Jem, the size mirror you have is fine. Here is a suggestion to tie it in better with

the glass block window. Push the mirror up to the wood molding under the

glass block. Antique both the mirror frame and the window shelf and molding

to match your furniture. Make a shallow shelf under the mirror and ((maybe 5"

deep) antique the shelf to match the mirror frame...look on line for decorative

metal / iron brackets to put under the shelf.

I am a visual person , I did the shelf thing in my foyer with metal brackets that

i antiques to match the rail road hat rack...I'll get pics for you to try and

visualize what I mean.. .

here we go. this is bigger than what I am suggesting for you.

I think your mirror should rest on the shelf.

That's very pretty, c&j! I really like that a lot. I don't think it will work for my space, though, as I can't really have anything projecting down low that might interfere with the chair - and particularly can't have a shelf with items displayed there, as we do use that small space between the chair and wall as a pass-thru to get to the cats' food bowls which are on the floor to the left of the china cabinet. It's a good thought for other areas of the house where I might use a mirror, though - such as upstairs. Thank you for sharing this clever idea!

this is the pic I was looking for...

ohhh... we posted at the same time. :)

Still, what about moving the mirror up to the molding.

As an art and mirror installer, I always tell my clients, remember that a Mirror will reflect what ever is on the opposite wall. So in a Dinning Room, be careful, it does not reflect the open kitchen door and the dirty dishes, and that it is not just reflecting a black ceiling or wall.

Better to have it reflect through the doorway another room, or art on the opposite wall.

Also do people want to see themselves eating?

So think twice when putting a mirror anywhere, yes it will bring light into the room, but will the mirror be adding anything to the decor.

I think we're just going to look for a slightly larger mirror to replace what's currently there. Something very similar, but a bit more oversized so as to fill the space a little better. :-)

Your thread is perfect timing, Jen. I was just waffling back and forth with the same issue. While I'm not a fan of sitting in front of a mirror, I do think they are lovely in dining rooms.

Like you, I have a wall that won't work for a piece of furniture (I think), and a mirror seems like a great idea (especially if I do the shelf the C&J suggested!).

But then again, my antique hutch is mirror backed, and I have a matching pier mirror adjacent to that. That would put mirrors on three walls :o

Turquoise, I love your silver tea set on the dining table. The juxtaposition of the curving lines of the set against the sober and straight lines of the table and chairs is very pleasing. The last picture with the hutch and tea set reflected in the mirror was very atmospheric. In that small space I would keep it simple, no ledges or other embellishments; that would look forced.

Thanks for the nice words! :-)

I've been perusing a few online sites, looking for larger mirrors. Still planning to check out Home Goods since I do remember seeing some nice, large ones there recently - but in the meantime just thought I'd see what else is "out there."

I really like this offering on CL, but it's probably too ornate. Or is it? The tea set on the table is pretty ornate, and this is a very eclectic space anyway. I think the size of this one would be just about right, just shy of 5' long. Not even sure if it's still available, but might inquire about it. The seller wants $200 OBO, which is a bit more than I planned to pay. Still ... I do like it very much.

Here's the CL ad that shows the mirror better than my mockup:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/hsh/5612963609.html

I think it's too ornate and the finish is not believable. Sorry.

Yeah ... the "painted silver" makes me wonder if someone just took a can of Krylon to it, which is not what I'm after. It also doesn't appear to have beveled glass, which is something I really want.

yeah, i love silver finishes but that one..nope. it looks like spray paint.

I don't believe that the mirror needs to be a focal point of the room, it just needs to be there to reflect the light and some of your treasures. I would keep the mirror simple (like the one you have there now) and treat that wall almost as if there were just a window there.

Not really sure how it would look, but I was thinking that a long, narrow mirror (the length of your block window) might look interesting.

Following k9arlene's idea, we brought home this long, narrow mirror and love it. It's at a very nice height while seated at the table. Simple but elegant, and almost the length of the glass block, it feels like a better fit for the space. It's a keeper and this is a done deal.

But now I want a pretty table runner. ;-)

Wow, you two work fast! It takes me forever to make a decision!

I like that it almost matches the size of the window...perfect!

I thought the old mirror looked fine, but the new mirror is perfect! Nothing more to be said; the shape and simplicity mirror the feel of the dining set. Trying to picture a runner but not quite succeeding. What does strike me, and I know you did not ask about this, so let me know if I'm out of line, is the drabness of the chair seats as compared to the pretty carpet. If they were covered with fabric that picks up some of the carpet color I think this space would glow.

