Hi Everyone,
Before we get into today’s topic, I apologize if you were expecting the HOT SALES to come out 24 hours ago or so. Yesterday afternoon, I had to have a cyst removed from my back.
This is practically unheard of in terms of timing. I sent a photo to my PCP, who saw me on Tuesday and then sent me to the surgery department on Thursday, who scheduled the surgery for the next day! I was lucky because they had a cancellation. Well, that procedure was yesterday, and a few hours later, in significant discomfort, all I could manage was doom-scrolling through Instagram.
Anyway, I’m feeling much better today, and all the Hot Sales are up to date. Please check them out. My favorite is Serena Lily, with some of their deepest discounts ever. Also, there are so many beautiful clothes at Nordy’s.
Okay, here’s what’s happening on the home front.
We left off the other day with the delivery of the Gracie panels. Of course, I had to check them out and then, just as quickly, carefully rolled them back up and put them back in their tube.
Above is one of the four wall panels of Gracie’s Hampton Garden. I haven’t booked the paper hanger yet but will this coming week. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s just as beautiful as I hoped it would be!
I received the alabaster chandeliers from Brass Light Gallery in Milwaukee three days ago. I opened one box, but I only opened the plastic. I don’t have a photo, but it looks fantastic. I need to get some better light bulbs.
I don’t know if I told you, but I returned to incandescent for the candle bulbs in the sconces.
Screw it. (haha pun is not intended and not even realized until editing!) I have yet to find an LED bulb that doesn’t go gray when dim. I need to buy a bunch of different bulbs and try them out. In the meantime, you can still get specialty bulbs in their incandescent form. I use 40-watt bulbs, but I never turn them up all the way up (maybe 25%-30%), so they do last a long time.
Bob, the electrician, needs to send his dudes over here. I contacted him to come back two weeks ago, but he refuses to make an appointment. Eight light fixtures still need to be installed. I intensely dislike having to be a nag and chase after people to do their job.
This is one thing Robert, my GC, has never done to me unless I’m forgetting. haha
If I need something done by Brendan and Eugene, I never have to wait more than a few days, usually sooner.
Speaking of B and E, they graced me with their presence this week for three mirror installations and the Zuber screen in the lower entry.
One mirror is over the Milling Road Chest. I’ve had that mirror for years, and it weighs a ton. No wait. That’s not right. I think it weighs at least two tons! It’s also missing a couple of rosettes. They are here somewhere, I believe. But if I can’t find them, rosettes are not difficult to come by.
The second mirror is the Ballard Design smaller Louis Phillipe mirror.
The one below isn’t my mirror. It’s the one I was supposed to get, but it went missing.
I got it for under 200 bucks, and I think that included shipping, so I can use that money for something else. It weighs about as much as a loaf of bread, haha. Okay, it’s a bit heavier—maybe a medium-sized cat. It is not made of wood, but who cares? I don’t have a picture of it yet because I’m waiting for the sconces to be installed.
However, the big treat is the mirror installation over the fireplace.
Above is the mirror shortly after it arrived at Dave Poutre’s frame shop on Charles Street last July.
The first shots of it in situ were taken at about 3:00 today, so the light wasn’t great. The night-time shots coming up are better.
I held the camera up high for this shot above.
Below, I was standing on the third step from the top.
Sorry, the image looks a little fuzzy and also a lot more expansive than it is.
However, you can see the proportions and overall look of things.
Are those Fibonacci proportions, Laurel?
Do you mean the Golden Mean? 1: 1.618. I always remember that because my son Cale’s birthday is 6-18.
The mirror is very close to that. It is 45″ wide by 75″ tall, and the perfect proportion is 73″ tall. However, I felt the mirror needed to be a bit taller. That’s fine.
I just added the image above to my Instagram. Yes, it’s real gold leaf and beautifully antiqued.
B & E are so funny. I wish I had recorded this. I told them I wanted the mirror sitting on the mantel but also flush against the wall.
They said, “I wish you had told us first.”
Yeah, that would’ve been nice. Haha, but I told them I knew you guys would figure it out. I left the room, and an hour later, it was done and perfectly, too.
xo,
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27 Responses
Gorgeous!!
