to the Art Cafe on Monkey Forest Road in Ubud inspired me to share a post about one of my favourite types of decor – mirror collage!

I have recently moved to Bali, and I admit, it is beyond wonderful! Sure, there are overwhelming moments (like being kicked out of a hotel room within the hour to accomodate a forgotten booking) and downright frustrating moments (like taking a walk through Monkey Forest with a bag of newly purchased works of art, only to have the entire bag stolen by a passerby monkey), but with the bad comes the good. And in Bali, there is no shortage of GOOD.

Ubud is a particularly inspiring town – with an emphasis placed on art, crafts and tourism, the town aims to please. The small roads are dotted with art galleries, handmade jewelry shops, boutique clothing shops and many tropical paradise-style hotels for affordable prices.

At night, the restaurants and cafes amp up the atmosphere by implementing soft music, burning incense and dotting the entire space with flickering candles. I was drawn to the Art Cafe in Ubud central because I heard what sounded like live music flowing out of the wide entrance. Sure enough, a very talented musician was playing an acoustic interpretation of Knocking on Heaven’s Door. SOLD! I went in to have a drink and spent most of the evening there.

Musicians behind me while I search the drink list at Art Cafe.

The cafe’s decor is adorable. Aside from the twinkly ambiance of the votive candles and incense embers burning in the darkness, the eclectic mix of wall decor made me smile. An assortment of framed mirrors hung haphazardly on the wall was a nice touch, and it’s easy to recreate!

Framed mirrors adorn the walls in the Art Cafe in Ubud.

To make the most of your mirror collage, be sure to follow these simple steps:

1. PICK DIFFERENT SIZES OF FRAMES – Select a variety of sizes to add some visual interest, especially if you want to achieve the artistic/eclectic look like the one shown in the Art Cafe. Big frames with little mirrors mix nicely with small frames and big mirrors.

2. COLOUR SCHEME - Anything goes when you are trying to achieve an eclectic look, but for a more sophisticated affect, choose mirror frames that belong to the same colour family. Different shades of a single colour will look very chic; varying sizes of frames in the same colour will look downright elegant, and a crazy collection of different colours will look…well…crazy! (but definitely in a good way)

3. HANG AT DIFFERENT LEVELS - Now that you have varying frame sizes and colours, be sure to continue the eclectic trend by mounting the framed mirrors at different levels. Scatter the mirrors along the wall, some mounted higher than others, and don’t worry about making them function (no one needs to look themselves in the eye in every single mirror for this type of treatment).

I found a couple of great options on Etsy so you can make your own mirror collage wall in a special space.

Love this assortment of simple and ornate painted frames from Etsy's TRWpainted for US$74 for the bunch.

This painted mirror frame by WendysVintageShop comes with a little shelf - too cute! And only US$42.

Add some simple frames into the mix to create more variety. This set goes for US$65 from WendysVintageShop.

Adorable bohemian-style vintage frames in a bright, glossy green would add some POP to any wall. The set sells for US$23 from nashpop.

There you have it, a simple way to make a dull wall more exciting. I am going to have to search for a mirror-collage-loving client so I can implement this look while it’s fresh on my radar. Any takers? ;)

to Krista of The Reno Project(s) for winning a beautiful Peyton plate of her choice from my latest giveaway. (Krista – please send me an email with your mailing address so that Alexandra can get your plate out to you soon.)

Random Winner #4

WINNER WINNER, Chicken Dinner! "Butterflies and Iris Flower with Eiffel Tower" plate now belongs to The Reno Project(s)!

Many thanks to the lovely Alexandra of Peyton for sponsoring this giveaway. I have been a fan of Alexandra’s fabulous art prints and plates that she sells on Etsy for a long while now, and I’m happy that Krista has a chance to enjoy her newest home accessory.

I hope you will take a minute to check out Krista’s blog, The Reno Project(s) – it’s awesome. I read it often to follow along with her amazing home renovation process – there are some fabulous moments and some not-so-fabulous moments that Krista shares candidly, all in the name of interior design.

Major thank you’s go out to Peyton Plates and everyone else that participated in the giveaway. Check out Alexandra’s Etsy shop, Peyton, for some more eye candy and great mother’s day gift ideas (that are so cute and really reasonably priced).

