Nothing like getting a text from a friend who is standing out in the freezing rain telling you she found a couple of mirrors set on the curb she thought you would like. Sweet Mandy not only grabbed her wagon to haul them home, but enlisted her husband too. I felt so bad! But…I’m so glad she saw the potential in this gem. Stick around to see what I do with this upcycled dresser mirror. Isn’t it pretty?

I was excited to take a peek at their haul, and when I saw this one I was instantly drawn to the ornate, gilded details it had. If you haven’t seen one of these before, it’s off a 1960’s – 70’s dresser, and was most likely one of two that would rest on a really long, and large dresser. See that speckled finish that is classic to that era?

You’ll also notice the mirror had a crack in the frame, and it also had some other damage to the bottom. However, that isn’t a concern to me as it is HEAVY and well built (unlike most modern furniture today).

LET’S START

If you have been following, you will have seen I decided to start working on my family room. I’ve torn down the ceiling and replacing it with antique barn roof shingles in a coffered form.

In order to get that process started, I had to clear out the room. Not to mention all the junk goodies stored in it waiting for our house to be done. This mirror was one of them.

While my living room is also a holding area for now (yes, I’m in chaos around here!!), I decided to go ahead and put this mirror up in the spot I had been saving it for, even though it’s not done yet. Here is my entry wall in the before state.

What you see is my living room wall that has wallpaper under paint. Back in 2003, we moved in and I rolled a topping joint compound over the wall and then painted the green you see. Long story there, and I will share that one day. However, this is a quick fix for me.

The hole you see in the wall was caused when we had to cut the other side of the wall to get our cast iron bathtub in place. You can see our bathroom remodel starting here. Oh, the things we do to remodel DIY style. geesh. So…yes, I’ve been staring at that hole for a few years. I am aching to get finish our home. First, we finish the kitchen, then the family room, and then this space (living room).

DIY TIME

I wanted to create more dimension to this space with a larger mirror, particularly one with an arch because we cut an arch in our kitchen doorway that leads into this room. You can read about that in this post. This mirror just happened to fit the bill.

However, I didn’t care for the speckled finish and wanted an old looking mirror. I whipped out my crackle topping and brushed it on with my paint brush.

After I let that cure, I added two coats of a creamy white latex paint and watched the aging process happen. Fun to see the paint crackling and giving the effect I was after.

While the layers of paint were curing, I decided to paint my entry corner to use up a gallon of paint from my bedroom remodel that was needing to go. I also wanted to play to see what my space will eventually look like. I can’t say exactly what will go in here, but we will be redoing the walls and it may include some gorgeous wallpaper or board and batten…we’ll see. Here’s a peek at what is kinda in my mind.

THE REVEAL

We originally replaced the solid wood front door with this leaded glass door and it let that beautiful light in. It will eventually be replaced when we side the house. That’s another upcoming project we’re trying to get done before winter.

Funny thing is that we rented for years and had cream, white, or beige walls. I then announced I would be adding color everywhere in a home of my own. I did do that when we moved in and found I really prefer the neutrality of whites. It’s like a blank canvas for being able to add color in any form for any season. When I would need to replace furniture in this space over the years, it was hard to find things that weren’t floral patterns to go with the green. Neutrals open it up so much more. So, back to creamy whites we go. Yay!

Speaking of…here’s a closeup of the upcycled dresser mirror. It now has aged effects with crackle, distressed paint, and wax.

ALL DONE…FOR NOW

On the other side, you’ll see all my interior doors in my home are short. When we moved in there was white carpet everywhere. We found these near-pristine oak floors underneath. Buh-bye carpet! I am on the hunt to find solid wood doors to replace all of those doors too. I’m thankful we can keep the glass knobs at least. I’m tellin’ ya, I’m one busy mama!

Oh, and yes that hole in the wall is still there. Doesn’t my ficus tree look so much better there instead? tee hee.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed a peek in to my crazy DIY world. It was fun to see how an upcycled dresser mirror added light, depth, and interest to my boring space.

Anyone else in the mix of remodel? Do tell so I know I’m not the only crazy one, k?

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here’s a sneak peek at that gold beveled mirror given a face-lift as well. It’s now available in my online shop.

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