Property Malaysia

by Michael D. Dunn

Venetian Mirrors – An Exciting Account

The mirror has a complex and captivating record that spans centuries and countries all through the world. The mirror’s appeal has always held a fascination for that user, this is something where they could view their image without fault and satisfy their deep need to see oneself as others see them. The mirror reflects images so perfectly that it cannot be imitated by some other surface on any tool. Without the mirror image within the mirror, no-one would take satisfaction of their appearance. But is it also because of this ability to reflect the light and the dark perfectly that the mirror can be labeled a lot of things, including a magical object.

One of the hottest belief concerning the mirror is that when gets broken, this would entail the breaker seven years of bad luck. This belief has its roots way back in times before written history when it was believed how the gods were those who produced mirrors. The mirrors ability to reflect the image continues to be a coveted experience for those who first behold it way back in prehistory. In the times of the Roman Empire and within the palaces of Egypt, mirrors of highly polished metal like bronze, silver and gold were considered to be one of the most treasured items that were buried with the owners. This was long before the more advanced and practical glass-making of mirrors. Glass-making revolutionized how mirrors would work. The word “mirror” as we all know it today did not mean glass in history, it had been any metallic surface that were highly polished to give off a semblance of a reflection. Today, the word means a sheet of glass that features a reflective coating at the rear and maybe designed and beveled for beauty and become part of decor. Mirrors are actually extremely commonplace objects, and you’d be hard pushed to find a house without one. However,this wasn’t possible in the past. What is being written here will give people a concept on the evolution of the mirror, especially that of the Venetian glass makers who made revolutionary innovations on what is now commonly called the Venetian glass mirror.

The history of the glass making of mirrors began in 1255 when artisans, the makers of pearls, flasks and glass, settled in Murano, Italy, the birthplace of now famous Venetian mirror.  Murano was a place that meant security for its artisans who didn’t want their secrets to get known by other traders. Venetian glass makers hurried to join them to be included in protection. These glass makers later produced the excellent quality of Venetian glass which later on got innovated into the world famous Venetian glass mirrors . By the end of the Middle Ages, the Murano glass became synonymous with quality, elegance, style and sophistication when it came to glass works of art.  The glass makers in Murano came across and kept the key of constructing large sheets of glass and crystal which not just was of superior quality but had a unique tone when flicked by the finger, and the bubble free crystal made the reflective surfaces a thing to covet .

The beauty of the glass made in Venice was attributed to 3 main things. First, the salt and soda composition from silica which was the primary ingredient. Two, the type of fire that was used in the course of the firing, and three, the salt composition in the salt water from the sea. The known world at the moment categorized the Venetian glass as superior in quality which eventually insured the demise of the other glass industries in the known world. When the Venetian glass making started, so did the birth of glass mirrors. When the standard of the glass and crystal making made a difference to mirrors, again the requirement for quality mirrors began to get all the rage once more. The Venetian glass makers were already famed for their elegant and beautiful style of glass production, so initially of the 16th century, Venice became a center of mirror production. Venetian mirror makers used their world-renowned and beautiful glass to produce authentic Venetian mirrors. Try as they could, other glass makers all over the world could never quite produce the exact quality of pure glass as the Venetians did.

During the 16th century (and 2 centuries after), real Venetian mirrors were very hard to come by. Small steel mirrors became an everyday object because they were obtainable all over the place and were not expensive to buy. In terms of quality of the mirror though, real Venetian glass mirrors were utterly unrivaled by the unappealing, non extravagant and little steel mirrors. Venetian mirrors were coveted after. It became so famous that not only were they exported all through the know world but its fame reached the far ends of the East. Two famous palaces, the Isfahan palace and Lahore palace purchased Venetian mirrors which they arrogantly hung in their decorative and extravagant palaces.

- Real Venetian mirrors remained a rare object during the 16th century and following couple of centuries, and polished metal mirrors remained by far the most widespread. These steel mirrors were commonplace and inexpensive.