Happy Monday, folks!

(p.s. My parents just got the most adorable Westie-Poo puppy in the world. His name is Benny (we call him Ben for short) and I love him to BITS! Isn’t he ADORABLE??

Benny the puppy!

I come with some good news today! The talented Alexandra of Peyton Plates has generously offered to give up a wonderful free gift for one of you – and there’s no catch! (yes, folks, Alexandra will also ship your lovely prize to you free of charge. How sweet is that??).

Alexandra has launched a new Etsy shop called Peyton Plates in an effort to keep up with the high demand for her brand-spanking new decorative (and functional) melamine plates. You may remember my previous giveaway (recap for you forgetfuls: Alexandra offered plates to my readers that were inspired by her famous vintage art prints)…well, this giveaway is similar, but better.

I love the imagery on every single Peyton Plate – and as an owner of several Black Baroque and Peyton Plates of my own (remember this post?), I know that they make for unique decor, wonderful sweet trays and fab gifts.  Recently featured in the April 2012 issue of Home Beautiful, Alexandra’s plates have caught the eye of decorators and design enthusiasts around the world (myself included!), and they are also dishwasher safe – easy easy easy.

Here are some of my favourites:

Love the "Butterflies Collage Melamine Plate" - too cute!

The "Skeleton You give me Butterflies" plate makes me chuckle...I love it!

The "Moose on Antique Map" appeals to my inner Canadian.

The "Black Lace" plate is super romantic in a bold & sassy kind of way.

And the "Butterflies and Iris Flower with Eiffel Tower" is my absolute favourite! I just love love love it.

Aren’t they simply darling?  Curious how to win? It’s dead-easy!

A winner will be chosen at random and announced next Monday, April 23th 2012 first thing. To qualify, you must:

1.)  Visit Peyton Plate’s Etsy site and leave a comment in the comment section at the end of this post indicating which Peyton Plate shown in the Etsy shop is your favourite …and you could WIN IT!

2.) Want to up your chances? For an additional entry, “like” the Passport To Design fan page by clicking HERE and leave me an additional comment on this post letting me know you did so. If you’re already a fan, let me know, and I’ll toss your name into the draw twice (but I will check for your name on Facebook…no fibbing…).

That’s it :) Tune in next Monday April 23 2012 to see if you’re the one who’ll be jumping up and down squealing “Winner winner, chicken dinner!” Many thanks to the very generous and sweet Alexandra of Peyton Plates, and good luck to you all :)

so it’s no surprise that WHITE became the colour of choice for my client’s beachfront condo walls. Why? Why not!? White is neutral, clean, crisp and relaxing. It does not distract from the beautiful view of the ocean, and can remain pretty timeless. AND, in a tropical setting, white remains a constant sense of coolness that keeps mind and body feeling relaxed and comfortable.

Choosing the perfect paint colour can greatly affect the ambiance of the space. The walls were painted a creamy builder-standard beige, and while my design concept was suited to a white colour palette, the existing white on the walls was just not good enough. I know that choosing white paint can be very tricky – there are many types of white, the question is, which one is best? So, after sourcing the major pieces of furniture and textiles, I purchased samples of the paint options and applied them to the walls throughout the main living space to view how the colours would appear throughout the day. It’s important to test the colours near a natural light source as well as a man-made light source. The type of lamps chosen will also affect the colour of paint, especially if it’s white, so it’s best to have as many ducks in a row as possible before making the big commitment to buying a LOT of paint.

As you can see from the colour swatches above, white is not always white! Sometimes, it’s blue, or pink, or yellow, or VERY yellow. In any case, testing each option will help you make a decision.

The top 3 to choose from.

I narrowed down all the options to the “Top 3″ shown above. As you can tell, when each sample is shown next to one another, the differences in the pure nature of the hue becomes more obvious. It looks like I have a soft pink, soft blue and light yellow sample, right? Wrong. All the colours are part of the Glidden Master Palette white collection. Here’s what they looked like on the wall:

Stripes of blue, yellow and pink? Yikes!

