I made a nice simple wooden mirror frame, to replace an old plastic one that was starting to break.
This created a nice rustic looking frame for a really basic (and quite cheap) mirror in it’s original form.
I used the below:
- 1 length of pine 34mm x 34mm
- 1 length of pine 44mm x 44mm
- A piece of plywood
- Some wood glue
To start with I stripped the old plastic frame from the mirror, so that the mirror was bare. Then, I cut the pieces of pine to make a basic frame shape. I used the thicker piece of pine for the outside of the frame. I also left the sides slightly longer which gave it a rougher, slightly more industrial shape.
Next, I then cut the plywood board to a size slightly bigger than the mirror. This would create a backing board that I could glue the back of the mirror to. The overlapping space would provide some surface area to attach the pine frame to also.
It was important that the frame made a nice snug fit around the mirror, so that there weren’t any gaps.
I decided to use a darker stain for the wooden frame. This gave the wood a more weathered and older look. It also brought out the grain and knots in the wood really nicely. It made quite a difference to the overall look of the frame from the original colour of the wood which was quite pale.
Once I had assembled everything together I was pretty happy with the end result. What had been a fairly cheap project suddenly started to look quite a feature after it was hung on the wall!
Even though the mirror itself wasn’t particularly large, it helped to make the room feel brighter and larger. Mirrors can do this by reflecting the light in a room and creating an illusion of depth.
This came as quite a surprise, as it wasn’t until afterwards that I read more about how mirrors can make rooms feel larger and lighter.
Here is a good article by Country Living – 6 ways to use mirrors to make your home feel bigger and brighter.
Whilst the build itself was pretty straightforward, it helped to learn more about some interior design aspects of using light and space.
I was encouraged to learn more by reading articles like the one above with advice from industry professionals.
This has helped me to think about approaching future projects from a slightly different angle.
I enjoyed this project. I got to upcycle an old, cracked mirror frame with a new handmade one, as well as learning something new.