OUR NEW ANTIQUE MIRRORED BUFFET
You’ve seen a glimpse here and there of our new antique mirrored buffet recently, and I’ve also been talking about writing a post to share some details with you for a while now. So today, I’m finally sharing the why’s about our new piece, and some of the good, and not-so-good details. 
Before I start, I just had to play I spy with my little eye…a fuzzy brown bunny! Can you spot him?! Oscar is always hopping around when I take pictures and he always wants in on the action! This was too cute not to share :)
Here’s the old piece…I’ve shared this shot with you before, in my living room tour, which you can see here. Now it’s moved downstairs to our basement, where it was very badly needed. The funny thing is, I wasn’t even looking for another wood piece. I was thinking of painting our existing one white, or light grey, and adding mirrors to the doors. Or, if I had found the perfect painted piece, I’d grab it when I saw it. I was very much over the wood and wanted something lighter in color, and more elegant and refined.
I happened to stumble on this one at a local store, and it was such a good deal, I just had to get it (try to ignore the bunny cage in the reflection!). I figured if I wanted to paint it later, I could… the lines are gorgeous, it’s mirrored, and it’s much larger than the existing one was, and it was a steal. I loved the elegant details on this and the idea of having more storage for my dishes and glassware was ideal. 
Take a look inside – there is so much room! The other side houses my crystal and stemware collection and the drawers are filled with serving pieces and other small tabletop items for entertaining.
What do you think of my collection of ginger jars here? Yay nor nay? I’m still deciding, and like many of you, things move around in our home on a regular basis so, who knows how long they’ll stay. Although, I’m loving the blues against the wood tones, I must say.
Before the jars landed there, I was playing around with a few different pieces – first were my wine decanters from the holidays that have stayed in this spot, with a few other sculptural pieces thrown into the mix. You can see my ginger jars behind here, in their usual spot.
Then I swapped the large silver candle holders for my gold and acrylic ones, just to see which shapes I liked better. I do really like the warm tones against gold against the wood as well.
Back to the details…the antique mirror and metalwork appliqués are a nod to a more traditional era, as are the diamond appliqués and fluting details as well. These refined design elements struck me when I saw it.
The one unfortunate part about this piece, is after we purchased it, we discovered that it’s veneer –Â long story short, we were told it was solid wood…an honest mistake, but nonetheless disappointing. Especially if I want to paint it later. That being said, I loved the size, style and details (and the price) too much to return it.
I’m loving the view of my jars from the other side of the room. I am looking (as I always am) for new lamps and chandeliers in here. Nothing I’m rushing for, but I feel it’s time for a newer, lighter look. Perhaps large, lantern style chandy’s and large, white gourd lamps. Soon Spring will be here and I’ll hopefully be swapping out our Fall velvet and embroidered pillows for some lighter and brighter ones as well. Our ottoman will also be getting an update, so get ready for some new things to come in here! In case you’ve missed my ottoman update prior to the holidays, you can read all about it here.
Here’s another small issue I ran into…truth be told, I measured wrong when I was contemplating buying our buffet (yes, I did), and it ended up being much taller than I thought it was going to be. It’s a little too tall for the sofa, but I can live with that. The main issue (another detail I completely overlooked) was that the back is unfinished – as most furniture is I believe, and it was completely visible, since this was so  much larger. Even worse, it was primed white! So, you can imagine what it looked like, and it was not pretty! I had to think fast, because I could not look at it as it was…. so I grabbed some grey paint from our storage and slapped on a quick coat as a temporary fix. Please – if you have another solution for prettying up the back side of furniture, I want to know!! Leave my your suggestions below!
Buying furniture can be a very tough decision. Especially investment pieces that you will have for years. For us, although there were things that were not perfect, this was still a good investment for our home. Even though there were some cons, the pros outweighed them. Just make sure you cover all of your bases before purchasing and always cross all of your t’s and dot your i’s!
