Pretty home! Can you show us where you're thinking of placing this mirror?

Well, i'm almost afraid to post it, because i've got a lot of "design no-no's" in this room. I'm just fooling around with images and ideas at the moment. It will be a long time before i fill it.

The sideboard pictured is the only piece of furniture actually in there. It has to stay in that room, because there's no other place for it (and i love it so). I know it's rustic, and i know that mirror i'm thinking of getting to put above it is very ornate. But the scale is somewhat complimentary, i think, and i seem to be really design challenged about filling bare walls (among other things).

Other than the sideboard, the only other thing in the room is that picture above the fireplace, in the simple silver frame. My "design goal" for that room is to achieve a feeling of being in a sitting room in Tuscany, sipping wine and reading a great book (no, never been to Italy, but i'm hoping to bring Italy to me! I'm even going to grow grapes!). :)

Anyway, here's my "doodles" ...
{{!gwi}}

I don't really have an opinion, I just wanted to tell you, you have a great space to work with. :) Also, I agree totally with painting the wood inserts on the stairs. It'll look great, like the woodwork to the side of it.

I think what concerns me more than the two in the same room, is the two fighting to be the focal point of the space.

Why not use the fancy mirror on the DR wall by itself, and use the simpler mirror you have in the DR above the fireplace. Move the picture over the sideboard. It feels small above the fireplace (at least in the pix as we can see it) and having a pix above the sideboard will make it feel less like a focal point. You could perhaps even have room to do a collection of art, rather than a single pix.

What a fascinating idea!

I measured the dining room, and sure enough, the mirror i'm considering will indeed fill that dining room wall, reflecting even more of the window that opposes it in that small room.

I could then hang the current dining room mirror above the fireplace as you suggested, only vertically rather than horizontally (that's a used piece as well, and the person i purchased it from had it hung that way so i'm sure it's got the hardware for that orientation).

My only concern is that the picture will look even more puny above the sideboard, and i'm really not good at creating collections. But i think i could plow through that problem over time ...

Someone in another thread a while back suggested those floating shelves. I wonder how that picture would look if it were sort of leaning on one of those shelves, with some objects around it? I don't know ... i'll have to work on that ...

Thank you for giving me an additional approach to puzzle through!

And thank you chat2taz, for the support on that white paint project. I've been procrastinating over it for a while, and intend to strike while the motivation is with me (motivation can be so fleeting) ...

:)

Improvement?
{{!gwi}}

Your picture is pretty but visually it fades away, with the white mat and small frame; I'm sure you could use it elsewhere effectively where you need something discreet.
I love your sideboard, a pictureframe with more presence would look amazingly good.

Why don't you frame it in black? It will tie in better with the sideboard.

The picture, of course, not the mirror.

As long as the print holds as much weight in the room as the mirror, I don't see a problem. It looks like a substantial piece of art. Only if it looked dwarfed would there be a problem, IMO. By the way, lovely home.

Or you could get a heavier frame for that print.

i don;t like the frame on the print for the look you're trying to acheive..i have spent some time in drawing rooms in italy...and the overall feel is one of great time and use. the frame on the print needs more weight and age, and that long fat bench.....not gonna fly ;( think more classic than modern.

Thanks so much for your feedback everyone.

Yes, it's a pretty substantial bit of art (30" x 36") and the colors, although muted, are brighter than what's communicated here.

I'm really loving the idea of putting that current dining room mirror over the fireplace. Among other things, it will then reflect a window (which is really what i try to do with mirrors). It's so obvious, and yet i was for some reason anchored to keeping things in their original spots.

I hope the "such a deal" mirror is still available so i can make the switch.

Thank you all again for your suggestions. They mean so much to me ...

Igloochic, thank you for your suggestions also! Your response came in while i was waxing eloquent (not) above, so i didn't see it.

You're right about the bench of course. It's not even a bench. I just stretched the image long to give some sense of proportion for what i might use there. That's a big, black hole in my mind. I have NO idea what to do with that spot.

A while back, someone here suggested putting face to face sofas in the room, and i agree, that would be the ideal set up.

Alas, i seemed destined towards non-conformity ... :)

Ooo, this could be fun. Make it posh and add a chaise lounge in a screaming color:

or

Use the latter if you're trying to keep the feel "open" like you did with that bench.

I wouldn't worry so much about styles and making everything look "Italian." Mix and match, modern with traditional---they'll set each other off. I think you already have your sense of proportion and balance. ;)

Texas is right. So far, in my dining room, I have Italian, French and Americana...who knows what's next.

Wow! Look at those colors!

I really love and admire color in a home. But i've never been comfortable with it in MY home. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, i have a "neutral minimal" personality. :) This room i'm working up is a departure for me.

Having said that, i love the idea of that lounge. There's a pillar at the entrance to the room that may make for an awkward traffic flow if something as substantial as a lounge is used. But if i can swing it, it would be much better than bench seating. I'll play with that! Thank you ...

And as for mixing styles, like you, Parma42, i'm all for it! My mother always said if you surround yourself with things you love, somehow it all seems to work.

Estreya, I love your dining room chairs! Do you have a picture showing the entire chair? Can you tell me about them?

Thank you so much, Shay13.

The set was purchased many, many years ago while living in Canada. It's made by a company in Toronto called LEDA furniture. A quick Google revealed that not only are they still around, but they're apparently still making this very same set!

{{!gwi}}

PS: Please ignore the bare dining room wall. I mentioned, didn't i, that i was wall-art-challenged?

Here's the link.

Under Collections, it's called New Empire.

http://www.ledafurniture.com/leda.html

Thanks Estreya! I really love the lines of those chairs. I already have a table, and have been looking for chairs. Your home is beautiful.