I decided to paint the tester stripes of paint on the wall to compare the “whites” and wow, did the original hues of each white ever stand out! You can really tell how dingy the original builder-standard white paint appears after more crisp versions of white were applied. Now, when testing various paint colours on the same wall, REMEMBER this important tip:

DO NOT allow the paint samples to touch one another…ensure enough negative space between each sample so that each sample is surrounded by the wall’s original colour. Why? Because colours affect one another, and if you remove the constant variable (of the same background colour, for example) for one paint colour option, you will not have a clear idea of how the colours look in comparison to the original wall on an equal basis. Geez, that was wordy…does it make sense? Just trust me on this one…leave the original wall colour around each paint sample to ensure equality when you are ready to step back and admire/compare the new samples.

So, there you have it. Curious how it turned out? Here’s a reminder from last week’s post:

White walls, white ceiling, white light fixture, white sectional, white area rug and white entertainment unit.

Remember that different types of white have different psychological effects on the viewer. For example, the more “hyper white” options will have a blue hue to them and in some cases, can make a space feel physically colder (think ice, snow, slate…that stuff is COLD!). Creamier whites with a yellow base will appear warmer and more inviting, but these types of white are not always best-suited to a modern space (like the condo above). For a more contemporary or modern white, I’d opt for a brilliant white (blue!), but for a more organic space, the soft white (yellow!) is best. The above photo shows an example of a blue-white on the walls, but the space has many warm finishes that off-set the blue-white colour from feeling too cold (the Panamanian sun keeps the space feeling humid and hot all the time during the day, so that helps too).

Before committing to a large scale painting project, test each colour near a natural and synthetic light source before making a decision. Check the paint with your other finishes (your sofa upholstery, the area rug, the flooring, etc.) and then once you have observed the colour options in the morning, afternoon, evening and night, you can make a decision confidently :) And if you can’t…well, you can always HIRE ME to help you decide. *Shameless plug*

Happy painting, folks :)

when I said this week’s post would be all about choosing white wall paint? Well, I lied (but I didn’t mean to). I just couldn’t wait any longer and had to share the AFTER photos of the beachfront condo in Panama that I completed a couple of weeks ago for my lovely clients.

Being a beachfront condo, I wanted to keep the space feeling light, fresh and airy, but not sterile. A predominately white palette helps draw guests’ eyes out to the picturesque view and allows the shimmering Pacific ocean views from the living room and master bedroom to act as works of art. The “all-white” look where less is more is contemporary, but my clients made it clear that while they like modern spaces, they don’t like the empty look that comes with an all white minimalist space. So, instead of playing with a variety of organic finishes like I did in my last project, I decided to combine the sleek and shiny finishes (think lacquered furnishings, tinted acrylic, chrome details) with warm and inviting natural wood.

When I think of this project, I think of WHITE and WOOD, and how awesome they look together. What do you think? (click to enlarge)

BEFORE (all the "befores" pretty much look like this, so I'll spare you the repetition).

AND… AFTER:  

Dining Room with Kitchen, Main Entrance on the right.

Dining Room And Kitchen Bar

Detail Dining Table bowtie joinery

Dining Room Table Detail with Feature Wall

Kitchen Bar, Dining Room and Living Room in the distance.

Detail of Wall Art

Living Room looking back to Dining Room and Kitchen.

Living Room and Balcony

Living Room

Detail Living Room

Detail Toss Cushions

Detail Living Room

Master Bedroom and Balcony

Master Bedroom with a View

Detail Custom Headboard

Detail Toss Cushions

Master Bedroom

Ensuite Vanity

Ensuite Vanity His and Hers

Detail Vanity

Ensuite Detail Floating Shelf

Balcony Lounge Area

Balcony and Master Bedroom

Balcony Dining Area

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

And there you have it! Hope you like it :)

Design by Tania LaCaria of TLC Design & Decor.
All the fabulous photos are courtesy of photographer Oliver Wolfe.

I promise to share some tips on how to choose the perfect white wall colour next week…thought it would make more sense to talk white walls after looking at a few of them first.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this mini tour of the WHITE and WOOD beachfront condo in Panama.

The last few months have been beyond busy for me, and as a result, poor Passport To Design has seen little activity! Well, that’s going to change now that life is back to a regular pace.

