Hey hey! How the heck are ya? I’m happy because So You Think You Can Dance started again tonight – I LOVE that show so stinkin’ much! If you haven't seen it, check it out – it’s the American Idol for dancing – but better I think. ;)
Anyhoo, in anticipation of my friend Layla’s wrap-up of our summer linkies, I wanted to change up our mantel a bit:
It’s looked like this, with a few minor changes, for YEARS. And by the way, the idea for this change was planted my Miss Layla herself. ;)
Have I mentioned how much corner fireplaces suck? Really. And that I chose to have a corner fireplace instead of a normal, “easy” one?
I have? OK -- just wanted to be clear. :)
It’s deep but not as wide as a normal FP. I think it’s lower too, so there’s more wall space above it. And there’s two little bitty walls instead of one large one. So large art or one big statement piece just won’t work.
I was determined to change it up this time though. Stretch a bit. Go outside of my comfort zone. Do something I never said I would. :)
When I worked in the design world years ago, a very smart designer once told me that she never used mirrors over fireplaces. She pointed out the reflection that turns into your “art” – usually the ceiling. Or a light fixture.
Not always the prettiest parts of the room.
So I’ve tried to work around using mirrors – but over the past few years I’ve seen some gorgeous ones, and they look pretty amazing above fireplaces. Beautiful colored frames, different shapes – and these mirrors also add some light to the space with their reflections.
So I decided to try it. I told you I don’t follow any rules. :)
I set out to make a mirror – and I wanted it big. I’ve had a bathroom mirror that the builder left, and was planning on using it:
(That’s a picture of the side of the mirror, if you couldn’t tell by my excellent photo skills.)
It was the perfect size, but it was SO heavy. Because I was DIYing this, I wanted something a little less substantial (lighter) so I headed out to Lowe’s.
I picked up a $24 bathroom mirror that was the same size (two by three feet), but with a pretty bevel on the edge. And it was MUCH lighter than the one I had. I made the mirror exactly like this one I made for the dining room (instructions at that link!).
You’d think I had never touched a power tool before this though – I made SO many wrong cuts. I had to fill in the spaces with slivers, because I didn’t want to buy any more trim:
But because I’m OK with less than perfect, and because it will usually be hidden, and because most normal people (read: not me) would never notice it, I made it work. Thank you spackle!
See? Don’t even see it:
On one side, I added my cutie round birdcage, a Pottery Barn clearance item I found last summer:
I saw the idea to paint a mason jar (I thought it was here but now I can’t find the post. Could be wrong!) and thought it was so pretty!
I chose a yellow spray paint I had on hand (Creme Yellow from Valspar) and just sprayed the outside of one of my jars:
I was going to paint the other one white, but I liked the clear with the yellow. (The water is cloudy because I had just added the floral powder to the jar.)
At first I had some lanterns on the other side of the mantel, but they were too short next to the tall mirror, so I went back to the candlesticks:
And I like the simplicity of them, the varied heights, the colors. I was thisclose to painting one yellow, but I thought that might get a little too matchy. :)
Because I felt like the mirror needed a little somethin’, I added our moss “S” to the front:
You can see how I made that mossy goodness here.
And I love how simple and clean it is now:
I was just a tad bit tired of those iron scrolly jobbies, so this is something different for now. I kept them though – just in case. ;)
It’s still not my dream mantel, but it’s a mantel so I’m not complaining!!
And I cannot WAIT to get that TV and stand out of the way! Forever and a day they have driven me batty there:
They are moving soon in anticipation of our new sectional. So. excited. Only six to eight weeks left! Gah. I’m sure it will fly by, right?!
I have a couple ideas in mind to change this fireplace up a bit more, but they’re going to take a bit more work.
So for now, I’m so happy with the change! It was four years of (basically) the same set up and I needed something different:
The only problem now? I have to get tricky tricky when taking pictures, or you see this:
Hello there Blogger!
And you can see the reflection of the mess in the rest of the house, so we’ll see how long this mirror lasts. ;)
This little corner has come a long way though! The before, years ago:
And now a classic look for summer:
Me likey. :)
Do you struggle when it comes to decorating your mantel? I posted a few tips a couple of years ago that may help – you can find those here!
I’m linking this up to Lay’s party over at The Lettered Cottage! Check out all of the mantel/display/vignette inspiration!
P.S. I secured the mirror up there by adding hanging hooks to the back and one to the top of the fireplace. I ran twine through them all and tied it off, so it can’t tilt or fall off.
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