Mirror, Mirror...

I, for one, am enjoying the variety of mirrors that have been featured lately in design mags. Distressed, new, old- they are a charming way to bring more light and life into the room.

These are mirrored panels of handblown glass. 

(Of course, the Venetian plaster walls are gorgeous!)

Distressed mirror panels for Roche Bobois

A truly old Swedish mirror

 Antiqued mirror panels on the fireplace wall romantically reflect the room.

This amazing room, designed by Chad Eisner, not only contains unusual mirrored wainscoting, but also a to-die-for eglomise wall. Eglomise (an abbreviated form of verre églomisé) means gilded glass and is a process in which the back side of glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf. (Be still my heart!)

The undisputed queen of eglomise in the U.S. is Miriam Ellner in New York City. You'll be amazed at her stunning creations.

Eglomise wall closeup

If you are looking to commission a distressed mirror, consider Garay Artisans in Orlando, Florida. They have an impressive portfolio of patinated mirrors.

Speaking of patinated mirrors, check out the work of David Derksen and his Transcience Project, where he demonstrates the beauty of the oxidizing process of mirrors.

David's mirrors show various stages of oxidation in three different geometrical patterns. He manipulates the amount of time that the sulphur interacts with the silver, thus producing different colors with the same materials.

Pretty cool, eh?

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Gold on Glass

Glass + Gold = Stunning. 

A gorgeous example of verre eglomisé, a technique that involves applying gold leaf (or other precious metals, such as palladium leaf) on the back side of the glass, is presently being presented in the study of the Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House. I featured the same room, designed by Sara Story, last week here, but focused on the lustrous Venetian plaster and gilded peacock door.

Miriam Ellner, the undisputed master of verré eglomise in the United States, is the artist who created the serene glass scrim, which measures 55" x 90" . It is transparent, allowing light to filter through while still providing the illusion of privacy. Gold leaf and paint were applied using an ikat pattern.

At the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse 2011, which closes May 26th, Miriam worked with interior designer, Celerie Kemble, to create a verre eglomisé "Sky" ceiling. The glass panels measure 15' x 17' and are not only a thing of beauty, but also must have been an amazing feat to install! It consists of 22-karat gold leaf, lemon gold leaf, palladium leaf, micas and paint applied to the reverse side of the glass in chinoiserie manner.

Wow!

Corner close-ups:

Here are a few of the many projects that Miriam has done:

Love the herringbone pattern on the right!

Miriam occasionally teaches verre eglomisé classes for the Society of Gilders. You can bet I will be there!

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