Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Return of the Convex Mirror

Over the past few years we have seen convex mirrors appear more frequently in designer spaces. These bulbous, round mirrors do a great job of adding reflection to a space, in addition to a hint of history- mainly due to there gilded coloring and often a surmounted eagle at the top. I became curious about the history of these stylish mirrors as I've seen them more.

Turns out, the convex mirror has gone in and out of style since the Eighteenth Century, when glassmakers in Louis XIV’s France figured out how to press plate glass into large flat mirrors (making possible the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles). Neo-classical Regency and Georgian periods of design in Ninenteenth Century England and America revived the stylish mirrors once again. And, most recently, we've seen everyone from Billy Baldwin to Jonathan Adler and Restoration Hardware re-create contemporary versions. My personal favorite convex mirrors are antique, like these shown from 1st Dibs.








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3 comments:

  1. Oh, these are beautiful! Thanks so much for this post... I never knew the history!

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  2. Love convex mirrors --- I just realized I don't have one, but love how they add interest to a wall. I think I'll keep my eye out for one!!

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