before and after: mirror

given my propensity towards starting projects with bright eyed enthusiasm, then letting them languish as my motivation wanes, and finally half heartedly completing months later - or (ahem, upholstery project) throwing my hands up in defeat and letting a professional finish the dirty work - i guess i shouldn’t be surprised that this is the first DIY “before and after” i am showcasing here on EOTH. but it won’t be my last, for sure - as my budget doesn’t quite align with all the apartment projects i have my sights on, i have no choice but to roll up my sleeves and get my DIY mojo on over the next few months! i’m excited! (ok, talk to me in november and we’ll see how i am feeling then…!)

ok, so the project. i acquired this mirror as a hand me down about a year ago. and while i love the decorative flourishes of the frame and the statement-making size, i’ve just never been crazy about the wood. i just have SO MUCH of that cherry/rosewood colored furniture, i was feeling a little smothered by the ubiquitousness of it all. so the painting project i took on had two objectives - the first being to bring out some of the black and dark gray accents i am working on interjecting against the beautiful, pale walls (i’m hoping to get this started this week and i have these on order - painting the radiators black is on my list of things to do as well). the second, more important, goal was to give this annie sloan chalk paint a whirl. i’m obsessed with its rich, velvety, matte finish - and the claim of adhering to any surface without sanding or priming seemed very intriguing to me (as i am wont to be deterred by a project with too many steps!). it also piqued my interest as it might be the answer to my prayers for when i finally get around to painting the crummy, mismatched ikea cabinetry in my kitchen. all in all - i am pretty psyched with both the results of this project and the potential of future, bigger projects i also have in mind. so… without further ado…

the BEFORE: (i love the reflection of my tin ceiling tiles in the mirror - a happy, photographic accident!)