Gustavian Oval Mirror
Antique 19th Century Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Candle Sconces
Metal, Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century Scandinavian Late Victorian Vanities
Mirror, Pine
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sofas
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights an...
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
Antique Early 1900s Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
Antique 19th Century French Louis Philippe Floor Mirrors and Full-Length...
Giltwood, Mirror
Antique Mid-19th Century Swedish Gustavian Tables
Pine
Antique 1810s Swedish Gustavian Secretaires
Oak
Antique Early 1900s British Gothic Revival Blanket Chests
Oak
Antique 19th Century Indian Rustic Blanket Chests
Iron
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century American Queen Anne Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1920s French French Provincial Vanities
Walnut
Vintage 1910s French French Provincial Vanities
Walnut
Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Candle Sconces
Brass
Antique 1720s English Jacobean Blanket Chests
Wrought Iron
Recent Sales
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood, Paste, Mirror
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Oak
Antique 1780s Swedish Gustavian Girandoles
Wood
Antique 1780s Swedish Gustavian Girandoles
Giltwood
Antique 19th Century Swedish Wall Mirrors
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Trumeau Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Antique Early 18th Century French Louis XIV Wall Mirrors
Wood, Giltwood, Mirror
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Swedish Pier Mirrors and Console Mirrors
Composition
Antique 19th Century Swedish Wall Lights and Sconces
Antique Mid-19th Century Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Antique Early 19th Century German Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood, Glass
Antique 1780s Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Giltwood
Antique 19th Century European Rustic Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Benches
Bronze
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Wood, Mirror
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Wall Mirrors
Paint, Wood
Vintage 1960s French Gustavian Cabinets
Finding the Right Mirrors for You
The road from early innovations in reflective glass to the alluring antique and vintage mirrors in trendy modern interiors has been a long one but we’re reminded of the journey everywhere we look.
In many respects, wall mirrors, floor mirrors and full-length mirrors are to interior design what jeans are to dressing. Exceedingly versatile. Universally flattering. Unobtrusively elegant. And while all mirrors are not created equal, even in their most elaborate incarnation, they're still the heavy lifters of interior design, visually enlarging and illuminating any space.
We’ve come a great distance from the polished stone that served as mirrors in Central America thousands of years ago or the copper mirrors of Mesopotamia before that. Today’s coveted glass Venetian mirrors, which should be cleaned with a solution of white vinegar and water, were likely produced in Italy beginning in the 1500s, while antique mirrors originating during the 19th century can add the rustic farmhouse feel to your mudroom that you didn’t know you needed.
By the early 20th century, experiments with various alloys allowed for mirrors to be made inexpensively. The geometric shapes and beveled edges that characterize mirrors crafted in the Art Deco style of the 1920s can bring pizzazz to your entryway, while an ornate LaBarge mirror made in the Hollywood Regency style makes a statement in any bedroom. Friedman Brothers is a particularly popular manufacturer known for decorative round and rectangular framed mirrors designed in the Rococo, Louis XVI and other styles, including dramatic wall mirrors framed in gold faux bamboo that bear the hallmarks of Asian design.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, mid-century modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary mirrors. Today’s simple yet chic mantel mirror frames, for example, often neutral in color, owe to the understated mirror designs introduced in the postwar era.
Sculptor and furniture maker Paul Evans had been making collage-style cabinets since at least the late 1950s when he designed his Patchwork mirror — part of a series that yielded expressive works of combined brass, copper and pewter — for Directional Furniture during the mid-1960s. Several books celebrating Evans’s work were published beginning in the early 2000s, as his unconventional furniture has been enjoying a moment not unlike the resurgence that the Ultrafragola mirror is seeing. Designed by the Memphis Group’s Ettore Sottsass in 1970, the Ultrafragola mirror, in all its sensuous acrylic splendor, has become somewhat of a star thanks to much-lauded appearances in shelter magazines and on social media.
On 1stDibs, we have a broad selection of vintage and antique mirrors and tips on how to style your contemporary mirror too.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To hang a frameless oval mirror, use mirror clips. You will need to screw them into holes on the back. Some mirrors come with holes already in place. If yours does not have the holes, you will need to drill them. On 1stDibs, shop a large collection of wall mirrors.