Wondering what I spent the last 60 days obsessing over?  Two beach front condos that my lovely clients (and truly, they are so very lovely and wonderful to work with) purchased in the same building. The units are identical in layout, and so my clients have ended up with two identical spaces to call their own. With the exception of only ONE furniture item that is different, the two condos are carbon copies of one another.

SIDE NOTE: I initially believed that designing two condos to be the same would make for a less painful workload and a more efficient use of the tight timeline – after all, sourcing ONCE and buying double of everything seems more efficient, no? Wrong. At least, not in Panama. Little did I know that Panamanian furniture stores rarely carry two of anything, so I ended up sourcing twice as much anyways to ensure my clients got exactly what I promised. 

The condo building, BAHIA RESORT, is located on the beach in Gorgona, a small town in the district of Chame. The building itself boasts a beautiful lobby (though be warned of the wind tunnel effect that acts up in the dry season) and a fab pool area, but the views from the apartments are to die for! I never tire of watching the swell come in from the horizon from the 16th floor apartment, and to be able to do that while enjoying a drink on the balcony or while waking up in the morning will be wonderful.

The show-stopping view from the large balcony.

A view of the mountains and tree tops from the kitchen - not too shabby!

The finishes in the apartments are nice as well – not the usual cheap-o stuff you’d expect to find in some of the less-than-luxurious condo developments in the area – BUT, I cannot pretend that the workmanship was impressive. The condo cut many corners during the construction process, resulting in more headache and stress for yours truly (and more money for the client). Luckily for my clients, I believe that poor workmanship is unacceptable, and unluckily for the contractors and architects who had to deal with me, I do not take “No” for an answer if the design blunder is their fault and needs repairing.

BEFORE: Dining Area, Kitchen and Entrance.

BEFORE: Opposite view of the Dining Room and Living Room in the distance.

BEFORE: Master Bedroom

BEFORE: Part of the Balcony outside the Master Bedroom.

BEFORE: Guest Bedroom

YES, I know, photos of empty spaces are pretty boring. That’s why you need to check back next week when I show you how I chose the white wall colour (*whispers throughout the crowd*). I know the walls look white in the photos above, and they are…kind of… but the creamy builder white shown here is a lot more yellow than you think.

Next week, I will show you that even though it can seem daunting, choosing thePERFECT white wall colour IS possible (albeit dizzying at times).

White, white and more white! So many options, which is the right white?

Cheers, folks, thanks for reading! I am happy to be back on the blogging bandwagon, thanks for patiently waiting for my return and for checking back regularly :)

]]> http://passport2design.com/tlc-design-decor-more-beachfront-condos-to-come/feed/ 10 http://passport2design.com/diy-upcycled-painted-dresser/ http://passport2design.com/diy-upcycled-painted-dresser/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:44 +0000 Tania http://passport2design.com/?p=4353  Thank you for all the positive feedback

on my first ever DIY post a couple weeks back. You have convinced me that I should share my SECOND ever DIY project today :)

As you know from the previous post, I was helping my mother in law update her “blah” guest bedroom over the holidays. She wanted to create an inviting space with a cool colour scheme and contemporary furnishings.

The challenge? A tight budget and an even tighter timeline since guests were scheduled to arrive in two and a half weeks from the beginning of the project.

The solution? Another attempt at a DIY project that could help transform the space on the cheap and save another beautiful piece of furniture from death by landfill. All for the whopping price of $80.

BEFORE: Pine dresser in all its traditional and dated glory.

The pine dresser is old (purchased in 1978!) but it has great lines. I like the variation in the drawer sizes, and the drawers themselves have dovetail joints – a sign of quality craftsmanship. Nearly a decade ago, we “updated” the dresser by adding brown wood knobs in place of the brass ones that were original to the piece. Over the holidays, it was time for another change….a litttttttle more drastic :) A new paint job and some funky knobs to turn the tired-looking dresser into a fun, new piece.

Using the same spray paint that we used in the DIY custom bathroom mirror frame project, we (…aka…Jeff-the-Passport-To-Design-mascot) sanded off the sheen finish of the dresser, spray-primed it, sprayed four coats of white glossy spray paint (which again, was not as glossy as I had hoped), bought shiny glass knobs for the top drawers and iron oblong knobs for the rest of the drawers…and voila! A new dresser was born. I admit, we took the easy route due to a lack of time and budget to keep the sides and interiors of the drawers in the original colour and finish, but I think it worked out nicely because now the inside drawers don’t smell like toxic spray paint – a bonus for storing clothes and linens.

