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How to Use Mirrors In Your Home

Why do we keep the flat, sheet mirrors that our contractors install? And why do we buy the mirror that matches the dresser?  I find that clients imitate what they see in the furniture store, or do what the previous owners of their home did. But, why? There are so many creative and interesting options. Today's blog is about the many uses of mirrors in your home and how the mirror you choose can reflect you and your style.

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A small bathroom (1) can be a tough place to create a sense of space, but I've found that a couple of impact pieces can lighten these sometimes cramped areas considerably. A good place to throw in  a great accent piece is over the sink. Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes and finding the perfect one can be difficult, but when you do it can bring about a great result. For example, this powder room is near the entry in the more formal part of the house. It had to be sophisticated but also bright and welcoming. The use of a Venetian style mirror brings reflected light and glamour.

Traditionally people think of bathrooms as the place where we have mirrors, but a mirror in the bedroom is a useful and beautiful tool. This bedroom (2 - 3) had a cozy feel with the fireplace lit, and plenty of light with a wall full of windows, but

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with a fireplace as a centerpiece and an equally strong focus placed on the bed with a patterned comforter, the mantel was a place to introduce calm. The mirror reflects the focus of the room, the bed, and is simple enough not to detract from the fireplace, but to enhance it. With a gilt frame, this mirror complements the elegance of the room without overwhelming the homier touches.

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It's true that bathrooms are the traditional location for a mirror, but often people overlook the different styles of mirror that they can place in a bathroom. The simplicity of an oval shaped mirror can make a bathroom stand apart. This one is off of a cozy family room. We combined classic fixtures in an updated brushed nickel finish with a quartz countertop and added a gorgeous antique wooden mirror. Because of its simplicity, a piece like this can be used all over your home, and can be moved about for a quick change to your décor. The wood finish allows it to fit in informal spaces like a bedroom, while the brass inlay gives it enough style to work in more sophisticated areas like a formal living room.

Oftentimes when buying a mirror, clients go for the trendy, or "in" piece, a practice I don't disagree with; however, there is a way to be trendy while still buying a piece that will work, even when the trend has passed. To work with the popular sunburst mirror trend, I chose a mirror that may still technically be "sunburst" but is a little more unusual. This gives the trendy vibe we wanted for this family area without the downside of having a statement piece that will be out of style in a year or two.

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The almost brutalist style of the mirror brings texture and sparkle to the chocolate brown wall.  Using a mirror over the sofa allowed light into an otherwise dark area.

When working with mirrors remember, you don't have to go with what is "expected"or part of a set, but you can instead pick what you feel works best in your space as well as what makes you feel like this house is your home.

Before Painting

When my daughter first moved into her little rental property it had just been entirely renovated by one of our neighbors (her new landlord). Predictably, he painted all the walls in the entire house the same peachy beige color. Now, if you know anything about me you know that I love color, and this preference has rubbed off on my daughter. Luckily, we have a landlord who is very accommodating, and he gave us permission  to paint the walls.

The Primary Wall Color

After: Walls Painted In Living Area

The first room we went to work on was her bedroom.  Often bedrooms are saved for last in a home, but we didn’t want that to happen. So before we did anything we painted her room a soft, green color to match her bedding and style. With that easily completed in an afternoon, we moved on to the living area. Here we decided to go with a light aqua blue. This soft blue can appear to be almost robin’s egg in the daylight, and at night appears sea foam green. Finally, we painted an accent wall in her dining area to create separation from the main living space. Here we got to have a little fun with color. While it’s obvious from my decorating that I love blue and all its variations, it’s safe to say that my daughter loves blues and greens as well. She chose a vibrant teal for the accent wall.

The addition of a mid-century modern dining set (an antique store find) updated with some vintage fabric (also an antique store find) gave her a cute and colorful dining space for her tiny 50s home.

After: Accent Wall

Hello, again! Wow, so far this year has been a busy one for Gail Barley Interiors. In addition to many decorating projects with some great clients and interesting spaces, here’s a quick update to let you know what we've been doing.

Gail Barley Interiors was a featured designer on Wayfair.com in their Inspiration Gallery. I was asked all kinds of questions about my design process. I was honored to be featured on this nation-wide site.  If you would like to see the article, here is the link: www.wayfair.com.

Another exciting moment for me was when Houzz, a popular decorating and home website, gave me the Best of Houzz 2014 Award in Customer Satisfaction. Here’s a little bit about what that means as described by Houzz: “Chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community,” Gail Barley Interiors was awarded, The Best Of Houzz. “Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013."  If you would like to check it out, feel free to click the link: www.houzz.com.

Late in March was the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Annual Meeting. The meeting was attended by 1400 people and, as the AFPM website describes, it is "the world's premier refining meeting, assembling key executives, decision-makers, and technical experts from refining businesses, technology providers, contracting and consulting firms, and equipment manufacturers around the world". I know this doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with decorating but I was chosen as a speaker for the Spousal Event on the first day of the three day convention. I spoke to this group about how to use color in your home instead of falling back on "safe", neutral colors. In my seminar titled, “Beyond Beige” we discussed how to decorate with color to give your home personality and to make a home a personal reflection of the people who live there. After the powerpoint presentation, there was a Q & A time followed by a hands on session where participants used fabric swatches, wallpaper samples and paint chips to create an inspiration page for their own homes. Each participant left with a custom journal, created and designed by Gail Barley Interiors, to help her on her way to designing her own home, hopefully, without defaulting to beige! It was a wonderful time and I met some amazing women.

Suffice it to say it’s been a busy winter, not that I’m complaining!