Fun Decorating Trick: Upside Down & Reversed

I want to share a fun decorating trick with you…

…one that came to me when I was standing at my kitchen sink and looked towards the banquette – inspiration struck.  Always happens when you least expect it.   I know now what I am going to do to my kitchen chairs. A few of you noticed and commented that I painted the table base – it still needs another coat.

You can see these posts on how I finished metal table base as well as how I painted the kitchen chairs.

After inspiration struck  – I remembered something I learned when I worked in display that I have not done in a while.  Something so simple, but that will change the way you see your house.  It is a fun decorating trick.

It is looking at your rooms upside down and reversed to gain a new perspective.

I am serious – really! It is a trick for the visual side of your brain and ends up a treat for you, too.

So how do you look at your rooms upside down and in reverse?  With a mirror. Any mirror will do.

I went to my basement and grabbed one from my daughters’ apartment contents that are being stored there.  I took this photo looking into the mirror.  The reflection shows my kitchen layout in reverse.

Hold the mirror up in front of you. Then look into it and turn around the room (slowly or you may get dizzy).  What do you see ? – the room in the reflection, is reversed.  It looks better, newer, fresher – but it is exactly the same room.  How can that be?

Your brain is so used to seeing things in a certain order that we don’t really “see” after a while. When you suddenly see that your refrigerator is now on the left wall and the sink on the right, it wakes up your brain, which then will help you figure out a new way to do something. In this case, take away or add decorative items to make your décor better, more organized, balanced, etc.

Getting a new view can inspire you with new ideas or just let you see that your home – is either looking just fine or that something may need fixing!  I saw this when I laid the mirror on my kitchen counter to clean it.

The long wall that spans my kitchen and family room looks really long when viewed in reverse. That is the door to my studioffice on the far left.  Wait it should be on the other side, it is hard to wrap my brain around it, but allows me to really see.

It looks funny to see my house in this perspective.   Even with all the painting going on, I can still see things that I could change that my brain was just not observing before.

My family room now looks like it faces south.  My brain is getting rewired – opening up to see the possibilities.

I now see something that I like that my eyes were not seeing for so long. Repetition of white crown molding.  Before looking at this space reversed in the mirror, my eyes were not seeing this aspect of this room.

Try it!  It is fun and won’t cost you a dime.

Your rooms will thank you for looking at them with new eyes.  Another way to see a space differently is to bend at your waist and look at your room upside down through your legs.  I know it sounds silly, but it will change your perspective and allows your brain to refresh itself.

Even if you don’t have a mirror to hold in front of you to gain a new perspective of your rooms,  look at the reflection in the mirrors that you have hanging on the walls in your house. Stand at different angles to see what is reflected in reverse.

Your house and decor will never look better.  Upside down & reversed will give you a whole new perspective of what is right in front of you.

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