Have you ever had one of those amazing moments of sheer brilliance? You know the kind. When you’ve been searching for an answer to a decorating dilemma for months on end and suddenly come across an idea SO brilliant that you can barely restrain yourself from jumping up and down with joy? It may be so exciting that you run upstairs to tell your husband he needs to wake up right now and take a look at what you’ve found on the Internet. It may even be so exciting that you grab his glasses and iPad from the bedside table and place them on top of his slumbering body, then run down the stairs and back up again with a cup of coffee strong enough to help him focus at the crack of dawn.
Of course he will be amazed by your genius and he’ll agree to drop everything he has planned for the day to go thrifting with you . . . because he desires nothing more than that your dream of having the perfect bookcases be realized!
– OR –
He may say something like, “If you help me in the garage this morning, I’ll go thrifting with you this afternoon.”
The negotiations begin.
This is the way my bookcases looked when I first styled them, as seen in my post, Welcome to Our Den.
In that post you may recall my saying that I was enthralled by the word DEN . . .
. . . that it brought to mind thoughts of curling up with a good book or hunkering down for a marathon movie run.
I styled my bookcases with the sorts of things you’d find in the den of my imagining . . . and the mix of old books and treasures collected through the years added to the cozy factor of the space.
I also mentioned that the Screened Porch (my favorite room) sits directly behind the den, making this the darkest room in our home.
So while I’ve been itching to add a little something to the backs of the bookcases . . . wallpaper, a stenciled design, or a different color of paint . . . I didn’t really want to lose the light that’s reflected from the white background of the bookshelves.
Enter THE solution for creating BRILLIANT Bookcases!
Mirrors!
Lots and lots of mirrors.
Mirrors of different design, size, shape, and color.
Newer mirrors . . .
. . . mixed with antique mirrors.
Hand painted icon created through the Farragoz online painting course
Even simple pieces of unframed mirror.
After shopping my own house and lifting mirrors from dressers, bathrooms and side tables, the thrift stores and local antique shops became my hunting grounds.
I became obsessed by the hunt and . . .
. . . though I wanted to find everything all in one day . . .
. . . the hunt was spread over several weeks.
One by one, my bookcase cubbies filled with mirrors . . .
. . . to reflect my collected treasures . . .
. . . and pull in light from the windows across the room.
Brilliant Mirrored Bookcases!
The garage is coming together. Another decorating project has been knocked out. I’m happy. Mr. OTN is happy . . . or at least neutral. That’s just as good as happy for a hubby, right?
For more bee-U-tee-ful bookcase ideas, link to my Bookshelves board on Pinterest and don’t forget to Pin!
As a reminder, Farragoz, the Art of Patina painting course (where I learned to make the lovely icon you saw nestled in my bookcase) is offering one of my readers a FREE online painting course! The course is valued at $150 and consists of six modules (course content pictured on my sidebar) where you will learn Old World painting techniques using homemade paints. You can sign up below. The more boxes you check the more chances you have of winning! By entering this giveaway you are confirming that you are 18 years or over. Void where prohibited. The contest will run through February 20th and the winner will be announced when all of the numbers are tallied!
Blessings,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,
