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madeemadee

What should we do with this mirrored wall?

15 years ago

In desperation for a search of an affordable, large and safe apartment in a city with a terrible rental bubble, my roommate and I signed a lease for a place with some design compromises. Most of the little quirks will be pretty charming with a coat of paint and some creative decorating, but a couple of big things are stressing me out. The first is cheap beige wall-to-wall carpeting. The second is the MIRRORED dining room wall. What the heck are we supposed to do with this?!? http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wu2f7l&s=7

Please send your brilliant ideas my way!

Comments (13)

  • 15 years ago

    I actually like it. Okay, not enough to want it in our home, but it's neat in a sort of retro way.
    Here's your picture. You need to copy and paste the HTML code.

  • 15 years ago

    I don't mind the mirrored wall, I think it opens up a dark space. Since it is a rental, I am guess your choices are limited.

    However, one alternative would be to 'wallpaper' the wall with fabric dipped in liquid starch. It stays up until you want to remove it, and then you just have to peel it off and wipe down the wall underneath.

    What I think could be very cool would be to get a bunch of empty frames of all sizes (thrift store, solicited from friends, etc for free) and hang those all over the mirrored wall. You can use 3M Command velcro picture hangers so they will sit flush on the mirror. Consider doing things in the same finish, or perhaps two finishes, for some cohesiveness.

    A third choice would be to mount skinny, cheap curtain rods on the ceiling and hang drapery panels ceiling to floor in front of the mirrors.

  • 15 years ago

    My daughter used some kind of write on/ wipe off markers to decorate hers with drawings and quotes! Maybe do something with glass paint/gallery glass.

  • 15 years ago

    You could simply place open back bookshelves against the wall -- and fill with vases, bowls etc. Or try the "Billy" bookcases from Ikea -- which are quite thin bookcases -- and the backs would hide most of the wall.

    At least the carpeting is a neutral color! :)

  • 15 years ago

    Though I love the idea of open back bookcases that would only work if you have enough space.
    I love Les' idea of curtains. I'm thinking pretty sheers so just a hint of reflection could still be seen through the sheer fabric.
    Wall words/decals could be another possibility since I'm sure they'd peel off when you move. Maybe a repeated pattern so it would give the look of wallpaper.

  • 15 years ago

    Love the idea of hand-drawn design - whether based on something traditional, like below, or more contemporary like the link. But it definitely requires a commitment to execute. I'd also be REALLY sure that drawing will come off when you move. I've no experience with markers, but my supposedly removable stickers removed a goodly portion of my wall finish, and they were only on the wall a matter of minutes before I decided they looked tacky!

    IMO, the easiest solution, as several posters suggested, would be sheer drapes on a light-weight ceiling-hung rod.

    Here is a link that might be useful: more modern

  • 15 years ago

    I also love the idea of doing floor to ceiling fabric (curtains) over the mirrors. justgotabme has a great idea that sheers would let some of the light and reflection through.

    I would also consider doing some repeating decal over the entire wall. I'm not certain if they are out there, but you could do decals in the material made to "frost" glass so that you have essentially a tone on tone pattern over the whole wall.

    Alternatively, I wonder if there is any way to affix wallpaper to the mirrors without causing damage when you remove the wallpaper. That way the wall would simply be covered with some sort of accent wallpaper that could be removed when you move out.

  • 15 years ago

    You could probably use double-sided tape to hold wallpaper on. You wouldn't need to glue the entire strip of paper to the mirror, you could just tape the edges.

    Another thought--what about window film? There's a huge variety out there, from a simple "frost" effect to patterns. It would tone down the reflectiveness a lot. (That would be my big problem with the room. I wouldn't want to have to watch myself eating.) I've linked to a site with a lot of options, or try googling "wallpaper for windows." You could get pretty creative with an expanse of mirror like that.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Window film

  • 15 years ago

    You could mount large sheets of foam core with Command strips spaced evenly so that some mirror showed around each one. The foam core could be painted to match or contrast with the wall color. You would probably need two pieces per vertical panel. Pretty cheap investment!

    If you decide to hang sheers, you could add some LED light strands behind the sheers to brighten the space even more.

  • 15 years ago

    Thank you PricklyPearCactus. I like your idea of using frosted film. I know what Contact calls "clear" looks frosted when put on glass, so it might work on mirror that way too.

    ForHGTV I like your idea of adding strings of twinkly lights behind the sheers. You can find them in wedding sections of craft stores year round now so they'd be easy enough to find and great for a romantic meal or a party.

  • 15 years ago

    Since it's a rental, be leery of affixing anything to the mirror that has a glue backing. Unless it specifically says so, most of those backings will not be removable without damaging the mirror if they are left on for an extended period.

  • 15 years ago

    I think it is kind of fitting for the space, but maybe a decorative window film that is applied by static cling.

    I have also see treillage placed over mirror.

    But I think most inexpensive fixes are going to look kind of rigged and probably draw attention to the fact that you are covering something up rather than living with it or even embracing it.