Here’s a quick Step-by-Step breakdown of the “grand transformation”:

STEP 1: Remove the dresser drawers and sand the surfaces to be painted. Removing the varnish will help the paint adhere better. Sand the surfaces until the glossy sheen is gone.

STEP 2: Remove the hardware and sand the drawer fronts.

STEP 3: (optional) Cut corners by refusing to sand and paint the interiors of the drawers...

STEP 4: Apply a coat (or two) of Rustoleum Spray Primer in white.

STEP 5: Apply 4 coats of Rustoleum Spray Paint in glossy white. (Note: if you apply the spray paint in a cold room, like the garage seen here, you could end up with a blotchy finish...or...if you manually sand the surfaces you might not evenly remove the sheen and end up with blotchy finish. We did both).

STEP 6: Install interesting hardware on the fully painted and dried drawers. I used glass knobs for the top row of drawers to add a custom look. Both knobs shown are from Home Depot Canada.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Now that's better! A fresh new look for a great piece of furniture.

Add some styling to the surface of the dresser and admire your new piece of furniture that cost around $80 in spray paint and sand paper.

I think I am getting used to this DIY stuff…it’s pretty rewarding to be able to transform something old into something new. I wonder if there will be any DIY projects in 2012? I kinda hope so :)

Have you repainted a dresser before? What challenges did you face? I found it difficult to keep the paint application even – again, likely because of the cold environment and a hack-job on the sanding. I considered painting the top of the dresser a different colour for fun, like a punchy bright blue, but it didn’t seem like the right thing to do for this particular space.

Maybe next time!

sounding like I’m living in the past, I’m going to reference the 2011 holiday season again…but ONLY because I have so much to share with you that I haven’t yet had a chance to post :)

As you may know, I was busy making some changes on-the-cheap to my mother in law’s guest bedroom (stay tuned for a tutorial next week on the painted dresser in the space). Originally, my mother in law wanted to create a relaxing, soothing and inviting guest bedroom. She wanted to incorporate a light blue colour, and after having a silver-grey broadloom installed, she decided to paint the walls powder blue and get a matching blue comforter. I had to break the bad news to her…the room was TOO BLUE! And powder blue to boot…a favourite colour of geriatric and infant bedrooms. Yikes.

The key to creating a colour scheme is balance, especially when it comes to small spaces and a limited budget. In this case, the amount of blue in the space was overkill:

BEFORE: The Too-Blue bedroom

BEFORE: More blue blue blue...and not enough furniture.

Luckily for me, my mother in law is a fabulous “client”…she is not overly committed or attached to her furniture or wall colours, which makes it easy to make changes to her spaces. Even though she had JUST finished painting the guest room (powder blue…), we all agreed that the wall colour needed to make more of a statement. The blue walls were making the room look dated and they were causing the silver grey carpet to look blue as well. It was like a blue box. Too much blue, not enough contrast and even less drama.

AFTER: A peaceful oasis with hints of blue.

Despite the tight budget and timeline, the room underwent quite the transformation. Here’s what we changed:

• Painted the walls a fresh, soothing, warm grey to balance out the cool blue.
• Painted the dated pine dresser (tutorial posted next week!).
• Bought matching nightstands to create symmetry and balance out the furniture. We used 2 VALLVIK three-drawer chests from IKEA on either side of the bed. I like it when bedroom furniture pieces are different, as opposed to the “matchy-matchy” look that results from buying bedroom sets. Mis-matched furniture pieces provide a more customized look.
• Bought two IKEA ALANG table lamps in a white shade for the nightstands.
• Bought a black and white herringbone toss cushion for the bed.
• Placed a black wicker occasional chair from the basement in the new room.
• Swapped the boring builder-standard light for a cute matte black iron chandelier.
• Hung fabulous art made by Jeff Campagna from THIS POST.
• Styled the room with a couple of contemporary accessories and a few personal touches.
• Switched the small circle mirror for a larger buffed pewter mirror from another room.

