For several years I have been trying to add more French-inspired items to our house. Whenever something needs replacing, I look at possible replacements through a French-inspiration filter. Will the replacement add to an overall French look?
Adding French touches with small accessories is not very hard. A fleur de lis here, a gold-crowned white bird there, and the arrangement is French inspired.
Small items like the little bird are easy to move around and to store when not in use. He can sit on a dining table, the mantel, atop a stack of books, inside a bird cage, in a flock, or alone. He adds a French touch to Christmas, spring, fall, and birthdays. Wherever he flies, he adds French inspiration.
White flowers also add a little touch of French design in any room. White stock stems from Trader Joe's cost very little and are easy to arrange. They even gracefully lift their arms upward after being placed in the vase.
When it comes to larger items like beds, chests, chairs, and mirrors, I found it harder to find just the piece that meets all the requirements.... size, color, style, budget... What if the new piece does not really add to the over French feel I want? Small accessories can be replaced easily, but large-ticket items are around for a lot longer. Even longer now that I am retired, on a fixed income.
For the past two years I have been working on my master bathroom, changing it from an American country feel to French country. One of the things I have been looking for is a French-style large mirror to replace the builder-grade sheet mirror over the vanity. Last fall I looked for days at the Round Top Antique Show.
Life has a way of taking unexpected twists and turns. This mirror was my mother's. Over fifty years ago I went with my dad to pick out a Christmas present for my mother. I don't remember if Daddy knew Mother wanted a beautiful gold framed mirror, but this mirror is what I helped Daddy choose for Mother's Christmas present that year. We only went to one furniture store, no other place.
The mirror first hung over the sofa in our living room in the house that had a crystal chandelier. Maybe the chandelier is why we selected this ornate three-dimensional frame and the beveled edges on the mirror. Over time, my parents lived in three other houses before building their final retirement home. The mirror hung over the fireplace in that house for over twenty years.
Many years ago Mother told me the mirror would be mine one day. The mirror has special meaning to me because of the memories of buying it with my dad for my mother. In late August, the mirror came home with me.
I think it has a French style and definitely fits the French way of living in which French families use cherished pieces from their parents and grandparents to furnish their houses. Yes, this piece adds an overall French look.
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The little white bird
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