Mirrors, What do you look for?

Mirrors

What do you look for? I love the drama that mirrors can achieve and here in France, we are most certainly spoiled for choice. Big, small, classic, modern - all those decisions! Never discount size, shape or colour. In my experience, over the many years of renovating my own homes or consulting on design projects, I generally have a number of mirrors in varying sizes and shapes floating around that eventually get used somewhere. In France, I’ve found many wonderful examples. I always tap the frame on vintage mirrors, as I love gilt on wood rather than metal, as they are often too heavy to hang, unless you are going to stand them on the floor. Bevelling is always a plus and I never walk away from a piece with some ‘ghosting’ as it denotes age, and in my opinion, provides interest. Whilst always practical, mirrors provide gorgeous reflected light into a space and are often a topic of conversation. I have painted, gilt, wood and plaster mirrors, large and small. Grand, over-mantle mirrors look fantastic at the top of stairs on a landing, or group smaller mirrors together like picture frames. A mirror’s perfection is in its imperfection. Images of mirrors courtesy of Rene Edith Antiques, Chaillac.

Jules