ashley’s comment –
After the recent entry buffet/large picture leaning/topple/shove carnage, I was leery and hoping for the best. Whew!
I love how you snuck in a use for duct tape – it’s nice to know what you can do with it since you can’t use it on ducts.
Kate says
Love the mirror! We scored a similar deal at a local garage sale – $10 for a huge, heavy mirror from a barn with an awesome antique patina… the massive size of the mirror combined with the age of everything else the guy was selling makes us believe that it’s a legit aged patina… we bought a red Hemnes 3-drawer dresser from Ikea for our entryway and plopped the mirror on it vertically, off-center a bit. With a lamp and a few small vases from a local potter, it’s my favorite spot in our living room!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!!
xo,
s
Blake says
Love the larger scale. It almost looks like a golf-leaf finish in that first photo — which I think would look great in that space. It would tie into the gold-ish finish on the mirror in your laundry room, and be a pop of contrast to the stainless steel and ORB. Just a thought … :)
Ryan Elizabeth says
love it. so much better. and a mirror for $5, you can’t beat that!
Annie says
I love the size, but when i look back at the old pictures there really is something special about the pop of the white from your old mirror.I wouldn’t go mocha myself. But that’s my 2 cents which is all that thought is worth!
Carla Hinkle says
Love the mirror, love the website …
Not to be critical, but did you try hanging the mirror a little higher? I was wondering how it would look sort of vertically centered between the ceiling and the mantel.
YoungHouseLove says
We held it up in a bunch of places and decided this one felt the most balanced on the mantel (looked oddly high light it was floating higher).
xo
s
Elena says
Sherry, I’m smack dab in the middle of redoing 3 rooms in my house and am having an awful time. But, I also realize that it’s a problem that I have and why I never miss an entry on this blog. I have what I like to call “matchy matcherson” syndrome. I love the white mirror’s feel with the rest of the room and that’s probably how I would’ve gone because I am SO afraid to step out of that matching zone. I’m slowly coming around and realizing if my color scheme is blue and white, not EVERYTHING in the room has to be blue and white. I think I have problems picking colors that complement what I’ve chosen as my base colors. Either that or I’m afraid to use them for fear of screwing it all up. Does that make sense? It’s a struggle that I’m trying to overcome and this blog helps me more than you know. It would have never occured to me to match that mirror with the floor, so when you did that, I was like that so works. Sorry for babbling. I need help. :o)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Elena, you’re so sweet! We’re so glad to help. Thanks for reading!
xo,
s
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says
Oooh I love it! I love how much more grand it makes the fireplace seem and I love the little brass (?) corner braces on the mirror too :)
Angie says
OK, it’s driving me nuts! WHAT is that picture you have hanging on the wall next to the fireplace? It looks a little like the cover of a Real Simple magazine. I love it, and was just wondering…
YoungHouseLove says
It’s a print from allposters.com a few years back. Very cheap! I think they still sell it:)
xo,
s
Stephanie says
I love the mirror over the fireplace. Looks really awesome and definitely makes the ceilings look higher.
This is slightly off-topic but my bedroom in my place has this odd L-shaped closet. One set of doors is bi-fold and the other set is sliding mirrored doors. I HATE THEM. It’s great to have a full length mirror to look into in the morning but I’d rather buy something pretty from HomeGoods. It is not great to roll over in bed and see your full reflection. I’m at a loss for what to do. I think fabric would be too much since it’s such a big open. Any thoughts YHLers or readers?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, could you frost then with frosting film? That might be a cheap fix!
xo,
s
JG says
It sounds strange, but check out the reverse of the mirrored doors – some of them have a plain fabric-like back and the frame wraps around, so you can (with the help of someone else-heavy!) turn them around. I have also been known to replace them with shoji screens with wheels on the bottom (check Home Depot for the wheels), or use starch to attach fabric or paper to them (very useful for rentals)!
Jill says
So on one of those days when you all have nothing to do, can you PLEASE walk through my house and rearrange?
Looks fantastic!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sure! Be right over!
xo,
s