One of the big things that attracted us to our new house, was the fact that the living room was huge, much bigger than the one in our previous house. As a young family, we currently spend the vast majority of our time in here, whether it’s reading, watching telly or socialising. The children also spend most of their time playing with their toys in there with us, despite having a decent sized bedroom and playroom- it really is the hub of the home!
So when it came to this room, I really wanted to get it ‘right’ decor-wise, as out of all the rooms in our lovely old house, the living room was the one that I felt never really ‘clicked’ and I just couldn’t put my finger on why not.
This time around, we’ve gone for a bold blue (Dulux ‘Wild Water Blue 2’) on all the walls, and after having a bit of a wobble that it wasn’t the right shade of blue (first world decorating problems right here folks), I’m actually now really happy with it and pleased we were brave with our colour choice.
And with a bold room needs beautiful, bold accessories!
I knew I wanted this room to feel quite opulent with lots of character and textures- more metallics, plants and a mix of bright and muted furnishings to go with our fairly large collection of books and varying chairs/sofas. We’re still adding prints and photos to the room bit by bit (the part that always seems to take me the longest!), but after only 6 weeks in our new home I’m happier with this new living space more than I ever was with the old one.
The large wall above the built in fireplace was one I’d clocked even before we had moved in, and I’d come back to measure up this wall even before moving day, as I felt this really needed a statement piece in the form of a mirror or giant picture. In the end I decided that a HUGE mirror would reflect light (what with the walls being dark) and make the room look even bigger than it is, and add a bit of glamour.
Exclusive Mirrors had been in contact with me previously to see if I’d like to review one of their gorgeous mirrors, so I asked if they would they mind waiting until we were in the new place before sending one that we thought would go well on the big wall.
And what a great choice we made!
The Multi-Window Effect Mirror is 92cm wide and 122cm high, so has been the perfect fit size-wise for a large living space. When it arrived it was VERY heavy, and I was quite worried about how we’d get it on the wall (and keep it up!), but Adam and my father-in-law calculated the weight, and then hotfooted it to the nearest DIY shop to buy the correct bolts for it to secure it to the wall (it attaches at the back using two, strong, round metal hooks). And so far, so good, it seems to be holding just fine. You will definitely need two people to put this up- it certainly isn’t a one man/lady job! I’m impressed with the quality and the mirror came well-packaged so there were no marks or scuffs either.
The mirror has a rustic ‘brushed’ effect, so would suit a shabby-chic interior, as well as a more glam one.
I’d always wanted a window mirror, and this really does look fantastic in our new living room (if I do say so myself).
I can’t wait to show you the finished room in the new year- once all the Christmas decorations are down that is!
What a gorgeous mirror! Your living room is looking stunning with the blue, contrasting with the yellow and the grey radiator. Wow!
That mirror is awesome! We’re just building our extension, and when it’s done – in about 3 weeks time – I’d like to get a big window style mirror for next to our dining table. Off to check our their website x
It’s gorgeous!! I love that it’s oversized. It makes such a statement. Love the blue on your walls, too. Have you come across Karen from Making Spaces? I think you’d love her blog x
Love this. We’re yet to put any prints / mirrors / shelves up on our walls, we are also terrible and getting that sort of thing done fast!