Who’s the fairest of them all?

Definitely not me.

Despite my daily application of ‘Fair & Lovely’ (my whitening cream), my skin remains a dark 70% cocoa colour (if you turn the lights off – you can only see my teeth and whites of my eyes).

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I will never forget the moment when the next door neighbour called my mum to say…. “Tell your daughter to pull down her blinds, I can see her dancing in her underwear in front of her mirror….”

I was fifteen years old at the time.

Ok fine – I still do it today. I genuinely love trying on different outfits and dancing (usually to Beyonce or Destiny’s Child) in front of my mirror. It makes me so happy.

Mirrors have recently been on my mind.

Last week, I ‘rescued’ of an old dusty mirror that was kicked to the curb near my house. It was nothing special – a small ordinary rectangular mirror with a timber frame. I decided to make it my next DIY project.

Yesterday, as I began working on the mirror (sanding, applying gesso, painting it hot pink)….I began to wonder… …whose face had peered into this exact mirror?, where had it been hung?, what purpose did it serve? Aesthetic? Purely functional?

In our society, mirrors play a significant role in our personal grooming. They offer an objective assessment of ourselves – without the reliance of others. Applying make up, doing our hair, brushing our teeth – we take comfort in seeing our reflection before we venture into the public eye. It creates a sense of security, self-confidence and heightened self-awareness. Staring into the mirror too long and you may be labelled as a narcissist or vain…but please…everyone does it.

Actually…not everyone. There is a small percentage of people who suffer from Eisoptrophobia (possess a fear of mirrors and their own reflection). But that is another story.

In addition, within our society, almost all of our homes have mirrors. Whilst from an interior designers perspective, mirrors are not purely functional, but can be a decorative element – creating visual interest and the illusion of space. Mirrors can be a feature piece and serve as a piece of art or conversation starters.

Sometimes it helps to have mirrors in easily accessible places. When you have that piece of parsley gets wedged in your teeth or you accidently draw on your face at work – it is these exact moments, you wish you had caught a glimpse in the mirror. How long have I been walking around like that for?

Mirrors have all sorts of applications. See below for a round up of some cool mirror inspiration….

(Image via Kloudy MIlk) 

(Image via Archiproducts)

(Image via the Design Chaser)

I love this!

(Image via the Design Chaser)

(Image via Yvonne Kone)

New York retreat by design firm Axis Mundi

(Image via Indesignlive) 

My favourite – Anish Kapoor’s ‘Sky Mirror’ – Commissioned by the Nottingham Playhouse from the artist, it is installed outside the theatre in Wellington Circus, Nottingham, England. Sky Mirror is a six-metre-wide concave dish of polished stainless steelweighing ten tonnes and angled up towards the sky. Its surface reflects the ever-changing environment….GENIUS!

(Image via designheard.blogspot.com)

Ummm…when can I stay here?  It is my dream to stay in a treehouse hotel. Treehotel Mirrorcube by Bolle Tham and Martin Videgård.

(Image via Yellowtrace)

Break a mirror and you get 7 years bad luck. Mirrors are serious business. So is dancing in front of my mirror (how do you think I perfected the Beyonce body roll or ‘the worm’)…..ok, I better be off…I think you can probably guess – what I am about to do….Watch out Beyonce!

N xx