I have a mirror in my DR over the sideboard, and have never had a issue with people being self conscious about "seeing" themselves in it. I love it...it reflects the windows on the other wall so basically becomes another window!

I think both of the mirrors you have tried look great...really love the beveling on the second one. The only thing I actually think looks a little "off" to me now are the little colored pots on the window sill. They don't fit the vibe of the space and are quite distracting. Everything else is divine.

I much prefer the new mirror, good job.

Original mirror was great, CL a little 'iffy', but NEW mirror is PERFECT!! Love it, still reflects what you want it to, the shorter height keeps it from just reflecting the backs/torsos of the ones seated there. You did good!!

I think the new mirror works. I agree with nini804 about all the little pots, though. With the addition of the mirror it they seem like too much - pots lined up over ther the mirror then plates lined up over the hutch. Nowhere for the eye to rest and take in your artwork and the treasures in your hutch. I would remove the row of plants (maybe keep one toward the edge) then I think you will have nailed it.

Personally, I love to have mirrors in a room, they multiply the light available and that is just so helpful in some of these houses with few windows. I would have mirrored the entire wall where the buffet is. Or, I would have changed the window on the dining room wall to be a really large window. But, there must be some reason why it's such a high narrow window with glass block only. Congratulations, it does look really nice now.

Thanks for your kind words! I agree that the potted plants aren't quite cutting it now. Initially the plastic pots didn't bother me but now I think they detract from the elegance of the mirror. I love blue and white porcelain so thought about finding some cache pots and might remove some of the plants as suggested.

Re the chair seat upholstery - I never thought about redoing it. That's Stickley fabric and was not inexpensive, plus it's been really good quality and has held up beautifully over the past nearly 20 years. But it's not out of the question to reupholster the seats and I may look around at fabric at some point soon to see if anything grabs me.

How about removing some of the plates from the top of your breakfront and arrange them on the glass block window for a more cohesive look.

Those aren't plates, they're Navajo baskets and I don't want them up against the glass blocks, which really radiate the sun in the afternoon. I've removed all but one of the plants (DH said he didn't care for all of the plants there either), and it looks better I guess. Much more bare without that greenery, so it'll take me some getting used to!

the new mirror is perfect. It fits so well with

the glass block window. It's a perfect pairing...:)

It just blends nicely and now that I see the new mirror

the old mirror looked forced in comparison.

Jen, I like the new mirror in your dining room. The size is much better than the previous one. I think the color works well with the tea set as well as the caming in the leaded glass doors of your cabinet, which appears to be a silver color. Also, I'm thinking the only person who would be able to see him/herself eating is the person in the chair across the table from the mirror, but if the person in the chair closest to the mirror is blocking their view, then problem solved!

Thanks!

I removed all but one of the plants and have auditioned about 50 other items on the windowsill but nothing grabs me. Maybe it should just stay as is for now. I'm going to try to find a nice cache pot for the ivy. (And I know that a Pothos is rather pedestrian, but I've always liked them. ;-))

I removed the paintings that were to the left of the mirror and hung a pair of watercolors that are matted and framed identically. These were done by a listed Pueblo artist and are very special to me, so I'm really happy to have been able to make them work in the dining space.

I might be picky, but I'd move the new pictures down some to the same height as the ones to the right of your break front.

I might try that. DH and I actually debated where they needed to go and he thought they looked good where they are now, but I'm not so sure. Meh, what's a couple more nail holes at this point.

Yeah - that's better. Moved the watercolors down so that the top is even with the top photo to the right of the cabinet and paired them so that they more closely mirror the spatial relationship of both framed photos. Now to see if DH even notices. ;-)

Much better! I didn't care for the first mirror at all. It looked forced, like you were just looking for a place to put it. Still don't know that the area there NEEDS anything but the new mirror is looks MUCHO better! I also like just the one plant in the window. It's cleaner, less cluttered :) Nice job.

The new mirror works perfectly!! Love how the beveled frame sparkles alongside the tea service. You go girl, you really get things done!

I like all the changes you've done. The new mirror is just the thing. Those lined-up pots had to go, but you're right - there is now a bareness to the window. I've just now trimmed my pothos runners. You might let yours trail horizontally on the sill a bit so "something" is there. You might also try a variety of different size cache-pots; one round, another round of a different size, and a rectangular.

