OUR NEW ANTIQUE MIRRORED BUFFET

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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 – 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.

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32 Comments

  1. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much for such a great tip!!!

  2. Put wallpaper on the back to hide the unfinished surface.

  3. tamaraanka says:

    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/

  4. What is the name of the pattern on the rug? I love that rug!

  5. tamaraanka says:

    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!!

  6. 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!!

  7. tamaraanka says:

    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

  8. 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!

  9. tamaraanka says:

    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

  10. 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!

  11. tamaraanka says:

    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

  12. 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

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