Retro starburst mirrors – a survey of what’s available
I saw this lovely photo of a starburst mirror on Design to Inspire, and recognized it immediately as the same one I’d bought from Ballard Designs about two years ago. We have it above our fireplace, against our grasscloth-covered walls, and it looks great – modern and serene.
I am a big fan of having one of these mirrors somewhere in your home. In general — just one, though — you’ve got to be careful not to overdo it with the starbursts. That said, there also was a nice photo (above, click on thumbnail to enlarge) of a pair of starbursts used symmetrically over bedside tables – and I think that this worked very well.
So… I surfed around and found a selection of retro styled starburst mirrors available today. There are quite a few to choose from at all price points — from $70 at Target to $6,000 from Baker Furniture. You do get what you pay for, of course. My $300 Ballard has a convex mirror and a nice heft. The $70 Target model, much cheaper, has lesser features even though it is still quite decorative.
Also, you can check ebay. In fact, my Ballard model, which also appears to have been for sale at Horchow and Neiman-Marcus, seems to be discontinued at these retailers – but you can get it online, and for an even better price, it appears.
Another thought: Watch for starburst clocks at local tag sales and the like. I’d bet it’s fairly easy to have a mirror re-set where the clocks go — as heretical as that may seem. Hey, a lot of these clocks were not what I’d call “dear.” If you think you could make better use of them converting them to a mirror, I say do it.
All of these can be enlarged; toggle over them to see the company and listed price:
Related posts:
- Barbie starburst mirror Are you looking for creative ways to show off your...
- 2 retro exhaust fans for your kitchen ceiling or wall LAST YEAR Nutone discontinued the satin chrome grille its classic...
- Where to find retro vintage-style pink tile – and 47 other colors Palm Springs Stephan is a wealth of info, and...
- Vintage starburst atomic front door backplates – Kwikset Two vintage Kwikset door backplates on ebay, looks like...
Some of these are really beautiful. I have to admit, I have had an aversion to using mirrors as decorative objects. I think it comes from seeing so many houses where a big ol’ rectangular mirror is hung over a mantle or a couch and it doesn’t really add much more than bulk to the decor. It just looks like the owner couldn’t think of anything else to hang on the wall. These are so much more interesting.