Decorating with Mirrored Furniture

Last week, as the latest in our series of client decor spotlights, I showed you photos of Nellie V.'s home in San Diego, CA, with the Ambella Home mirrored accent table that she bought from us. Looking at the pictures of this elegant and dramatic table made me want to write more about the mirrored furniture trend!

Often you'll see mirrored furniture in a Hollywood Regency style room, evoking Hollywood's glamorous golden era of the 1920s and 1930s. Shiny finishes, including lacquer, gilding and (yes!) mirrors are typical of the luxurious Hollywood Regency look.

For example, this new Currey & Co mirrored console table features a traditional Greek key pattern on the legs, but the streamlined geometry also reminds me of Art Deco. The wrought iron table has a gleaming silver leaf and antique mirror finish and the simple lines let the shine do the talking!

Why decorate with mirrored furniture? Well, a room full of mirrored pieces would be too much dazzle (Hello, Liberace!) but a single accent piece creates a stunning focal point.

The mirror also adds light to the room, or makes the most of every speck of light that you have. In daylight, it makes the room look brighter. If you enjoy candlelight, then the mirroring will reflect the warm glow for a romantic atmosphere. This Currey & Co credenza boasts antiqued mirroring on the doors - perfect with the faded walnut and gold highlights.

A piece of mirrored furniture also creates the illusion of more space as it reflects the room back to you. If carefully placed, it can conjure up quite a magical effect! A mirrored chest of drawers against a wall makes a small room look bigger as it tricks the eye into thinking that the floor extends further than it does. The Morrocan style of this Ambella Home mirrored chest of drawers proves the point and also shows that mirrored furniture doesn't have to be a Bling Fest!

For another subtle mirrored accent, this Kramer drinks table by Currey & Co combines modernity with classical symmetry. The antiqued mirror top sits sleekly on the warm bronze gold finished tapered pedestal.

As a general tip, I've talked before about the research on the value of buying better quality furniture. When you're buying mirrored pieces it's even more important to buy high quality furniture. Solid pieces with a decent weight and high-quality mirrored detail creates a look of luxe. But a mirrored accent piece that is cheap, tinny, and poorly made can appear more garish than glitzy.

Finally, this Solana mirrored bed made by Hooker Furniture shows that mirrored accents can really work with any style. The refined rustic bed features a decorative mirrored panel headboard with curvy, almost Art Nouveau detail. It would be the focal point of any bedroom.

Have you taken a shine to mirrored furniture? Tell us about it here on this blog or on our Facebook page!