- Only people who were the very rich and people who had the suitable connections could purchase or get hold of Venetian mirrors. A merchant called Andre Clement kept a boutique called the “Fleur de Lys” by the rue Saint-Jacques in Paris in 1520 his inventory mentions “two mirrors from Venice” valued at over £5,500. Not only were the Venetian mirrors expensive, they were also very hard to acquire and own .

- Steel, gold and silver were polished to reflect images and this satisfied the majority, however, once someone sees their reflection on the glass mirrors of Venice, the standard alone was enough to frustrate the purchasers.

- Before 1581-1622 in Paris there were only nine Venetian glass mirrors in 2 hundred and forty eight estate inventories.

- Venetian mirrors were steep way back around the 16th century when they reached the cost of just above £8000, these are costlier today.

- A major financial depression unhappily hit Italy, Venice in particular, which made them give attention to France as their major supply of foreign markets.

by dorena-wm

Mirror as Decoration and Function

In this article, I am proposing some interior design ideas. I am also analysing the function of the mirror in interior design. In this article, the mirror is seen as something functional. There is also obviously a decorative purpose to the mirror. However sometimes these points can be forgotten.

The mirror is function:

Suppose there is a small room e.g. a small-sized bathroom. In this bathroom, the mirror is obviously functional. It is used by the man for shaving for example, to wash teeth. However, when a piece is so obviously functional as the mirror, there are ways to make the mirror more decorative. I am saying here that in some way, it is easier to make something so functional as the mirror in this bathroom setting into something decorative. You can aim to have a mirror with some element of ornamentation or you can choose to have a certain type of glass for the mirror. You can choose to have a certain color scheme in the bathroom and to use the mirror as the central element in this scheme.

However, when a mirror is so obviously functional, you can add mirrors that are more decorative in aim. You can have for example, mirrors at the foot level. You can have mirrors which just show the abdomen level.

The mirror is decoration:

In the living room, a lot of times the mirror is put above the fireplace and when you think about this, there seems to be something decorative about this. It is decorative in the sense that the mirror seems to be the main ornament. It is a central piece of decorative furniture and even though its function is obvious, decoration seems to be the main purpose. If the main reason is decorative, then you can add to the interior by using other mirrors in a more functional setting and showing up the decorative purpose of the central mirror above the fireplace. Again in this living room setting, you can show up the functionality and decorativeness of the mirror object by adding mirrors at foot level along one of the walls.

Another interior design idea is to put a folding mirror in the corner.. a kind of triptych of mirrors which fold inwards… Another idea is to have a mirror on one wall continuing into the other walls; Various effects can be used- e.g. two long rectangular mirrors of equal size at the corners of each wall…or else the mirrors do not have to be the same size at all. The mirror then is decoration and function. What about the mirror as space as something which creates space.

The mirror is space:

This is a well-known purpose of a mirror. When you have a large space e.g. a hall you can use mirrors in different ways to create more space and you can aim for this effect in small spaces such as an ordinary living room. However since you already have a large space in a gathering hall or a large retail area for example, how should mirrors be used? Then the mirror can be used in such a way as to create the interior. This can be done when there are mirrors along a whole wall. There can be continuous mirrors along a wall or just long vertical or horizontal rectangles of mirrors. You can have a mirror, then wallpaper then a mirror again. If the room is rectangular, the corners of the space should have some design element. The corners of the rooms are where the walls ‘overlap’ and interior design effects can be used to emphasize this area. The mirrors emphasize in some way the central space but the side corners can also be emphasized through objects e.g. lampshades…

The mirror then is space…and it is function.. and a good interior design idea is to look at the mirror in a living room. If the mirror is above the fireplace, ask why it is there. Is it for function or decoration or another reason or probably a mix of all three. In a living room, you may be unwittingly using the mirror as a central decorative object but you are not bringing out the full effect. This may be because of the mirror itself or general bad interior design planning for your room. In interior design, the purpose of the room is an important concept. The question of having a definite purpose for your room arises when you are looking at your room and its space. The mirror must have a specific purpose and this purpose can be brought out through the way the mirror or mirrors merges with the color tones in the room as well as the overall space and other furniture of the room.

