Chinoiserie Mirror Reveal

I have a new reveal!

Hello, Chinoiserie!

It's this gorgeous chinoiserie mirror I found while thrifting a while back:


Before as just wood and heavy as LEAD! See that bottom left corner? That would be the biggest reason for painting it.

It took me all of about 5 seconds to run up and grab the tape with the price on it after I saw it. I loved the fretwork and pagoda style top, as well as the beveled edges of the mirror inside the frame. Let's just say something like this would retail for a pretty penny! I backed the car up to the back, the guys loaded it for me and off it went...for a makeover. I knew what color to use, BM Palladian Blue, but once I got it on there, I wasn't really happy.  Something was missing.

Pretty, but looking a little Plain Jane.

It just wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on it. So, it went on the back burner for a little while until I could figure out what it needed. A couple of times I started to just completely change the color, but the time and effort that had gone into working around that mirror and the layers of gloss held me back. Then... I found this image on one of the blogs I like to read, Maison Decor, and suddenly I was inspired!

Florentine Tray via Maison Decor

Out came the bright red paint (just a dab), some gold and antique gold Rub -n- Buff, a little brown shoe polish (didn't have any dark wax!), and some clear wax. Wha-la! Just what it needed.

Funny thing is, I'm generally not a fan of gold. It's just a little too flashy for me, and...if I'd been painting this for a specific space, it could very well have stayed just the glossy Palladian Blue. It makes it more modern. But, I'm painting it to sell and needed a little "umph". Each piece has to be looked as an individual and what will work for that piece and/or the space it's going into. If you want me to sound silly, you have to "listen to what the piece is asking for". Sound goofy enough? It's true, though. Each piece is different and has different design needs. It's like makeup. You gotta get the right colors and shades for your individual coloring or you look terrible. One formula does NOT fit all. This piece needed a little bling and a touch of color to pop and appeal to the largest range of buyers. Now I love it...and it's in the stack of stuff going to the shop on Thursday.

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