I love our dining room. I love the furniture, I love the chandelier, I love the tray ceiling ceiling… But, something that has never set quite right with me is the position of the mirror hanging over the buffet. I have mentioned before about having purchased a lot most of our furniture before we ever moved in and this mirror and buffet were no exception. I couldn’t get enough of the antique gold finish on the mirror, but having such a long mirror hanging horizontally seemed to visually cut off the wall space above it. Like I said, I love my ceiling and my chandelier and want those to be a focal point – that’s a problem when the mirror makes your eyes stop half-way up the wall. So, I have been planning for a long while to flip my mirror and lean it vertically.
This weekend, I finally got around to trying it out, and wow! What a difference! I loved the look except for one small detail… it didn’t quite fit haha. It was so long it overlapped the moulding but I could already tell I loved the new setup so much, I couldn’t wait and had to make it happen right then. So, I did what any sane person would do. I grabbed my keys and a Diet Dr. Pepper and headed out to HomeGoods (second trip of the day), praying that they would have the perfect mirror. I know myself and I was so desperate for gratification at that moment, even if I hadn’t found just the right thing, I would have talked myself into thinking it was. Lucky for me, I did find the perfect mirror, still on a palette, not yet spotted by the other ruthless HG shoppers. AND, there was a male associate standing right next to me. How often does that happen?! More often than not, I am trying to do decide whether sprinting through the store trying to locate someone for help or standing with my hand on the item, claiming it patiently until someone hopefully appears is the safest bet. It was like it was meant to be. I took that as a sign from God and then cruised to the lamp section before taking my spoils and heading home. With a tall mirror, I knew my small lamps would look a little silly standing next to it. Kind of like Hayden Panettiere standing next to her husband. Actually, they look pretty cute still so bad example. But, the point is, I needed taller lamps.
I think my husband forgave me for this out of the blue, Saturday “surprise” because he could see how in love with the outcome I was. And, he admitted he loved the transformation too. Here is a reminder of what the buffet/mirror looked like before. Nice but a little something missing…
And here is the after. The lamps are the same glass style as their shorter cousins, formerly sitting in that place.
Here, you can see the before from my Easter Tablescape post. The blank space above the mirror is more evident here and you can only catch a glimpse of the bottom of the chandelier crystals.
Now, you can see the full chandelier and even the moulding inside the tray ceiling. The mirror draws your eyes upward and achieved the exact look I was going for. I couldn’t be more excited. I also switched out the gold parasol painting (spotted in the mirror in the BEFORE photo), and switched it out with my Be Still & Know piece from Fine Art by Deann‘s recent church series.
The table is casually set for summer. On Tuesday, June 14, along with some friends, I will be launching my summer home tour so I will wait to share those details until then.
It is so much more open now; instead of your eyes hitting the top of the mirror frame and stopping, they keep scanning upward. When the sun started setting, I kept coming back in this spot and staring; the entire room seems so much softer now.
I would love to hear what you think about the little space transformation. Do you have any art or mirrors in which you are considering switching orientation?
GET THE LOOK
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
12-Light Chandelier
*post contains affiliate links | where original product is not available online, an alternative option has been sourced*
I agree, this mirror is perfect and so is the room.
Marty, thank you so much! I love how one update can make such a big difference.
Looks beautiful Kelley! I thought the before was beautiful but when compared to the after I do like the vertical mirror placement. Good job!!
Kim, thank you so much! I am loving the change 😉
Beautiful, love your style! Is the mirror just leaning, how stable is it??
Trudy, thank you! It is leaning and I was paranoid, but it is super heavy. So, my husband and I “tested” it out and it is secure. I had to lean it enough so a good bit of weight would be on the wall.
I would like to switch my mirror over my buffet from horizontal to vertical, however when sitting at my table it reflects the ceiling… 🙁 Does that matter?
Yvonne, I would set it up slanted enough to be sturdy but straight enough where it isn’t total ceiling. I can see ceiling in mine too and like that it shows the detail 😉
Looks so pretty! I’ve always loved when you can see the chandelier in the mirror. I absolutely love mirrors.
A few years ago I purchased a Louis XIV reproduction mirror. It is exquisite. I found a pair of crystal sconces at an antique salvage shop and purchased them a few years back and they match perfectly. Both had acanthus leaves on them. It is one of my favorite things it makes my tablescapes look very elegant.
