NEW HOUSE UPDATE: Mirror Paint and Molding

 

We are starting to add our personal touches to our new home, and it feels so good to be able to start this process.

 Before New Mirror

Recently we purchased a new mirror for over the mantel in the Great room. It was a mirror I had admired for months and it was on sale for a great price.

 via

I knew that the mirror would have to be painted  because as pretty as the finish was, it was just not right for our environment. 

I had a couple things to think about before painting my new mirror........

Did I want it to stand out and be the focal point?

Or

Did I want it to look integral to the fireplace mantel and TV niche?

If I wanted it to be a focal point then it should be painted a darker color. The colors that ran thru my mind were....

Black which is an obvious choice with my decor......

I also thought of Cobalt blue....

Obviously not the same mirror, but I wanted you to have a visual  of the color.

Kelly Green...........

All three colors would work beautifully in my room if I want the mirror to stand out and be a focal point.

This is where you have to think a little deeper than just the mirror or the fireplace wall.  

This is also where I see many homeowners make a mistake. They ONLY look at the project they are working on and not how it will flow with the rest of the room or the house.

You HAVE TO always keep in mind.....

The overall look and feel of your entire home and
the flow in the room.

Our home has a classic, clean, simple Hamptons vibe so I need to have a classic, yet simple look.

Since this mirror was tall and thin measuring 31w X 41h I knew I needed to add some molding around it . At first I thought I would follow the lines of the mirror, something like this.....

My son and DIL did something like this in their home and it was beautiful and would work with my mirror.

Now comes the important part!!!

This is a pretty formal look and since I am going to be adding other moldings in my home, how will it marry to the overall feel and look that I am planning on?

Now if I were JUST thinking of this one wall and one room, it would be perfect, BUT remember I am keeping in mind the future look of my entire home.

This is where planning is so important. Otherwise you can get a home with a mix bag of goodies and styles that looks like a hot mess and has no continuity.

Remember the buzz words..... Classic, Simple, Clean.

Lots to think about and lots going on in my designing brain, but all necessary thoughts.

So here is what I came up with......

Since the fireplace and TV niche read as one wall I wanted the mirror to look integral to the fireplace so I chose a white on white look......

The sconces will be moved once the molding is in place.

Now came time for the molding choice. Oh my!! there are sooooo many choices to choose from. 

Remember I am trying to keep a nice flow going throughout my home so I had to figure out how I wanted to address the TV niche as well.

There were other elements to consider as well.... there will be a crown molding and a top treatment above all of the windows. That is a lot of lines going on so I had better keep it simple since I like a clean look.

We decided that we will treat the  TV niche surround as if it were a door, and use a wide casing that matches our existing door casings.

 With that in mind I chose a smaller version of the casing to go around the mirror. The trim had to be fairly wide in order to be in proportion to the mirror's frame so I chose a 2 1/2" molding......

The molding on the right was the winner!!

Here it is!!! I am beyond pleased with the results and I am looking forward to the next steps..

Installing sconces

Installing molding around niche