Catherine Fournier's House: Mirror on the Wall
One of the nice things about moving into a new house after living for a long time (in our case 18 years) in one spot, is that you discover new things about your furniture and decorations. Suddenly, in a different arrangement or in a different light, that chair or dresser you took for granted takes on a whole new beauty.
This mirror was my mother-in-law's; she inherited it from her parents. Initially, I didn't find its ornate, elaborate style terribly appealing, but a mirror is a mirror and it was useful in our bedroom. As you can see, it's not very exciting hung against a plain white wall (though the cutie in the reflection is quite nice!) I only kept it when we were moving because it was a family-piece and may well have been one of the first "beautiful" objects her parents bought after spending years struggling as Ukrainain settlers in Manitoba.
But in our new house, with its much more interesting colour scheme, this mirror suddenly comes to life! The cut glass and mirrored flowers just pop right out. "Bun" seems happy perched on top too. This example confirms my research that the decorating style of the era when this house was built (and the mirror was made) tended towards strong, dark colours, even though the rooms and windows were much smaller than is considered normal today. You'd think it would be depressing, but I'm finding that a small room with a window or two, wide woodwork, maybe a cupboard door or an angled ceiling, means that the walls are broken up and the dark colour isn't overpowering at all. It's comforting. And comforting is what you want in a bedroom.
Comments
:o) Kristyn