Below you can shop similar styles that I’ve sourced for you. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read today! xo
SHOP BUFFETS HERE :
*Affiliate links are used as sources for some of my favorite items. These are either the same as the items featured in this post, or are similar options for your shopping convenience.
Thank you so much for such a great tip!!!
Put wallpaper on the back to hide the unfinished surface.
Hi, thanks so much! It’s very old, I have no idea what the name is! I have several similar ones linked on my SHOP MY LIVNG ROOM page, if you’d like to check them out, I hope that helps! https://citrineliving.com/shop-living-room/
What is the name of the pattern on the rug? I love that rug!
Hi Dianne – thank you so much for stopping to say hello! I LOVE the idea of the mirrored back – that is brilliant! I sill haven’t done anything to it yet, so no my wheels are turning! Love it!Thank you for your kind words!!
I love everything you have done…I’m a sucker for anything blue. I prefer the touches of warm gold on top of the credenza instead of the ginger jars, personally. How about going to a glass shop and having a piece of mirror cut to cover the back? You could glue it on very easily and whatever little bit shows above the top of the sofa would be a nice reflection. Love your bunny too!!
Terry I truly appreciate your kind words and understanding! Trust me, I know how it is when you see something that’s perfect and you have to have it haha! Don’t be stressed with your decorating, take you time to find the right items and enjoy the process! It should be fun! It takes time create something you truly love so that you’ll enjoy it for years :) Good luck and thank you again! I’m thrilled you turn to my blog for inspiration! Have a great day! xo
No problem! Thank you for taking the time to answer my question anyway! Love love love your blog! New house got me stressed with decorating :) so thank you so much again for the inspiration. I LOVE your work!
Hi Terry! Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me that you like to read my blog and that you find inspiration! I wish I could help you find the lamps, I know how much you love them…unfortunately the best I can do is share links to similar products, as they’re old and I don’t know the brand name…the same goes for my buffet – it was purchased locally and was available only in the store I purchased it at. I’ve sourced very similar ones, if you scroll through the thumbnails in my post, or visit the SHOP MY HOME menu – I’m sorry I can’t help you more than that! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read! xo
So beautiful! I love the mirrored piece. What brand is it? I love your actual one more than the links :) and those lamps! Would love the brand for those as well. As always, I absolutely love your blog and look at it frequently for inspiration!
Hi! Thank you so much, Kathryn! I am thrilled to have you stop by and say hello and I love that you like the blue and white! It’s a favorite of mine!! Thanks again! xo
Oh, my goodness! It’s gorgeous and looks fabulous with all of your lovely blue and white. Thank you for sharing! Have a happy week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Thank you so much Crystal! I LOVE hearing from readers and all of your ideas! First of all, I love your idea with the foam core to deal with the thermostat – that is seriously brilliant! I really like that idea for the back of my piece too! Thank you so much for your input I appreciate it so much! And thanks for stopping by to say hello :)
What a beautiful piece and I love the storage! I have a china, serveware & table accessory obsession and need some thing similar to contain it all. I’m doing a modular storage unit in our hallway with a variety of storage in the bases (file, drawers & doors). The bookshelf uppers are open backed and I have thought long and hard about what to with them, between painting the wall behind a contrasting color or paneling the backs, but I also have a thermostat that will be in the shelving area to consider. What I finally decided to do was cover foam core panels with decorative paper. That way I can cut out and neatly paper around the opening for the thermostat. The panels are so light it only takes a couple of brads to hold them in place. You could use grass cloth, wallpaper or decorative paper. Since your panel would show from the front possibly Velcro instead of brads to attach?
Hi Britney! Thanks for letting me know – it’s a small glitch I need to figure out! You need to click at the bottom of the thumbnail image – let me know if that works for you! Thanks again!
Hi there- I’m trying to click on the link to shop your buffet and it just keeps redirecting me to Pinterest? Is there another way to find?