B’s & E’s comments reminded me of when my neighbor’s carpenter said this to her: “Don’t ever let me let you talk me into doing something like this for you again.”
The mirror, sconces, fireplace, black marble, wood floor and black railing are fabulous together. You must be thrilled. I did wonder about the narrowness of the gold leaf frame but it all makes sense after your explanation.
I got a big cyst on my back once because I used a hairbrush to scratch my very itchy back. I never would have thought about doing such a thing but I saw a friend doing it long ago. I had it surgically removed too and it never returned, but then again I never used a hairbrush again on my back again…even though it felt so good at the time. I share this with all of you so none of you will try this technique.
I look forward to seeing your finished home. I hope you’re planning to write a book with pictures about this unbelievably long experience. You have great resources in your already written blogs and photos.
My gosh, Laurel, that mirror is absolutely stunning, and perfect for your home.
It’s so much fun watching this all come together!
You should invite Ben Pentreath over when he’s in Boston on his book tour for Rizzoli. He’ll be in NYC this Thursday but in Boston in March:
Wednesday March 19, 2025
An English Vision
Lecture & book signing
ICAA, BOSTON CHAPTER
10½ Beacon Street Boston Athenæum
Boston, MA
https://www.rizzoliusa.com/author-events/
And happy to hear you got to see the doctor straight away; heal well!
Mona
So beautiful and inviting. Yes, a mood board come to life. So exciting to be with you – lighting the way to a gracious and peaceful home. The sconces are perfect! Wishing you a very speedy recovery – so glad you could be seen quickly.
Thanks for all you do.
Laurel, I hope your recovery is quick. I had some surgery last week, so I’m in recovery mode too! Gosh, your photos of the fireplace and mirror have me so excited! It’s like one of the mood boards you made slowly coming to life. I eagerly anticipate each post as you make your vision a reality :] Best wishes!
Glad you are recovering well and feeling better.
The mirror is so beautiful and elegant and will nicely complement the Gracie panels. Really eager to see the panels installed! I too have high ceilings in my home and have the tall mirror over my fireplace resting on the mantle. When I look back at your images of the old mantle and fireplace surround, I marvel at the wonderful transformation you have achieved.
You have a great sense of scale and proportion.
GASP. That (Greek Key vignette) is one of the most stunningly beautiful things I have seen.
Hi Laurel, So glad you are doing well after your surgery! You are incredibly resilient.
The mirror looks amazing. Your vision is happening and it’s all just lovely
Best, Leslie
Glad the surgery was managed so quickly and you are feeling better.
The mirror is just beautiful with the mantle. Your vision is materializing step by step. Magnifique!
Wow, gorgeous! So exciting to watch your vision come together. This is going to be amazing with the panels.
The mirror is BEAUTIFUL!!!
This room is looking so good—I look forward to every update!
Hi Laurel,
I’m glad you’re feeling better from your procedure.
The mirror you got for your mantel is perfect. And I can’t wait to see the panels installed next to it.
When you say the Ballard mirror is missing, do you mean the shipping company lost it?
Hi Mary,
Oh no. I had purchased an antique mirror, the one pictured long before the Ballard Mirror. The antique mirror was $2,200 which is much more than I wanted to spend, but since it’s in a prominent spot and I adored the mirror, I got it. The mirror was coming from overseas and got as far as Indianapolis and then no one knows what happened to it. It’s very odd. What’s also odd is that the shipping was under 200 bucks. I’m not sure how that’s possible. The mirror has to weigh at least 30 pounds and most likely more.
Laurel, the mirror, fire place, sconces – beautiful tableau!
Congratulations, Laurel, on the mirror installation! Slowly coming together … like a time-lapse series of photos ( if those are even a thing anymore?!)
