Mirror in the Bathroom

Hello, friends!!  I hope you are all having a fabulous Summer!

A little bit ago, while on one of my infamous jaunts through antiquity and curiosity via locality, I came upon a wonderful gilded mirror.

I was immediately attracted by its ornate detail and impressive heft.  It was definitely a statement piece.

So gorgeous!!

ALAS...

There was but one wee problem. 

I am typically not a huge fan of gilded gold.  I usually prefer the understated elegance and calm of cool silver, and when I want something exuding warmth, it is usually a beautiful oil-rubbed bronze.

Our little casita is a Spanish Colonial Revival, or at least that is how we have styled it; yet the aesthetic inside is what I like to refer to as European Hodgepodge.  There are Spanish, French, Italian, and English Country elements, all of which lend to a home that is comfortable and cozy with a sort of old world charm.

A while ago I shared in this post how to add fabric to your walls using starch.

Well, while I was on hiatus last year, I repeated the process in another powder room, which is the guest powder room.  This time, I decided to go with a warm damask which incorporated all of the colors in the home.  Here is a look at the fabric.  Isn't it fab!?  I had 'interviewed' several, and none of them spoke to me until this one.

When the walls were barren, Mr. Parsimonious picked up a mirror.  While the color was fine, this mirror looked much more African Safari or British Colonial than Old World.  It wouldn't work with the new damask fabric.  Quel dommage!!

When I started blogging, I shared in this post how I made over another thrifted mirror.

Utilizing the same process, I stained the new mirror, but this time, I used an oil rubbed bronze antiquing glaze by Valspar sold by Lowe's.

I decided I didn't want to deplete all of the gold completely, but have it act as an accent of the piece.  Therefore, I didn't cover the mirror in an opaque fashion as I had done previously, and I used a much lighter hand. 

I made sure to apply glaze into the little crevices, and on the higher points, I wiped the glaze back off.

Here is a side-by-side comparison.  This mirror now is much more to my liking.  It doesn't shout, "HELLLLLOOOO, NOTICE ME!!! I'M GOOOOOLLLLLD!!!"  Now, it is much more elegant and less gaudy; it doesn't look like inexpensive faux plastic, and the gold is instead a fine detail of what now looks like something much older.

Doesn't this look like it has always belonged in this powder room!!?

Alongside dainty dancers,

the beautiful damask,

an antique stone toothbrush receptacle, a (DARLING!) monogrammed towel, and lavender;

it is now also much more complimentary to the stone architectural elements,

oil rubbed lighting, sink, 

and other elements of the powder room.  It becomes a perfect melding of Old World rustic charm and pretty.

What is your style aesthetic? 

Until next we meet...

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Maaaaavelous Mirror Makeover #1

I am always trolling for ideas, as I like to keep the décor in my house fresh. I found these incredible mirrors on one such trip. These mirrors were $90 each at the Salvation Army. There were four mirrors total, two of the elaborate and two of the plainer ones. I got a great deal on these on a 50% off all furniture day, so I paid $180 for all four. What I love about these is that they were not cheap plastic or plaster. These were very heavy-duty mirrors you would have to feel yourself to appreciate the heft. I had looked at ZGallerie, West Elm, Horchow, and Pottery Barn. Of course, one can find this type of mirror, but they typically cost $200 or more per mirror. 

I began by sanding, sanding, and sanding some more.

All sanded!! I didn't want to take all the stain off because I wanted some to show through for an antiqued patina effect (or so I hoped).

Next, I used a clean paintbrush to remove any excess sawdust.

The paint I chose is a specialty color in Ms. Stewart's metallic line. Thanks, Martha!!

Time to protect the glass. I love frog tape.....

Now, the stain

Once the paint was dry, I removed paint here and there. Again, for an antiqued effect. For me, it's all trial and error. After trying the fingernail, failing, I found that using the backside of a butter knife worked.....

Here is a close up. 

And lastly, violà!! On my wall in the foyer.

.....And the other in the dining/living area. 

If you enjoy this post, please visit the archives!  You may also visit my full profile to view my other blogs. Connect with me on my Facebook Page, Parsimonious Décor Darling.   You might like to visit my other blog hubs,

The Marvelous Maison, a lifestyle blog hub and 

Frugal Fab Fashionista, my fashion blog hub. 

Follow me on Pinterest!!  Please be sure to kindly follow the board guidelines, as it takes time and effort to find fabulous pins across the Internet and Pinterest!  Thank you!  

Thank you for stopping by! ❤