Sue, that sounds GORGEOUS! I would love to have sconces in here but that is one of those “further down the road” things for us haha
I’m off to Home Goods, that room is gorgeous . Where are the candle holders from?
Bren, thank you! And good luck! They are from Pottery Barn- I linked to them in the widget at the bottom of the post 😉
I love the new look! Everything was perfect before, but now, it is more “perfect-er”! Loved the story of how you found this gem…made me feel I was right there with you! Wish I was!
Nan, thank you! I wish you were too… I promise I wouldn’t have run away… haha xo
It looks amazing Kel!!! I love you hen the stars align and you find the perfect piece!!!!
It was a long shot too. Very rarely do you decided you need something and find it right then. It was part of my “see, it was destiny” talk when I got home and “surprised” my husband haha!
It looks awesome! Isn’t it crazy how such a small change can make such a big difference? Your dining room is crazy gorgeous!
Kris- so crazy! Thank you, sweet friend!
What a great simple change! Looks 100% better.
Thank you! I am so incredibly pleased! Finally satisfied with this room 😉
I love mirrors also. It’s amazing just changing the mirror what it will do. It is just gorgeous.
Rhonda, thank you! We are so pleased. I really lucked out finding that thing on the first attempt!
What an inviting room! The changes made all the difference.
Susan, thank you! I agree; thank you so much for visiting!
Whoa girl!!! Love it! And look out for you next time in HG’s! With a dr. Pepper fuel there’s no stopping you! Haha! Xoxo
AHHAHA! You know it!! xo 😉
That mirror is perfection! Would you share the name of the paint color on your wainscoting & trim?
Melinda, thank you! I honestlyB any remember and our old cans are buried in the basement – I will definitely have to find out!
hello
I just bought same chair☺️😍 you think it’s okay to use scotchgard fabric and upholstery protector on that chair? you think it’s gonna not gonna ruin the chair?
Awesome, Kaye! I think it will be fine. You may want to call customer service to verify, just in case 😉 I hope you love them!
I’m loving this chandelier. Is the link you provided the exact chandelier hanging in your dining room? I have a similar dining room table and would love to recreate this room :o) Where did you get the chandelier medallion? Thanks!
Hi, Leanne: it is! I found mine at a local lighting store but was able to source it online. The medallion was also from the local lighting store but there are SO many gorgeous options out there!
I am in love with your china cabinet, where can I find it?
Thank you! It is from Restoration Hardware 😉
Did you ever post the color that you used in your dining room? what shade of blue is that? Or what brand? Thanks!:)
Hi, Tami. Yes, it is actually listed at the bottom of this post under the sources. It is Lauren’s Surprise by Sherwin Willaims. 🙂
I am obsessed with this mirror!!! Can you tell me the measurements? We are currently building and this would be perfect in our dining room!
It is a little over 3′ wide and a little less than 5′ tall 😉
I love how you
Mixed the dark table with the light buffet.
I have the same chairs and dark table and was debating on what color buffet to do.
Thank you so much! Yes- I love mixing woods!
Could you please tell me where is the white buffet from. Thank you in advance. Love what you did!
Thank you! Restoration Hardware. It is sourced at the bottom of the post 😉
Soo good to see this console and table together. What I have just ordered is pretty much identical . Looks amazing
Jannah, I am so glad! I hope you love yours!
This dining room is everything!!. We have a glass dining table that I loved when I first saw it, but now I am kinda mad at b/c I feel it restricts me from doing everything in your dining room that I want (centerpiece, hanging chandelier to name a couple), but I am definitely inspired. We just painted the dining room cream and the most gorgeous sweet cherry red and I am hunting now a similar buffet and mirror.
Paula, dining rooms are my favorite! Good luck find those perfect pieces <3
WOW- gorgeous! And you are a great writer! Usually with home blogs I tend to click through the pics but this was so entertaining!
Steph, this is the ULTIMATE compliment. Truly. Thank you so much; I hope you will come back to read more 😉
Hi Kelly,
Beautiful room. How tall and wide is your buffet and what are the dimensions of the new mirror (incl. depth) ? I have a 68 long buffet and I would love a vertical mirror and I am trying to figure out dimension .. and what is a good depth for leaning.
Thx
Beth
Hi, Beth! The dimensions of the buffet are at the bottom of the post – I think 72″? I’m not entirely sure on the mirror but I do have tall ceilings in there.