Find More Mirrors Articles

by slworking2

A vast array of mirrors New York at your fingertips

Mirrors can enhance the appearance of your living area and also serve as fine pieces of art. The mirrors New York are available in many stores in a vast array of choices. Some popular websites on internet offer mirrors New York that is assembled according to your specifications in their New York Store. Classic techniques as well as modern technology are combined to make your custom – cut mirrors.

The main kinds of mirrors new york  are wall mirrors, floor mirrors, beveled mirrors, decorative mirrors, bathroom mirrors, dressing mirrors and custom cut mirrors.

Wall mirrors of mirrors new york come in various categories-

Frameless wall mirrors Children’s wall mirrors Modern wall mirrors Ornate wall mirrors Traditional wall mirrors Venetian wall mirrors

The floor mirrors of mirrors New York come in the types namely Cheval Floor Mirror, Kids floor mirror, Modern Floor mirror, Ornate Floor mirror and Traditional floor mirror.

The Bath room floor mirrors of mirrors new york are available in the following types-

Make-up mirrors Medicine cabinets Table-top mirrors Vanity Mirrors Wall mounted mirrors

You can shop for mirrors on other criteria like type, style, designer, width, brand and finish. Various Shapes of mirrors New York available are Rectangular, Arched and crowned, Oval, Round, Square, Frameless, Floor and full size and Octagonal.

Style of mirrors new york are as follows:

Transitional Contemporary Traditional Old world Victorian Rustic Country Art Deco Venetian

Designers and artists who created special types of mirrors are the likes of Asunta Palaez, Marcos Luzalde, Vichi Arte, Alberto Mendonca, Galacio, Jeanica McClintock and others. Some leading brands of Mirror makers are Uttanost, Cooper Classics, Hitchcock-Butterfield, Classic Collection, Ironwood industries, Ambience, USE etc.

Wall mirrors are used to create drama or  infuse a subtle quality to a room. They include modern frameless mirrors to traditional highly crafted mirrors. It is wise to shop by brands as they reflect a particular ambience. For e.g. Cooper Classics mirrors reflect their experience in wood product manufacturing.

Floor mirrors are used along with personal wardrobes. But they can add to the beauty of a room. Cheval (French for Horse) mirrors can add drama to a bare corner or hall way. Bath room mirrors can be equally decorative as well as utilitarian. Make-up mirrors, medicine cabinets, table top mirrors all add to the glamour of a bathroom.

There is a wide choice of mirrors new york available  from simple round to ornate oval, plain to designer, Spartan to Venetian etc. One has to choose the mirror according to utility, design, beauty and   appropriateness. A carefully chosen  mirror can add to the ambience of a living space.

Reflective surfaces become portals in this good-looking thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland as a haunted NYPD detective. 3/5

More Mirrors Articles

by Kaptain Kobold

The World of Mirrors

An inexplicable halo of magic and the mystery that is emanating from an ordinary mirror even now impresses us, as it did our ancestors during the primeval times. Mirrors reflect everything in front of them, but refuse to le us ‘see’ their reflecting surfaces! Doesn’t it add to the eternal mystery of mirrors?

When the human beings at the infancy of history, began to notice the mirror magic in nature, it was never through the framed glass mirrors or the highly polished metallic mirrors of the modern times. Tranquil water surfaces in the wooded areas in a serene, sunny day could have been the first looking glass that reflected a wonder struck human face. In those distant times, our forefathers could not even believe that the faces looking at them from the water were actually belonging to them. Probably that could be the reason why Narcissus, the hapless character of the Greek mythology, tragically fell in love with his reflection in water, his image!

