Vintage Unghia Mirror 1970s

Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.

From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.

When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.

Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.

Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.

Bringing antique and vintage floor mirrors and full-length mirrors into your home is a no-brainer. The right mirror in the bedroom, bathroom and by the door in your home’s entryway — for last-minute accessorizing, of course — can make all the difference.

However, knowing where to strategically place your mirror can help illuminate your interior design choices and add a glamorous accent to any room.

A large beveled floor mirror can add depth to a space — particularly if you’re working with small rooms. It can echo the contour lines of wall paneling and make a bedroom appear larger than it is. Both floor mirrors and full-length mirrors create a window-like effect, reflecting light and brightening the room. Hanging a large mirror opposite a window will flood a room with natural light and engender a feeling of spaciousness.

Consider the placement of a mirror in the room: Displaying vases, boxes and other decorative objects in front of a mirror reflects these items, drawing attention to a prized collection and emphasizing their visual qualities for dramatic effect.

A large antique wall mirror or celebrated iconic design such as Paul Evans’s Patchwork mirror or the flashy, sensuous Ultrafragola mirror created by Ettore Sottsass can be positioned as the focal point in a living room or dining room.

When your mirror isn’t the star of the show, it can be used to enhance a focal point. Hang abstract art — a grouping of paintings or drawings, perhaps — on the wall opposite the mirror to establish narrative character in a space and create an intriguing color pattern.

It is important to consider the size, shape and frame of a mirror. Most full-length mirrors have a traditional rectangular shape, but postmodern mirrors may offer more variety. For a mirror that makes a bold statement, Art Deco mirrors typically feature geometrically pronounced frames that stand out in a room.

Add light to your interiors while providing an artistic accent to any room. Browse the selection of antique and vintage floor mirrors and full-length mirrors on 1stDibs today.