Can Mirrors Solve All Our Problems?
So you saw the headboard I bought in the back bedroom before, but since it’s been so long I’ll show you again.
I bought it from a small-time dealer. She messaged me later that she had a mirror that matched it, and she had stuff piling up enough that she was giving it away to people she liked to make room. Would I want it?
Now, this was just the kind of offer that got me in trouble a few years ago. And I got to thinking. Are we talking about a mirror that mounts onto a dresser? Is it going to be 5 feet wide? Do I have room for something like that anywhere? Turns out the mirror was made to mount onto a dresser, but it’s not super huge and we had a perfect spot for it. This mirror we had is great and it’s a family heirloom, but it’s too small.
And Tito has been asking about getting a full-length mirror for this corner. Yes, we can make a mirror fit here, but I like it empty.
So, up went the new mirror, and it’s just the right size, isn’t it? Plus, I can see from head to below my knees.
Perfect, I thought, and I asked Tito if he didn’t agree. We don’t need the mirror to reflect all the way down to our feet. He gave me a dirty look.
But back to when she first asked if I wanted this mirror, when I thought it could have been over 4 feet wide. We don’t have another spot for anything like that, but it’s a pity to turn down free stuff. But who might have room for a very large mirror? My parents.
My mom has never been fond of this room. Before moving in she wanted to take out this wall, opening it to the kitchen. Later she wanted to rework the bookcases and add a fireplace, a solution to the cold rising up from the garage below that she thought would add more value to the house than something boring like insulation. Most recently, she said that the bookshelves have never looked nice so they should just come out. “Just” assumes the floors even run through under the shelves.
But every time one of these unnecessarily large projects comes up, she adds in that the paneling needs to be painted. And every time my dad says that you don’t paint solid mahogany, my mom sulks a little, and the paneling is spared just a bit longer. Now, she tells me that its time is up, that the paneling is out of style, and that it will be painted. I’ve thought of cracking open a can of paste wax and smearing it around on the walls, but buying them a mirror seems… a little nicer. Plus, I was getting exited for how it would look on this wall. Here’s what I got them. (Also note that the bookcases, heavily thinned out because my mom didn’t like them looking so full, immediately filled back up with greeting cards.)
My mom was about as pleased with it as I was. Her eyes went wide and she said, “Wow, it really makes the room look big! And just think how it will look painted!”
So, can mirrors solve all our problems? Apparently not.
P.S. Does anyone have experience with postwar wood windows? Theirs have aluminum jamb liners, and in the den especially they’re really drafty. I’m interested in helping them tighten these up (unless they paint the paneling and I boycott the room) but the really old windows that all the cool kids are restoring don’t look like these. Or do we have to take the sash out and then figure out what we’re doing after?
9 Responses
Wow. You sound so arrogant. Just kidding! If your mom decides to paint the paneling, can you take it out to use in your next house and replace it with drywall?
Jessica has a great idea there. However, when Chad collects stuff for future use in a house, where does it end up?? In Mom Charmaine’s house. So when he takes off the paneling, and they sheetrock the wall, the paneling will be propped up against the wall and in everyone’s way. 🙂
About the windows. We had problems with leaks in our windows in the 1978 condo where we lived, and we ended up replacing every one of them eventually. Your parents’ windows may be leaking air around the sashes. Or they may be radiating cold through the panes themselves, if they are not double-paned windows. They also may need caulking on the outside, around the window frames. Or all three things could be causing the problem. I would suggest they get a contractor who does window replacements to give them advice and an estimate. You don’t have to give him or her a contract, but you and your Dad could do the replacements yourselves if that’s what seems best.
I do love your new mirror!
I suspect that leaks around the sash are the biggest problem. The den windows are the draftiest in the house; I think the built-up paint in the other rooms has helped make them a little tighter. And I’ve read that weatherstripping and storm windows on old windows can make them almost as tight as a new window at much lower cost. Most of their first floor windows are these massive 56 inch wide 10-over-10’s that wouldn’t be cheap to replace either. Problem is, because of the aluminum jamb liners, I don’t think we can just pop the sash out and add spring bronze like people do with pre-1930 windows with wood jambs and counterweights, and since there’s not a lot of money in making retrofit jamb liners for people who want to keep the existing sash, I can’t find nearly as much information about it.
Oh, and if no replacements are done, you can always go with insulated shades and draperies.
I love the new mirrors, they do add nice light to the rooms!
Bravo to you for making your mom happy.
The buyers of my parents’ house painted their paneling. Sad.
Tell your mom Millennials love paneling…in the natural wood. All that’s MCM is cool again.
I didn’t make her happy – she thinks the mirror is an improvement but not enough! She also effusively thanked me for going to the trouble of buying it for her and I said, “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for the paneling”
And yeah – I told her that the MCM-ish part of her house is likely in style and that the nice young couple across the street kept their knotty pine paneling – which is definitely a step down from Philippine mahogany.
Chad, I rely on this blog — it is a critical connection to home / Philly! Any chance of an update?!