Mirror, Mirror, on the wall

who can find the best deal of them all? 

(Overstock.com $142.99)

Mirrors are all the rage in decorating right now. Or so the experts say. A mirror increases the visual space in a room and reflects light. I'm convinced.

The problem is, I'm not the only one listening to the experts. If you go to buy a nice big mirror for your wall, you are going to pay a lot.

(Pottery Barn, $299)

(Trouver Antiques, L400)

(Amazon.com $259.99)

(London antique shop, L2,245)

I have expensive taste.

So when I saw this beauty at a local second hand shop, I got really excited. It was $15, solid wood and in perfect condition.

I am really thankful to be married to a man who doesn't come unglued when I spend $15 on something completely unnecessary for our home. He's an easy-going guy and I love him for it. It took him about 2 days of seeing the mirror propped up against the wall in the living room before he asked, "What's going on with this mirror?"

(before picture)

"I'm going to paint it white and hang it above the fireplace!" I said with exuberance. "I saw almost exactly the same thing on Design With Christine's blog and she decorated a room for a client and spent $1,000 on the mirror! Can you believe it?!! And I paid $15!" 

Yes, I spoke with exclamation marks because I was that excited.

My amazing husband caught my enthusiasm and gave me a resounding, "Okay," in response. He trusts me that much. LOVE. HIM.

And I went about painting the mirror white with the trim paint I used on the mantle and built-ins.

(after picture)

Exclamation mark. Exclamation mark.