A mirror becomes a mirror only when it has a highly polished smooth surface for an image to form. The most familiar form of mirrors is the ordinary plain mirror. Apart from using it as our trusted confidante that helps us in our daily grooming, we use mirrors as decorative items too at our homes, offices and many public places. The images that we see in most of the mirrors are of virtual types, though there are varieties of mirrors that form ‘real’ images.

There are several categories of mirrors that we use in our daily lives. There are the common plane, spherical, cylindrical, convex, and concave types that are based on the reflective surface contour. Then we have the parallel mirrors for generating infinite images of a single of objects or arrangement of multiple mirrors as in a kaleidoscope to create inestimable varieties of colors and patterns. All of us are familiar with the rear view mirrors being fitted in our automobiles. They are really the convex mirrors. Mirrors are very important in science and technology too. A type of microscopic mirrors is the heart of some advance televisions and video equipment. Telescopes, microscopes, laser equipments and some of the precision instruments are also using high quality mirrors.

In the early days, mirrors were used to be made out of highly polished metal sheets. But in modern times, mirrors are made by sputtering a very thin layer of molten aluminum or silver over rear surface of a glass plate in high vacuum. This sputtering process is done on the face of the plate if the mirrors are to be used in optical equipments. This is done to avoid the minor reflections from the glass.

Apart from the categories indicated earlier, according to the common applications, we can group the mirrors. There are many major manufacturing and marketing companies dealing with domestic mirrors. Some of them use their own nomenclature for specific applications. Here is a list of such application based names:

Bathroom Mirrors, Illuminated Bathroom Mirrors, Cheval/Vanity Mirrors, Decorative Mirrors, Art Deco Mirrors, Glass Framed Mirrors, Mirrored Furniture, Metal Framed Mirrors, Mirrored Art, Miscellaneous Over mantle Mirrors, Value Wall Mirrors, Venetian Mirrors and Wood Framed Mirrors.

  Ironically, though an ordinary mirror may be contributing much to ‘inflate’ our ego, it does it with an absolute detachment to the subject it images. We mostly miss that philosophically profound truth.

by dorena-wm

Mirror- An Essential Bathroom Accessory

A mirror reflects your appearance and conveys your own looks to you. A mirror in the bathroom adds to the décor of it and its presence has also changed the concept of a conventional bathroom. Epitome of style does not come to our minds when we think of bathroom mirrors. When it comes to bathroom decorating endeavors, bathroom mirrors are generally forgotten although they are a functional necessity. It might get a little difficult and puzzling while decorating a bathroom mirror, but there are scores of possibilities that provide you endless decorating themes for your bathroom just like a magnificently decorated drawing room.

Reputed bathroom accessory suppliers can provide you a wide range of stylish bathroom mirror. Bathroom mirrors are not left out even by the world wide web. There are ample distributors who sell bathroom mirrors online also. As mentioned earlier wide range of bathroom mirrors include different mirrors for different purposes. Backlit mirrors are used to enhance the interiors of the bathroom and the frameless mirrors furnish a bathroom and make you a proud owner of a well furnished bathroom. You feel so proud each time you enter your bathroom. You also earn the appreciation of the visiting guests. To give your bathroom a more classic and an exotic look you can always opt for the heritage mirrors. If you have a shaving mirror installed in your bathroom, you don’t have to shave in your bedroom or the drawing room. You can shed your entire beard behind the bathroom doors very comfortably.

Its true that a wide range of bathroom mirrors are available in the market, heated mirror, heritage mirror, shaving mirror and frameless mirror to name a few, but a proper location of the mirror is very essential. Buying the right kind of mirror for your bathroom is very essential but the area that you have to pay proper attention is the allocation of proper space for your mirror. For example you can opt for stylish framed cabinet mirror at one corner and a frameless mirror at the other corner if you have a spacious bathroom. Every corner can be utilised elaborately in such cases. Of course you cannot follow this interior if you have a limited space in your bathroom. You can opt for illuminated bathroom mirrors to give your bathroom a more attractive appearance. You can always pamper your bathroom and complement yourself with a right choice from a variety of exclusive bathroom mirrors.

More Mirrors Articles