apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If that is your actual mirror against your actual wall colour, I like it the way it is.

well with your chalky blue, red might be neat... i know that seems to be a well-liked combo around here. but if you want to keep it more subdued, gloss white might be a better option than black... still neutral, but a lot more pop on your wall, i think.

I am so jealous.

Don't do a thing!

That gold is gorgeous.

I have a much smaller mirror with a similarly large frame that I got from my great-grandmother. She had, at one point, decided to paint the frame a pastel pink. And the mirror just doesn't have the same class I suspect it did when it was gold.

But if you really hate the gold and feel the need to paint, I'd like to suggest painting accents of black - perhaps on the rope-type design on the inside of the frame - and leaving the curly-cues on the outside gold.

You are a total lucky duck with that amazing find! As for a new color...you can't go wrong with glossy white. Or you can pick up one of your accent colors in the room and do it in that color. But having said that, I actually like the worn gold look with your blue color scheme.

But heck, it's a free mirror and if you do it in one color and it turns out butt-ugly you can always try another color.

they make a really cool liquid iron paint that rusts when you paint on the oxidizer and that could look really rad with that woodwork. Especially if you dont put all the oxidizer on so you get shades of orange and red and grey

mocha kindof like your couch?

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2151912904/m/4381989428

I have one just like it. Found it at Goodwill for $20 and it was painted an awful tomato red. Repainted it a glossy white and it's absolutely beautiful. Looks like the ones at Brocade Home for a tiny fraction of their prices. My vote is for white.

My first thought was white, but now I like the red suggestion. What an amazing find!

i agree that it is gorgeous the way it is - and seems to go well with your couch!

I wouldn't touch it - it looks great the way it is.

Glossy black

absolutely the way it is.

Give it a month and see if the gold grows on you first...

go with your instinct!
i'm so jealous too
hehe

You are so lucky! It's great that you were able to stop and haul it back even though you were late. Whatever you were late for couldn't possibly have been more important!

I'm definitely in favor of the painting it white idea. With all of your room trim and doors painted white painting it white would just pull everything together even more. Definitely white.

I agree with some others that have posted - the gold actually seems to go well with the neutral tones you already have in your living room. If you don't like it though I'd do a matte black. It will give the mirror a modern vintage look, the sharpness of the black will contrast nicely against the muted blue, and it will help to pull the room together by matching your shelving units.

By the way, love the wall paint. What brand/color/finish is it?

lucky!

glossy white :)

Keep as is. I like the warmth of the gold tones.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

My boyfriend wants to leave it gold, so maybe I will for the time being and just see how we feel about it...

It was definitely worth being a few minutes late to work!

With that great slate color I say buck the white trend and go citron! Kinda like the wall color here:
http://bp2.blogger.com/_e_MQyZR1E6U/SFg88xyRghI/AAAAAAAAP8E/pCTsInBI7R8/s1600-h/1.jpg

I think that original gold colour is more interesting than a solid white or black finish.

I would go with white. It would be awesome with your wall color.

I say glossy black as well. But if you have orange accents in the room... go for orange for a punch of color if you're going to put it up against that blue wall.

Given the mirror's size and intricate detail, I suggest you examine the mirror's frame for evidence of gold leaf. I suspect it may be. If so, I would really try to live with the "antiqued gold leaf" you have as it is worth a fortune as-is. If the mirror is not gold leaf, and you still want to paint it, keep in mind that painting that mirror correctly could be a very time consuming and frustrating task. Consistently covering every crevice of carving without your paint pooling could require several coats and a number of small brushes. Spray-painting may not work well on such an intricate piece.

Congratulations on your find. Choose modifications carefully.

Silver to go with your lamp in the corner and also to complement the white paint on the doors. The gold makes it look too old and heavy (aka mirror at grandma's).

Wasn't there a post recently on the color combination of blue-grey with bright yellow-gold (like the color of the Unplugged logo below)? I'd like that, or white or red, better than black against your blue wall.

glossy bright yellow. it's so ornate and amazing, a solid and bold color would only do it justice.

white.

or a real "statement" color - like bright aqua/ lime/ orange

I like the idea of leaving it alone for 1 month. Then if it is too much, put a glaze on it to tone down the gold. If I decided to do it white, I'd do a chalky matte white. But a color would be so great. How about acid, treefrog green?