Hope your surgery heals quickly. I got into a dermatologist the same day I called, he was quick to assure me a horrid red area under my arm wasn’t infected … just razor-burn (and an easy treatment!) It’s always amazing how stressful these things can be, and how sweet when they are diagnosed and the treatment is quick. Do hope you get rested up – we’ve all been playing catch-up at my house, with the time change and staying up to watch the election 😴
I can’t BELIEVE you mentioned about the Fibonacci sequence in your post today of all days! Late last night, I was showing my husband the photos I took of the Golden Ration display at the Anniston Museum of Natural History on Friday. I knew the spiral is on shells, and in trees, but I learned that hawks circle in a Fibonacci series! And if you lay the spiral over the head of birds of prey, with their hooked beaks – it’s there, too! I was so overcome with the beauty of the ratio in so many things, I nearly started crying. (Good thing my 2nd grader and his classmates on the field trip had gotten to the gift shop 😉)
I think you’ve done the Golden Ratio in other posts, and I look forward to re-reading those!
And to seeing your wallpaper 😀
Hi Gabrielle,
Yes, the Fibonnaci series appears abundantly in nature and that includes the human body!
Congratulations on getting cyst removed. Had one on neck last month (benign also). Had made an appointment for face, but they took care of both issues right there on the spot. Neck in a bad spot had to sit VERY still. Glad you are well and healing. I do have a question about the mirror. Can you tell me/us why you wished the mirror to sit upon the mantle? I ask as I think my inclination would be to raise it a bit. I would go to the extreme of measuring and making sure the mirror was about a third down. I would be so interested in learning more about the mirror placement. Also, do you consider/worry about what else is seen in the mirror? Thank you for your kind response.
Hi Kathi,
I love it when they can deal with everything in one visit!
About the mirror on the mantel, that is a great question. This type of mirror is meant to sit on the mantel and goes by “mantel mirror,” “pier mirror,” or “pier glass.” These were very popular in the 18th-19th century and come in numerous styles. Some of them are totally built into the wall and usually painted. Some of them are horizontal and some vertical.
One identifying feature which is on most (but not all) mantel mirrors is the flat bottom with the corner plinth blocks as mine has. These bottom rails are always about 1.5″ +/- This is true even if the sides and top are much wider. Here is an example of a classic mantel mirror on 1stdibs.
Pier mirrors can also be part of a table. Sometimes these have a wider bottom rail.
Another type of mantel mirror has a more ornate bottom, sometimes with a small corbel. This would be for additional stability. You can see a great example of this over Steve Cordony’s fireplaces. – Although his mirrors are leaning in this image. Here they are, installed.
Basically, the mantel, especially if stone is taking most of the weight of the mirror, but it is attached flush to the wall so it doesn’t topple over, of course!
Can you hang these mirrors above the mantel?
I wouldn’t. They aren’t meant to be sitting on top of the mantel.
What about regular mirrors? It really depends on the style. To sit on the mantel the bottom must be perfectly flat. Of course, it’s always fine to have a regular mirror hung above the mantel like one would do a painting. Or, a mirror can lean, but to be safe, I would anchor it to the wall.
Keep feeling better and better! I hadn’t realized the lovely pattern on your wall from the sconces…wow 🙂
Interesting that your doctor was able to schedule your appointment and surgery quickly, while Bob the electrician won’t even book an appointment. Good thing the PCP isn’t like Bob! Hope you feel better soon.
Based on my personal experience, you might want to look around to see if you can find another electrician to finish the job. I had to wait a year and a half for my electrician to come out and replace the wrong fan controls with the correct ones – and then he still didn’t install the correct controls; his replacements were worse than what he previously installed! Of course, then I had to wait for more months for him to pick up the correct controls from the vendor, and install them. Of course, the vendor blamed me for the delay!
Hi Linda,
Re: appointment, I was very lucky. I have another appointment that was booked in October last year for this December. Obviously, it’s not an urgent matter; another much smaller thing on my eyelid that comes and goes and comes back.
Laurel, are you familiar with satin thread wrapped lightbulbs? I think they look the nicest when the bulbs on a fixture are exposed. They give off the nicest glow. I’m not a fan of LEDs or florescent. They make everything look ghastly.
https://www.1000bulbs.com/fil/products/5585
Hi Catherine,
No, I’ve never seen these before. That looks very cool. I need to try one out. Thanks for sharing!
Stunning – the mirror, the FP, the sconces, the mouldings, the scale, the fabulous floor! I see a magazine shoot coming! So beautiful Laurel! Wishing you a rapid, full recovery…
Thanks so much, Traci!