Jen, I always seem to be the odd man out, or maybe my ideas are too off the wall. lol Personally, the mirror is too low for my taste, but love a mirror in a DR also. This is just a thought, and something I did in DD's DR(wish I had pix)! I hung *2* identical mirrors, vetically with a large picture in the center(huge wall). In your case, I would hang each mirror a few inches out from either side of the window, leaving whatever the length of the smaller pictures are, under the window. I would either use the 3 pictures surrounding the hutch, or the 2 pictures to the left of the window, centered under the window, creating a straight line at the bottom if the larger picture isn't used~seeing I like using odd numbers, I would probably use the larger picture(space providing),counting the mirrors as 2, and adding 3 pictures. I don't know if you can 'see' my vision, but thought I would throw it out there. You could try it on the floor using the one mirror, and a couple of brown paper grocery bags, 'simulating' the other mirror. Yeah, i'm a weirdo. lol

I like a mirror in a dining room just fine. Can't think of anyone's though where you can see yourself eating, if it's there, I haven't noticed. Not sure if it would bother me. We have an antique mirror in our dining room, however, it is sitting/leaned on top of a china cabinet. It has the silvered (aged) mirror, but it's too high for anyone sitting at the table to see themselves. Honestly, I like a mirror in most any room. I think the only rooms we don't have a mirror in are our sunroom, office and kitchen.

We also have a house full of (mainly old/antique) mirrors - we have one in every room except the kitchen and utility ;)

That said, I hate to see the reflection of myself eating in a mirror, so those in our eating spaces are strategically placed away from the tables, but do think what your new mirror looks far better than leaving the wall beneath the glass block window naked! As someone else said it's not really likely a diner at your table would be able to see themself anyway as the person sitting in front of said mirror would obscure the view......

I do wish we were as quick as you guys at accomplishing stuff - it seems to take me months to find the right piece!

Thanks for the additional thoughts!

Patty, you are not a weirdo! I like your idea and would love to see a photo. I think we are satisfied with our current arrangement though, and the mirror really doesn't look too low when you see it in person. (My parents stopped by today and they really liked it hung there. I know they wouldn't have been so vociferous if they didn't think it looked right.) ;-)

I have played around with items on the windowsill today and think I'll stick with these things for now: The plant (still want a better pot for it though), my long-legged iron bird, couple of favorite blue and white plates in the Asiatic Pheasant pattern, and a couple of pieces of complementary art pottery. I really like the mix of "finer" items with more rustic things, and that's what I'm trying to pull off in this space.

I I like what you have so far with the exception of the plant. Sorry, it just doesn't 'fit in'.

I think the plant is fine - it softens the other items. But I want to know more about the gecko on the wall. It hasn't moved in days.

The plant's definitely staying because I like it. :-) That little gecko is a treasure to me! Originally purchased at an art gallery in Durango, Colorado, he's been a part of my life for many years. One day while painting in our old dining room, I dropped him and his tail and a foot shattered. I was so devastated - I actually cried over him. My lovely dad came and got him, re-made his broken parts from clay, and repainted him. I'd like to say he's good as new, but actually he's better - because of the loving care that my father put into him, to make his 50-something year old "little girl's" tears turn to a smile.

It's always fun to see you styling your rooms with all your great collections and "stuff". I think I may have suggested this long ago but can seem to stop from suggesting it again:

What about moving the display on top of your cabinet to the window sill? They are so beautiful together, but I think height that they add to your cabinet throws off the balance of the room/decor somehow.

Thanks, Oly!

I don't want to move the baskets (which are mostly Navajo in origin - although I think there may be a couple of Hopi baskets thrown into the mix) to the windowsill where they will get too much direct light and heat. I plan to leave them where they are. I think if you saw the space as a whole (it's open to the kitchen and living areas), it wouldn't seem like the baskets are throwing off the balance. Actually, they kinda help act as a nice counterpoint to the decorative items I've displayed on top of my kitchen cabinets (against the suggestion of many, but I just can't live with that area bare! ;-)). One of these days I'll try to get some good photos with my good camera, instead of always snapping pics with my phone. Gosh, that's so quick and easy to do though!

I think that mirrors in any room are great, as long as they reflect something great, like the outside yard, landscaping, etc. That's something that I like looking at. If it's just a reflection of the inside, no then.

I like the new window arrangement so much better! What a difference, seems to open up the room. The baskets are great where they are; they give the room character. The mirror is good where it is. It's all looking great.

I'm late to the party and it looks like the arrangement has come together nicely for you. I can't remember if I suggested this already or not, but if you ever tire of the mirror, it might look nice to do faux shutters under the glass block window to make the glass block area look the same sill height as the window across the room, turning the glass blocks into more of a transom. Just a thought.

IdaClaire? You're a hard woman to keep up with Aunt Jen/TR/IdaClaire! I must have missed something. I like the window arrangement much better.