Flat white. That's my vote and I'm sticking to it.

I, too, am inclined to say WAIT because of the work and potential errors that repainting could bring about. It's so intricate. It seems like a huge task to paint this. Plus, the original color is ... well, original, and doesn't clash with your space. Nice find!

I really like the gold myself so I really like the waiting time of one month. If you decide that you still want to change it...

White. Glossy White.

Leave it as is.

What a cool find!

I have a (much smaller) mirror just like that and I've re-painted it every time I move to match my new decor. It has been gold, flat black, glossy white and is now green - it just pops!

It's a long job to paint all the details. The trick is to do multiple thin layers or to spray paint the piece after covering the mirror itself with newspaper or foil. I kind of like painting it, I just put a good radio show on and paint the day away.

Yellow!

love all the comments and have to add that I too found a shabby chic mirror outside. I took those new decals/wall stickers they sell and put them on the mirror. I get tons of complements and it might be something unique you can do instead of painting. It looks great, good luck!

I am seething with jealousy. Keep it gold!

Keep gold or go white.

What about silver? Rustoleum makes a great silver/aluminum (both brush on and spray cans) paint that I think would look great against your blue wall.

If you are going to change it, get it done by a pro in a paint booth. The detailing is going to be difficult to get right without overspraying.

It looks great as is.

Although I like it as is, my first idea was to paint in the exact same color as the wall - give it some humor. Or, not completely paint it (pretty tricky since it is so elaborate) but use the flat side of a brush to only hit the highlights and leave the dark gold shadows. Just don't load up the brush with too much paint and where to paint dictates itself. Sounds tricky until you try it - it's actually easier than trying to get in all of those nooks and crannies.

As is! Beautiful!

If that's the room it's going in, I think it looks fabulous as is. However, if you really don't dig the gold my first suggestion would be white because I think it would bring out the awesome details a bit more than black. You could also do a mocha like the couch, or keep the same effect it has now, but with a blue-on-blue--paint it the same color as the walls than do a darker wash over it. It should kinda blend in with the wall, but the design will really be emphasized.

Jessica,

Can you tell me what color your wall is painted?

Thanks!

A bright glossy yellow!

I think it looks great and works well in your place as is.

OMG, awesome score. I am so jellus.

It looks great as is. If you must paint, though, I think hot pink would be amazing.

White with that wall color would be beautiful.

As is!! That gold looks great against the blue

I think white is your best bet. It will make it look more crisp and clean, and really POP off of the darker wall color behind it! And it will pick up the color of your rug and your beautiful moulding.

CONGRATS on your great find!

glossy white

It's a lovely Gift of the Garbage Goddess (All Hail!) and I'd vote that you leave it as is, at least for a while.

Not adding much here except for another vote to leave it as is... because it looks great with the decor of your room.

And... I agree, at least hang it as is for a month or two and see if it grows on you or you really want to change it. Then to that end I say white or cream...

Here's where I help a little. I picked up a vintage (deco) mirror at a yard sale for 10 bucks. The frame was sort of a rubbed gold. I picked up a teeny tiny tube of rub on silver paint (if I'm feeling ambitious and generous later I'll go look for the tube and share the info)

I applied the paint with a little sponge brush, rubbing technique - allowing some of the gold to peek through (it has a sort of raise rope-like trim around the frame) giving it a bit of shabby feel that allowed the dimension of the design to show that much more.

Maybe that would work for you... applying white to the high points and letting the natural low points show through. Could be cool... sort of like Home Body suggests.

Good luck! Great find!

That must be pretty heavy to run off with when you found it. I always ponder this dilemma, but all people on my street throw out are ugly futons and kd furniture. I love your mirror the way it is. What a great find!

This is a beautiful mirror, and I'm so happy you're considering leaving it the way it is. To me, unpainted and a little shabby suggests it's an heirloom passed down from a classy aunt with loads glamorous stories behind it. A bright glossy paint job might make it a sharp accent piece, but it also suggests it's mass-produced and a hundred other people have the same exact thing. Lucky find!

It's amazing what people find on the street.
I would love to be so lucky!

I want it so I can paint it a turquoise color..but really its beautiful as is and works with your wall color as is. Great find.

Love it as is. I think the trend of painting ornate frames glossy primaries is played and dated.