Mirrors are so much more than just a simple tool to see your reflection. Mirrors have a bounty of applications—sometimes surprising ones.

In homes, mirrors can help enlarge the look of a room or enhance the lighting of a space. Or, they can be used decoratively as accent pieces on their own, especially when enhanced with a custom mirror frame. In commercial buildings, mirrors have been used to create impressive displays and optical illusions. 

Inside cameras, mirrors allow photographers to see exactly what image will be captured when they look through the viewfinder. Curved mirrors inside reflecting telescopes gather and focus light from celestial objects, allowing us to explore the universe.

The New Year is a time to start fresh.  The urge to organize and de-clutter our surroundings takes hold as we work to simplify our lives and start the year off on the right foot.  For Certified Professional Organizer® Stephani Lipford, owner of A Peaceful Home in Tallahassee, Florida, this is achieved through a blend of organization and interior styling, as she helps clients to simultaneously renew their homes and unburden their lives.  We asked Stephani to share with us her philosophy, as well as tips we can put into action in our own homes.

Q: What is your philosophy re: design, organizing and how the two come together to achieve a “Peaceful Home.”

As we usher in a new year, let’s take a look ahead to see what styles will rise to the top of bathroom design.  Finishes are always fun place to start: while polished chrome and brushed nickel continue to rain supreme, rose gold, warm brass and champagne colors are adding warmth and a luxe look in faucets, fixtures and mirror frames. 

Farmhouse style has emerged as a leading design trend, thanks to Chip and Joanna. Authentic, reclaimed Barnwood (aka barnwood siding) is a fabulous fit for the farmhouse style, and beyond, to the rustic ski cabins of the West or coastal cottages of the East Coast. It’s not fancy, or traditional but relaxed and casual in nature.  Barnwood presents a warm look, full of texture and depth. It’s an adaptable style that works perfectly in newer and older homes alike.  It brings character and charm to new construction, while fitting seamlessly with the time and style of an antique home.  While many incorporate the look using planks for shiplap or paneled accent walls – consider it for the bath. With MirrorMate, it’s a simple design element that can be added in minutes to the wall-mounted mirror and immediately gives a warm, finished, designer look to the bath.

Kelly over at the blog Greenspring Home is a new mom and homeowner sharing her love of both with her readers.  Her latest design project was a bathroom makeover for her very own sister. Not being able to find off-the-shelf, pre-framed mirrors in a size that would work in the space, she turned to MirrorMate to provide the custom sizing and frame selection she was after. After ordering samples, Kelly chose the Highline Slim Silver Patina style and order three custom mirror frames to fit atop the plate glass, wall-mounted mirrors.  The results are nothing short of gorgeous.

We have officially finished our very. last. project. in our master bathroom and can now call it “complete!” thanks to MirrorMate! To be honest, I never even thought about framing our existing mirrors and had been pricing out new framed mirrors when one of my lovely readers commented “Hey girl! You need MirrorMate frames for those mirrors!” on a photo of our master bathroom. So I looked them up and was excited to learn their gorgeous custom built frames were a more affordable option and easy to install myself.