Mirrors: Reflections of Style

for a subject a lot of times ignored, a great primer!

This is a small coffee table- style book that contains some stunning mirrors, both of present day and throughout the past. It shows mirrors throughout history, mirror lined rooms, as design elements, and mirror accented furniture, mirrors in frames and outdoors. Photos and illustrations are in colour and there is an index.There is a surprisingly fascinating history of mirrors. The illustrations are shown in artwork and in photographs. Examples include Liberace's piano, Marie Antoinette's boudoir with mirrors that were raised up and down on cables in front of the windows to give privacy and then a reflection of the room.Design elements and decorating show mirrors over dining tables. Mirrors are displayed that have texture and that are made up of mosaic like pieces. There are also some pretty amazing ones like polished steel mirrors affixed to the smooth side of a boulder.Those interested in history and in decorating and design would learn much from and enjoy this book.

Ms. Phipps has taken the ordinary miirror and elevated its historic and aesthetic value. A well-researched and beautiful book, I'd recommend it to anyone serious about the decorative arts. Well done!