The magic of mirrors

They shimmer, they glow, they sparkle, they gleam. In daytime, they can send light streaming into the darkest corners of a room. And after sundown, well, let's just say that if you've never spent an evening in a room lit by soft candles reflected in gilt-framed mirrors, you've been missing out.

Nothing lights up a room like mirrors, and you don't have to pay your local power company for the privilege. You also don't need an Old Master budget to hang gorgeous works of art on your walls. There are old mirrors out there that will knock your socks off. 

The mother of all mirrored rooms is the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. A little over the top, 
but you get the idea.

Now that I've got that out of my system, we can enter the real world. May I suggest that instead of putting a big-screen TV over your mantel, you use a mirror? 

(The men are booing, I know.)

Miles Redd room via Elle Decor

Gorgeous moss-framed mirror in a Bunny-Williams decorated library

Thomas Jayne dining room -- with all that elaborate molding, he kept the mirror simple.

 Casual bedroom, luxurious bed, semi-formal trumeau propped against the wall. Unbeatable combination. Just don't look when you first get out of the bed in the morning!

Montauk bedroom by Vicente Wolf

This gorgeous mirror used as a headboard gives new meaning to the term "bedhead."

via Country Living

Mirrored closet doors make this corner come alive. One of these days, I'm going to mirror my old bedroom closets like this. When all the other projects are done. If I'm still in the house at that time, alive and breathing.  

Small mirror, big impact. You can see the dining room in its reflection.

Lisa's house (see previous posts)

A stunning dining room by Darryl Carter, with oversized twin mirrors flanking the doorway. How many people would just hang a couple of paintings in those spaces? The mirrors add so much depth to the room.

Isabel Lopez Quesada hung this elaborate Venetian mirror in a modern den. The rococo-shaped frame helps to soften the hard lines in the room. 

When was the last time you saw a bathroom remodel that looked like this? Talk about thinking out of the box! The mirror over the tub is pure genius. 

I used to think Federal style was kind of stodgy, until Thomas Jayne came along. Here, he uses a big mirror to make a big statement in a New York entry hall. I think a mirror like this costs about as much as an Old Master. But if you're ever hit by thieves, they won't think of taking it.

In a guest bedroom, a pretty little mirror tucked behind a bed.

 

Source: unknown

 For me, decorating doesn't get any better than this. Amelia Handegan's lovely living room has silk taffeta curtains, an antique sofa, and an oversized gilt mirror reflecting the airy, ethereal chandelier and mantel with its row of blossom-filled vases. The stuff that dreams are made of.

Helene Aumont put a large mirror over an Empire commode in this Paris apartment. Again, those silk curtains. Big sigh.

Candlelight and mirrors in Valentino's dining room. Don't you want to have dinner here tonight? And every night? Those servants are a nice touch, don't you think?

 Imelda Marcos had her shoes. For me, the one thing I can't resist buying more of is antique mirrors. I have a house full of them, and if I had any wall space left, I would buy more.

Just as earrings light up a face, mirrors light up a room. And...with mirrors everywhere, you always have a place to check your lipstick.

© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved.

Lisa's House, Part II

Ready for the second part of this wonderful house tour?

Lisa found a clever way to take advantage of her home's near-perfect layout. When you enter the front door, a colorful path of meandering Turkish rugs invites you through the foyer, past the central hall, and to the light-filled bedrooms and the garden beyond. Remember how this looked?

 

Now that we've dallied in the living room, dining room, and kitchen, awestruck by the seemingly endless and beautiful collections of crystal, china, candlesticks, pottery, fabrics, and whatnot, we can move on to the bedroom to the right. Which isn't, in fact, being used as a bedroom.

With garden greenery beckoning outside the windows, lovely old mirrors, books, sofas, and capacious desks, this is a space in which dreams are dreamed and artistic yearnings are transformed into whatever reality you choose...a place you could happily spend your entire day in and never feel the need to leave.

You could start by taking a mid-morning nap in this charming corner...

...with the tree outside possibly haunting your dreams (in a good way).

Then you would wake up and realize it's time to get something done! 

Good thing there are paints, brushes, and pots awaiting on the big desk...

 

 ...so you can create something beautiful to gaze upon for the rest of the day.

(The dragon will happily critique your work. That's what dragons do.)

Palm trees and monkeys are lurking right next to the window. 

