Maybe it's a reflection of the times.
As we expect our home furniture to be comfortable, multitasking, and look great at the same time, mirrors are turning into works of art. Some cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.
It's not like it's not in our decorative DNA. So all the opulence of grand gilded Louis XVs and Baroque mirrors are masters that have historically dominated the spaces of European museums, palaces, and villas.
But this is different. Much like designing a piece of art that includes mirrors, mirrors sometimes feel like an afterthought. And strangely enough, it continues the trendy era when large rectangular mirrors appeared in many interiors, either on the floor or stylishly leaning against the wall, as a symbol of modern design. Masu.
It started with a mirror frame. More imaginative materials began to catch the eye and demanded at least as much time as mirrors. The beautiful wood grain veneer is thicker and I couldn't help but notice it. Fanciful, looped golden metals, filigree-like framing of rings, or the construction of three-dimensional textures that extend traditional elements from seashells to leather petals to feathers, or the unexpectedness of materials. combination. Later, miniaturization progressed, and small mirrors designed to allow multiple mirrors to be displayed side by side appeared, and they actually sought companions. It's not a very new concept, but one borrowed from collectors who intuitively group beauties like French guilloché enamel hand mirrors and bejeweled Peruvian mirrors. Nowadays, manufacturers combine circles and other shapes to make them easier to hang, and he sometimes connects them together as one wall art.
Some designers began to explore mirrors themselves, creating new geometric shapes with smaller parts, dividing them into Mondrian grid segments, such as Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams' bronze/clear mirrors. Perhaps some took inspiration from tile tesserae and parquet floors in Paris. Arik Levy, a Tel Aviv artist with a studio in Paris, makes mirrors from long mirror strips and shifts them to create a single piece.
Inevitably, an exploration of form took place. Karim Rashid has created a playful collection of bath mirrors called Reflect + for the Belgian company Deknut, which play with color using LED lighting. Again, he's more dramatic hanging three together than one. At Global Views, designer Julia Buckingham took the shape of a star, stretched it out, and arranged her six diamonds in two sizes into one cohesive piece that made her impact.
Italian manufacturer Seletti has introduced its Luminaire mirror, which takes the traditional circular and oval shapes and slightly flattens them, surrounding them with LEDs. The designer's inspiration was a string of lights hung in the square during the festival.
In the newly published Modernique (Abrams, $40), Buckingham describes her décor and product inspirations that combine vintage and modern style and fashion, repurposing jewelry into other Global Views designs. Did. It was a starburst brooch, suspended like a pendant from a chain, with a small jewel-like mirror in the center. Many new mirror designs are hung this way, with chains, leather cords, or ribbons giving a graceful and elegant look.
Currently, the very mirror surface is decorated. It has the feel of antique mottled glass, but the seemingly random patterns are intentionally placed.
One of Anthropologie's large rectangular designs has an overall pattern that resembles suzani, a trendy vintage embroidery centered around a circle, but is actually inspired by French lace. The other one is actually more vague, due to the technique of washing the color out on a mirror. Artteriors mirrors have a textured surface that resembles a slice of the solar system. Another one from the same company, Edinburg, has an irregular shape (like a trapezoid) and a rugged surface like the craters of the moon, making it look more like stone than a mirror.
Zuo's mirrors feature mesmerizing patterns created through repetition. It consists of a series of bull's eyes and is reminiscent of the turn-of-the-century combination of stained glass and clear glass called “rondelle.” The other, on a very grand scale, is by his Memoir Essence Furniture, a Portuguese brand. Combining geometric shapes of various sizes (some of them three-dimensional), their surfaces are antiqued, creating a composition that completely dominates the wall.
Yet another fresh new direction actually combines mirrors with other materials, such as wood, to highlight patterns. The Roche Bobois example features a distinctly Art Deco look, combining mirrors and wood in an elegant composition. At West Elm, one half of the mirror is a slice of a tree trunk, and the other side follows an irregular shape with a mirror image. The design is visually reminiscent of wood, combining white marble with cheese blocks and trays, which are popular household items.
“Designers are beginning to understand that the frame around a mirror is an intricate part of a functional piece,” Buckingham said. “But all of a sudden there are so many options, so many different shapes. It's a complete crossover. If every entryway had to have a mirror, how complicated would a mirror decorated with stone be?” And colorful? It's no longer just an ordinary mirror, it's been elevated to superstar status.”
Therefore, the new artistry, much of it playfully asymmetrical, lends more weight to the usual places in the interior: above the fireplace mantel, on the entryway console, on the dining room buffet, on the bed. Artistic mirrors may have traditional functions, such as reflecting a view or visually expanding a room. “I like to pull out unexpected mirrors and create them,” Buckingham said. “I like to put it in unusual places, places that no one would expect, like the butler's pantry. Some people might say, 'Why do you need a mirror in there?'” Until they realize how decorative and sculptural it can be.'' For those who don't own much art, this new mirrored wall decor can add a spectacular and whimsical focal point to their walls. can.