AFTER: Symmetrical night stands help create a more polished look and add some visual balance.

AFTER: An up-cycled and repainted old dresser is now a fabulous feature piece.

AFTER: An iron chandelier from Home Depot Canada adds drama.

AFTER: Typography pop art with a heavy gold frame adds flare to the space.

AFTER: A combination of pretty accessories finish the space.

AFTER: Personal touches make the space special, like this photograph of my mother in law's mother and a friend sitting on the porch steps.

AFTER: A new look!

I apologize for the lack of excitement around Passport To Design lately! Since my previous post in 2011, I have returned to Panama and have been wrapped up in a wonderful design project that I hope to share with you soon. Needless to say, my absence is a result of my lack of spare time, but I haven’t forgotten about you! My posts over the next few weeks may be pretty sparse, but it’s only because I’m working on some fun design projects that I will share with you soon…

Starting with today’s post!

I spent most of 2011 claiming to be craft-challenged, especially in the DIY furniture department. While I have some “great” ideas (as ideas usually appear to be) I decided to end 2011 on a positive note for the DIY-er buried deep within me.

And so, I’d like to share my first EVER officially documented DIY project – a custom-made frame to spruce up a very boring and standard suburban bathroom mirror.

BEFORE

Standard Builder Bathroom Mirror BEFORE...

annnnd…

AFTER

The not-so-standard Bathroom Mirror AFTER complete with shiny new custom frame.

This project was completed over 2 weeks from start to finish, but I think it could easily be done in 3-5 days (if you’re smart enough not to tackle the project during the holiday rush).  As you will soon notice, this project is not perfect…far from perfect…but luckily, my very understanding and supportive mother-in-law was happy to be the recipient of a mini bathroom “makeover” that only cost her $45.00 thanks to the supplies we purchased from Home Depot.

Here’s how I did it (and by “I”, I mean here’s what I told Jeff-the-passport-mascot to do):

STEP 1: Choose the Wood

Design what your mirror frame will look like. You can sketch it out, draft it on CAD (if you want to show off) or, in my case, just use your imagination and see what the Home Depot has to offer. Since I knew I wanted the frame to be white, I tried to cut corners by choosing a painted fiber board (two of them, which are shown cut to size here) that was more or less ready to go. I chose a beaded trim in a thinner wood that would be light enough to glue to the frame and provide additional relief and visual interest. And finally, to avoid having to miter the corners I chose a decorative corner moulding that was also painted white.

Step 1: The Wood

STEP 2: Cut to Measure

 Jeff decided it would work best to sketch out the size of the actual mirror on a large piece of cardboard (isn’t he smart??) and then fit the wood pieces inside to measure. After making some small markings on the back of the frame, he cut them with a power saw and laid them out to see if they fit. And they did. Kind of…one of the decorative trim pieces was a tad too short. We used it anyways.

Step 2: Cut to Measure

STEP 3: Glue The Wood Pieces Together

Using a heavy duty construction adhesive (shown below), apply a beaded line of glue to the back of the frame. If you’re smart enough to store your adhesive AND your frame pieces in a warm environment (not the garage in the middle of December in Toronto…) your glue will actually come out more fluidly. Once you have applied the glue, press the thin trim piece in place for a second and then lift it slightly to create webbing of the glue – apparently, this helps create a tigher seal now that some of the clumps have been removed and more glue is spread out between the trim and the frame. I pressed firmly on the wood trim and held it in place for approximately 1 minute…the wet glue causes the trim to slide around a bit when pressing firmly, so make sure the edges are lined up and straight before walking away.

PL 9000 Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive

Step 3: Glue the Wood Pieces Together

Step 3: Glue the Wood Pieces Together (stretch the adhesive)

STEP 4: Sand Off Excess Dry Glue

Wait 24 hours for the adhesive to fully dry, and they use a corse sand paper to remove any dry clumps of glue – but be careful! You don’t want to sand too hard or you will remove the sheen and finish of the frame beneath (even though you are going to paint the frame again anyways, it’s better not to remove the sheen and end up with an uneven finish).