Thanks so much!
Thank you Jen! That means so much to me coming from you my friend! xox
What a great new piece Tam! You styled it beautifully! The lamps are amazing!!!
Randi thank you so much!! That means so much coming from you, I know you love blue and white as much as I do!! Thanks for you kind words my friend xoxo
Tam I love this piece so much in here! I love the different shades of blue with the lamps and the ginger jars. The different colors give a nod to vintage jars, which I think is so charming! I wouldn’t change them! Looking forward to seeing a few of your fun update! Xoxo
Hi Jo! I can’t thank you enough for you comments! I love to hear feedback and advice, it’s always so fun to hear what my readers are thinking…and you know what, I go through the same trials as everyone else when decorating and I love that you appreciate that! We all struggle and I can assure you that the only way I’ve been able to bring our home together over the years is from trying new things and seeing what I like. Just moving things from one room to another can give you a complete refresh :) It looks like Oscar is a hot topic too haha, I think I’ll be featuring him in his own post one day! He is sooooo easy to take care of, so I say go for it! Thank you again! xoxo
Bonnie, thank you!! I am still loving it there too! And yes, this piece was a score, it holds so much, it’s fantastic. I’m so happy you like it!! xo
Hi Joanna, I think that’s great advice…SO hard to find the right thing without spending a fortune!! Thank you for your input! xox
Hi Lisa, I love that idea of the striped paper, wow!! Another reader suggested grasscloth, which I love too!! I have to figure our what to do! I have so many of those ‘to-do’s’haha! I’m so happy that you love Oscar, isn’t he so cute?! He just loves to get in on the action over here and I will definitely talk about him more! Thank you for your feedback and keep the comments coming! I love hearing from you! xo
Bridget thank you so much for your kind words!! It means so much to me when you can relate to my posts, anything is achievable! A lot of what I’ve learned over the years is that through trial and error, making mistakes and learning what you love, you curate your own style as it evolves :) Btw I LOVE grasscloth!! That’s a fabulous idea! Thank you again for your comment, I love to hear from everyone! xoxo
Tamara Hi!
I like so many love your decorating style…”eye candy” for those of us who dream. However, I also must point out that you are encouraging by sharing how you have accomplished a look; then references for “us” to achieve the same!
I was thinking about your buffet, how about Grass Cloth wallpaper on the back. That way depending in the color you choose now you can always change! Just a thought.
Thanks once again,
Bridget
Hi Tamara, Great post! I love your mirrored console. It’s so stunning and functional …win win! I also love your bunny, Oscar, and would love to hear more about him…and see him featured on your blog, posing around your house/furniture/rugs… ;-) Also, what about using a removable wallpaper on the back side of your console? I’ve seen some beautiful simple grey and white banner stripes that look great. Have fun with your styling, changing up the details always makes the house more exciting! xo
I think the bases of your new lamps need to be larger to be in proportion to the vases.
Your chinoiserie is stunning on your new buffet. That was a lucky find. Storage is very important.
Loved this post we’ve all done this loved a piece you get it home & you find something that you wish was different. I really appreciate it when a blogger admits that things like this happen to her too. I love the buffet it fits your style perfectly. Great storage too, that we never have enough of. Love the ginger jars, I move things around all the time. Keeps things fresh. I’m looking forward to the lamps you find, just a suggestion marshals had some amazing lamps in great finishes last week along with great prices.
Would you consider doing a post on the bunny & how you take care of him. I hear there are always some available for adoption not sure what’s involved. We have a pup she needs some company not sure I’m ready for 2 again.
Have a lovely Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for your input Joanna! I’m not sure I’m loving the lamps either…I really think something new is needed!!
I like the collection of ginger jars. They make a statement. Not sure I like that shade of pale blue lamps with them, though.
Your buffet is gorgeous and if you got it fir a really good price I wouldn’t fret about it bring veneer. Just enjoy your new purchase ?