Better Than Pottery Barn

I love mirror windows.  I have had my eye on this mirror from Pottery Barn since I first spotted it.

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The $699 price tag put this baby out of reach.  So I set my sights on something more attainable.  I figured if I could find an old window I could make it my own.  While my hubby and I were antiquing for a chandelier  I kept my eye out for a cheap old window.

I don't know how many of you have tried antiquing in New York but it is tough.  Everything is expensive.  Even old windows.  I could not find one for less than $150. That cost, on top of getting the mirrors for the window pains, cutting them to size, and painting the frame and we're looking at quite an expense.  

Just when I had given up my hubby's aunt offered us this WINDOW MIRROR she had not sold at a yard sale.  What luck!

I jumped at the offer.  I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture, but it had gold speckles.  I was not crazy about the speckles but knew a coat of paint would fix that right up. I don't think she realized I had been looking for one all summer.  The price tag said $5.00 and I offered to pay it, but she gave it to us for free (and some blankets so we wouldn't break it on the way home).  Even Jeff thought I was crazy and did not realize my obsession with the right window mirror.


Fast forward three months...

My mirror is done and I love it.  It's better than Pottery Barn (as the title suggests) because it's white, free, and a real window.  I'm so happy. I put it up in my stairwell.  The idea is that it will reflect the light from a big skylight over the stairs (you can see it in the first shot) and down into my living room and dining room (I have a very open floor plan). 

I painted it white and added a touch of distressing with the highly recommended Distress Ink (I love that name). 

Here is one more before and after so you can see how good it looks.

Before

 After

Now I can't wait to get a big painting on the other wall to balance the area out (I have my eye on one of my sister's paintings, it is nice to have a gifted artist as a sister).