DIY Anthropologie Mirror

The gilded gold oversized mirrors have taken the home decor world by storm, everyone fell in love with the Anthropologie mirrors that are oversized, gold & a touch ornate but the price tag isn’t quite in everyone’s budget so DIYs & thriftier alternatives soon popped up. I’ll link a few of my favorite Anthropologie dupe mirrors at the bottom for you.

I couldn’t wait to find a mirror while thrifting that was worthy of the french inspired gold mirror makeover that I had in mind. Well while at the thrift store one day I spotted this oversized mirror for a mere $15 (it’s 4×3′)! Took it home & quickly ordered wood appliques, when they came in the mail I immediately got to work!

Supplies for DIY Anthropologie Mirror

Mirror (if you can’t find one secondhand this or this one would be perfect for this DIY)
Appliques – I used this one but also ordered more wood appliques for the mirror or future projects. These. These. These.
Titebond wood glue
Wood putty
Sandpaper or sanding block
Gold Spray Paint
Antique Gold Rub n Buff
Brush on lettering Gold
Polycrylic

Before anything I clean up my thrift finds, something that seems mostly clean will almost always prove to be MUCH dirtier than you anticipated! Especially with wood, it tends to hide the grime really well! Give everything a good clean before starting. Give everything a quick sanding to help paint adhere to it, paint adheres to something with a little texture & this mirror was flat and smooth.

I added my wood applique in the top center with wood glue & peaking over the top a little bit to create more of a curve like the Anthropologie gilded mirror. You’ll want to either clamp that in place or just leave it alone until fully dry.

Next, I added a layer of gold spray paint I had on hand to give everything a base coat of gold. I quickly realized the applique was a bit too lifted so with wood putty I filled in the gap between the mirror & applique. I also added wood putty all around to give this flat mirror a little texture. After it was dry I gave it all a sand for a smoother finish.

Next I layered on rub n buff & gilded gold to achieve an oversized mirror for a fraction of the Anthropologie price!! The last thing I did, just for good measure was added a layer of Polycrylic to keep everything in place & protect my mirror. I had all the craft supplies on hand except for the applique so in total this makeover cost me $25!!