The ultimate in French mirrors, is the Trumeau mirror.
Trumeaus were made in France in the late 1800s, and were made to go on walls between windows.
A rectangular mirror with two sections, the lower with a mirror and the upper had a decorative carving or a decorative painted scene that was the focal point of the mirror.
I have long admired these mirrors, but authentic French Trumeaus are very pricey.
This large and gorgeous Louis VI period blue and gilt Trumeau was
sold on First Dibs at just under a very pricey $15,000.
So imagine my delight when my blogger friend, Jamie Lundstrum,
( So Much Better with Age blog), penned
a DIY book about all things Vintage French style.
And inside Jamie's book, was a how-to for making a French Trumeau mirror!
It is among 70 projects for adding Vintage French decor to your home.
It was time for a change in the dining room, I had even been contemplating wallpaper.
After taking everything off the walls, we headed to Home Depot to get supplies.
I followed along the instructions and got an MDF board along with
some trim pieces for the top and sides. I decided to use an existing mirror I already had that was
in an ornate carved frame. In the book, Jamie frames out a cut piece of mirror,
but I figured by using a framed mirror I already had, it would be less expensive and easier!
The point is you can do it either way and end up with the mirror of your dreams.
The top of the mirror can be made two ways, one with a crown molding like the one here and
the one in Jamie's book. But I enlisted my husband to do the cutting of the moldings
on his fancy saw. One can also use a plain piece of flat backed molding for the top,
as many of the original Trumeaus were made this way.
Note the lack of moldings on the bottom, and the simple molding on the top.
The focus is on the mirror and the decorative carving.
There are so many ways to design your
own mirror, and that is really the fun part!
The colors and styles are endless, which makes it perfect for personalizing your home.
You could add French wallpaper or fabric instead of a painted scene for your focal point.
After hubs and I cut the molding and laid it out on the 24" x 48" MDF board, he went to take a nap
and I got out all of my Annie Sloan paints. I was hoping for a grey, but there was none to be had.
So I decided to do a turquoise color and then soften it up with some aging techniques.
A pastoral scene would go in the top decorative part of my Trumeau. I wanted to add a bit
of lavender color to the sky scene so it would pull in my purple transfer ware dish collection.
Next, I painted most of the trim and the entire mirror using
Matthew Mead's Metallic Gold paint by Fusion.
The gold was making it look so French and amazing!
At this point I was getting very excited!
The molding was attached using a staple nail gun. The mirror was attached
using construction grade glue I applied with a caulking gun.
All of these instructions are outlined in Jamie's book.
While not making the exact same mirror Jamie made,
I created my own version using the bones of her instructions.
And I think that is the best thing about creating and decorating~
making it YOUR OWN!
I stood the mirror up against the wall ( before I glued on the bottom mirror)
and realized I should probably change the entire room! GAH!
Paint the walls and change the curtains!!
One little change can have that effect you know...
The next day while Reeve napped, I ripped apart my King sized duvet cover from
Ballard designs and turned it into four panels. On her next nap I painted the wall behind
the mirror and it seemed when she awoke she noticed the changes!!
Look at her cute face during lunch time staring at the mirror!! hahah!
She is my little unwitting decorating apprentice.
Without further adieu, I show you the completed mirror!
Layers of white, olive and pale green paint were dry brushed over the turquoise base color.
A vintage drapery part in the shape of a Fleur de lis was glued to the top area of the
mirror for an extra flourish. Personalizing my own Trumeau in this way,
with the little painted scene and the drapery part finished it off.
A pair of old iron candle sconces were embellished with some blue opaline
macaroni beads and some aquamarine Creative Candle tapers.
The mirror has added a beautiful focal point to the dining room,
with the French Vintage style I adore.
The pale green buffalo plaid curtains give it the Gustavian look I LOVE.
To celebrate I broke out my opaline goblets and found the most amazing bottle of wine
at the local liquor store. It looked just like blue opaline! If you are interested search for
Gemma di Luna Pinot Grigio. It is about $15, and just the bottle is worth that all day long!
The antique gilded ballroom chairs were put into service around the table after I
noticed how perfectly they complemented the gold in the mirror.
Someone may not be as excited as I am, but I have to say, this has been one of the most
fulfilling day projects I have done in a long time!!
Yes, it only took me one day!!
Well, maybe the second day I did fine tuned the paint color
by dry brushing on a bit more paint....
Get inspired to create when you turn the pages
of Jamie's French Vintage Decor book.
From Trumeau mirrors to lavender sachets,
there are simple to medium skill level projects included in this book.
Preorder your copy French Vintage Decor from Amazon here,
due out June 12, 2018! Happy decorating peeps!!
I have this book and completely forgot this how to was in there. I'll definitely will make this mirror for the bedroom....maybe even one for the living room.
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