Hello and welcome to the Thrifty Chicks October Challenge, mirrors! I absolutely love collecting and decorating with vintage mirrors. Today I am sharing my favorite vintage mirrors and how I have styled them in my home and in vignettes. 

 

As you enter our home it is obvious that I love vintage mirrors (and frames)! A gallery wall featuring some beautiful antique mirrors and frames is one of my favorite decor projects.

 

 

I just love all the ornate details on vintage mirrors and the tarnished appearance of the glass on the really old pieces.

 

All of my collected vintage mirrors have been purchased inexpensively at yard sales or thrift shops.

 

 

 

Our house is generally shady, so lots of mirrors really help to bounce light around the rooms and make the spaces brighter and seem larger.

 

 

 

 

I am really out of wall space for hanging mirrors, but that doesn’t stop me from bringing home a vintage beauty! You can find them stacked on top of furniture and safely leaning against walls in vintage vignettes.

 

 

A long vintage mirror in front of the fireplace looks so pretty when it is reflecting candlelight.

 

Actually it always looks beautiful! The detailed carvings in the wood and the old forest picture make this mirror my favorite yet.

 

 

The music room is where I play around with vintage treasures. It is crammed full of finds! There are several mirrors in the room and I really enjoy them. The tall mirror by the organ belonged to my grandparents. I used it to practice putting on lipstick when I was little! I give vocal music lessons, so the mirror is now used to help students evaluate their own posture and performance as they sing.

 

For fall created a peacock and chinese lantern boho-chic embroidery hoop wreath and hung it on the mirror.

 

 

In addition to making spaces seem larger, mirror placement can create interesting illusions. I love how the details on the side of the  antique organ are reflected in the mirror. Due to the way the organ sits, these beautiful details would be missed otherwise.

 

 

This gorgeous, horizontal mirror is the perfect fit behind the piano. It almost didn’t make it home from a yard sale since my husband thought it looked like “something out of the Addams family mansion!” Actually before I shabbied it up it was a little spooky. After some chalk paint and distressing to let some of the original gold peek through, it is now ornate and elegant with an old world European feel.

 

Nevertheless, it does make an outstanding Halloween prop when covered with spider webs!

 

 

 

I love how the piano mirror reflects another beautiful mirror on the opposite side of the room.

 

 

Layering mirrors and frames is definitely one of my favorite designs tips for getting as much vintage goodness as possible in a small space.

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned, I am really out of wall space, but that didn’t stop me from hanging this gorgeous gold mirror with poppy pictures. It had been sitting in the floor right below where it is hanging for months because I simply could not find a spot for it. I almost took it to consignment…yikes! One day I was just lifting it out from beside the piano to dust and I got the idea to hang it right there beside the piano. It may not be the perfect spot, but I enjoy it’s beauty every day now.

 

 

In addition to hanging mirrors, I am crazy about old buffets, mantels and antique furniture with tarnished mirrors.  The antique mirrored buffet in our living room is a keeper! I love to decorate it seasonally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An orphaned, mirrored buffet topper takes on the look of a mirrored fireplace mantel above a free standing salvaged mantel in the dining room.

 

I love decorating this lovely piece for the seasons too.

 

 

This beautiful antique secretary has a pretty small mirror that I just love. Like the mirrored furniture pieces,  the secretary is always decorated with seasonal vintage vignettes.

 

 

 

 

 

Whenever I am out junking or traveling I am always keeping my eye out for vintage mirrors and ideas for displaying them. I just loved the look of these old mirrors hanging on an exposed brick wall in a historic New York City restaurant.

What about you, are you a vintage mirror fan too? How do you decorate with mirrors in your home? I love hearing from you dear readers!

 

 

Now it’s time to take a look at all of the other creative use of mirrors by the thrifty chicks!

Thanks for visiting today!

Amber