Double Take
The Pop Art Mirror from The Artful Home
Have you seen the HGTV show, Double Take, where a homeowner selects a photo of a room designed by a high-end interior designer and then tries to reproduce the look for less? They call the original photo, “the Inspiration Room”, and before you know it a $50,000 living room has been imitated for $5,000. I like the show but feel they leave out some important details because we all know you cannot get something for nothing. Yesterday, I ran across two similar items and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to help you make informed design decisions.
The Inspiration: The “Pop Art Mirror” above is a colorful and striking accent piece that would add a lively conversation piece to any room. This mirror is featured on the Artful Home website where you can find artistic treasures for your home from artists the world over. I have purchased a number of pieces from them for my clients and the prices range from quite affordable to very high end. This particular piece is a 32″x32″ hand made mirror created by the husband and wife team, Mitch and Susie Levin, who use materials of contrasting colors and textures with dramatic results. Their philosophy is simple: “Art and furniture should be both expressive and timeless. “ The mirror is $1150.
Recycled Tin Mirror from CB2
The Imposter: The Recycled Tin Mirror from CB2 (Crate and Barrel’s little sister) is going for the same look. They use international recycled tin sheet packaging in a patchwork design to create a colorful 30″ x 30″ mirror. The mirror is $99.95.
CB2
While I know the price difference in this case is huge, and most people are not going to spend $1,000 on a mirror, I do have a good point to make. The higher end pieces are fine quality furnishings that are made by hand with thoughtfulness, pride and artistic consideration. The top mirror has a much better distribution and harmony of color. It almost has a stained glass feeling to me. Each piece of tin has been nailed by hand to the frame and the small nails form a quilt-like pattern. The CB2 piece just leaves me kind of flat. No texture, the color selection is uninspired and it looks like a bunch of poorly designed business cards tacked to a cork-board.
The Artful Home
So when you are considering pieces of furniture that are look-alikes, make sure the less expensive option is sturdy enough to withstand the slings and arrows of your family and dear enough that you want to pass it on. For example: You can purchase one $3,000 sofa that lasts for 5+ years or two $1000 sofas that may last a year each. While you may be able to get the look for a lot less, you rarely ever get quality for a lot less, so spend your hard-earned money wisely.
My two cents:-)
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Tags: accessories