The monkeys were quiet the day I shot this, but at other times, who knows?

There are more hints of the Caribbean right across the room. 

Love that vase of chili peppers! 

 If you are lucky enough to be a guest in this house, you 

will sleep in this ravishing space.

What interesting visions will await you here? I didn't see a gypsy--

she must have been hiding in the closet.

I told you we could spend all day in this room, but let's move on.

The "real" bedroom is darker and more mysterious...

 

 ...the bed casually draped with a deep persimmon spread. 

And interesting artifacts on the wall. 

I guess if you indulged in those chili peppers, you could use the fans to cool yourself down.

There is not one thing that "matches" anything else in this room. Just a happy hodgepodge of inherited antiques and flea-market finds. Amazing juxtaposition of colors and textures here--and it all works perfectly.

The shelves and corners overflow with personal treasures...

...and fragrant memories. 

Lisa's beautiful mother approves of her collections. (That's her in the photograph.) 

So do we.

Finally, there is the back garden. Where an old, weeping Chinese Elm greets you with open arms as you walk out the door.

Cherry blossoms overlook a secret gate. (I can't tell you where it goes. But it's neighborly.)

On summer afternoons, this is a divine place to dine...

...while gazing at the flower beds (that right now are not yet in full bloom).

I hope you've enjoyed this enchanting place as much I have enjoyed visiting over the many years that I've known Lisa. A true artist, a gracious hostess, and a wonderful friend. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your magical home with us!

© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved. All photos by Eileen of A Silken Swoon.

 

Lisa's house

Today, dear readers, you are in for a very special treat. My friend Lisa has graciously allowed me to photograph her alluring and enchanting home for your viewing pleasure. So put down your copy of World of Interiors, and take this dreamy journey with me instead.

From the moment you glide through the front door of this diminutive Craftsman cottage, you enter a charming world reminiscent of Bloomsbury Group domiciles, with echoes of New Orleans, North Africa, old China, and Mexico tossed into the mix.

And yet it is thoroughly Berkeley, in its refusal to be anything but what it wants to be in the moment.

Everywhere you look, objects wink and gleam...sunlight plays on glass...table displays beg to have their portraits painted...and plump cushions beckon you to sink down, arrange yourself comfortably, and sip a mint julep from a lacily etched glass.

It begins in the front hall, where gilded Italian columns greet you like stately butlers...

...and Turkish carpets stretch invitingly towards the back of the house.

 

 To the left is an airy dining room, where every shelf and corner holds a tableau designed to delight the eye and pleasure the mind.

On the wall, wooden angels smile down benevolently. 

  
And if you're feeling faint from too much champagne, the settee in the front window will cradle you soothingly.

I admit, I would not want to be the one dusting this bookcase.

But I am ready to seat myself at this table, gorgeously set for dinner.

Do we care what we're being served when eating off china like this? No, we do not. 

(Although I can assure you that Lisa is a fabulous cook.)

An air of genteel mystery pervades the living room, where the spice-infused colors 
evoke the feeling of an Oriental souk. 

And collections of disparate objects seem to have arranged themselves as if by mutual accord.

 

 Except, of course, when they just want to be alone.

 The amazing vignettes are just everywhere you look. It can be dizzying, because your head keeps whipping around to make sure you didn't miss anything.

Here is a lovely tableau on the front hall table, looking into the living room. That chair!

In the central hallway, an assortment of antiques and paintings take center stage.

This room has special meaning for me, because in one giddy, ten-hour day, I painted it while Lisa worked on the front hall. She did a better job than me. Lisa, you can paint my house anytime!

A charming kitchen counter arrangement...the counter itself is copper!

 

Lisa is the only person I know who has an antique street sign from New Orleans hanging on her kitchen wall. 

A tulip that has reached the end of its lifespan still has an elegant presence on the windowsill.

  

Although I typically like spare rooms with just a few bold accent pieces, I must admit I am mesmerized by all this detail. Even in the bathroom, there are lovely items to gaze upon. And flowers everywhere!

I don't know how she arranged to have these delicate green vines growing just outside her bathroom window, but there they are. Prettier than wallpaper!

 Whenever I read advice from interior designers, exhorting people to express their personalities through their homes, I think of Lisa. She's a master.

Next post: Bedrooms and back garden, including a secret gate...

© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved. All photos by Eileen of A Silken Swoon.