Step 4: Sand Off Excess Dry Glue

Step 5: Apply a Coat of Spray Primer & White Spray Paint

Now that the adhesive has dried and you have your trim attached to your frame, it’s time to paint! Using a can of Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Spray PRIMER, coat the entire frame (including the corner moulding) in an even layer of primer. Let it dry in a space that is room-temperature (again, NOT your cold garage in Toronto during mid-December) for approximately 24 hours, and then apply a layer of Rustoleum’s Painter’s Touch Gloss Spray Paint. I would have liked if the Gloss finish was actually glossier, but it sufficed (though if I had more time, I’d go for more of a lacquered finish). Again, let the paint dry for 24 hours before applying another coat under desired coverage is achieved. I used 1/2 a can of spray paint for this project.

Step 5: Apply a Coat of Spray Primer

Step 5: Apply a Coat of Spray Paint

STEP 6: Adhere the Frame to the Mirror

Ok, folks, this is the tricky part. It’s time to construct the frame, piece by piece, directly on the mirror! Start with the bottom left-hand side moulding – since you already measured the length of the frame, all you have to do is make sure that your corner moulding pieces will be at the corner of the mirror once adhered. Apply a beaded line of Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive to the back of the corner moulding and the back of the bottom length of the frame and the back of the right corner moulding and apply them to the mirror (use the same technique of applying and then lifting the glued frame off the mirror slightly to create a gluey web affect). Hold each piece in place for a couple of minutes and then use whatever random stuff you can find around the house (like CDs, books, a telephone??) to hold the wood in place as it dries. Proceed with the rest of the frame as you wish – I applied the two vertical sides next, and then the two corner mouldings (left first) and then the top frame, with the right corner moulding last.

Step 6: Adhere the Frame to the Mirror

STEP 7: Fill in the Gaps

Now that your frame is completely dry (at least 24 hours later) and affixed to the mirror, it’s time to do some damage control! If you did a not-so-perfect job like I did, you may notice that there are some (many) gaps between the wood trim and the frame that are more obvious now that the frame is mounted in place. No worries, this is an easy fix (and cheap too!). You can see in the photo below that the uneven spray paint application left some openings that look less than stellar (and some bubbles thanks to spray painting in a cold environment). I had some white acrylic paint left over from my art school days, and decided to use it as a filler since it goes on fairly thick and can be squished into the voids with an old rag and a paint brush to “fake” perfection.

Slather a generous amount of acrylic paint over the gap between the trim and frame using a medium-width soft horse hair paint brush (a too-soft brush won’t work to manipulate the paint, and a too-stiff brush might scratch the frame). Take an old rag and run your rag-wrapped finger along the gap, pushing the acrylic into the holes while simultaneously wiping off the excess from the frame. You can use the paint brush to “stuff” acrylic into the gap as well, just be sure to wipe off the excess. Let the acrylic dry fully and re-assess if there are any gaps left over after the paint has contracted slightly. Re-apply as needed. This trick helped me fill in the gap where the wood trim was too short as well – from a distance, it looks as though all pieces were cut perfectly and sealed with a professional finish.

Step 7: Fill in the Gaps (yikes!)

Step 7: Fill the Gaps with Artist Acrylic Paint

Step 7: Apply the Acrylic Generously to the Frame

Step 7: Ta-Da! Gaps Are Filled!

And there you have it. The bathroom was looking slightly boring pre-mirror frame, but now the space looks truly  ”finished”. Some colourful and simple accessories help mask this suburban builder-standard bathroom without breaking the bank.

AFTER: Bathroom Mirror Frame in all it's styled glory

Do you think you will give your bathroom mirror a makeover? You can play around with various sizes of frames to add a more dramatic look, and then introduce a wild colour to add some fun. Believe me, if “I” could do it, you can too!

where Passport To Design takes a wee holiday and wishes you and your loved ones a very Merry time of the year. No matter what you’re celebrating, I hope your Holidays will be full of happiness and wonderful memories.

Bring on the celebration! Jeff and I in Ocho Rios for NYE 2009/2012

Check back in with Passport To Design on January 10, 2012 - I need a little extra time after the New Year to get myself organized and return to Panama (there are two fabulous condos that need a little TLC!).

Happy Holidays, everyone :)

xo
*Tania