How To Upgrade A Vintage Henry Link Mirror

Trumeau mirrors have become a running theme in my household lately. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

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I brought home my most recent vintage trumeau mirror (which was actually plated by Lenoir for Henry Link) knowing that I would paint and embellish it, not unlike what I did with my first vintage French trumeau mirror. You can easily change the look of any mirror with some paint, Rub 'N Buff and a few well-appointed appliques. 

Once I transformed the first Trumeau mirror I was hooked. It made me realize that I was ready to go back to my decorating roots -- anything French was fair game!   

I was lucky enough to find this vintage Trumeau mirror at Goodwill for $12.99, which is an unbelievable price for a mirror of this size -- not to mention the fact that it's vintage and French-inspired!    

The paint color (although it doesn't exactly translate in the pictures) is the same as the paint job that was on my thrift store French provincial dresser and mirror -- kind of a yukky yellow. Just like I painted the dresser, I knew I could paint this Trumeau mirror and give it new life.

Luckily, the back of the mirror provides a hint as to its provenance. It says "Plated by Lenoir {for} Henry Link." So who is Henry Link?

Henry Talmadge Link (b. 1889 d. 1983) formed Dixie Furniture Company in 1936. He later introduced motorized conveyors to the industry which allowed for mass production of furniture. Dixie Furniture eventually became the largest manufacturer of bedroom furniture in the world. Henry Link was inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame in 1998.   

The hardware attached to the bottom of the mirror tells me it was originally a part of a dresser and mirror combo.  

While there was already one embellishment at the top of the frame, and a small border of gold paint around the entire mirror, I wanted to take it to the next level. So I studied the paint jobs and various appliques on many of the vintage trumeau mirrors I found online until I came up with a plan.  I wanted an applique with a more French-inspired look.

French Provincial Pier Mirror with Gilt Decorations

I was really drawn to this vintage Trumeau mirror I found for sale online, due to the delicate details, appliques and all that gold! Not that I could replicate it exactly, but it got me thinking. Ironically, its yellow color is quite similar to the original paint color of my Henry Link mirror.

After much searching, I found a French rose floral swag applique on Etsy -- and waited with bated breath for its arrival. When I set it out on the mirror to see how it would look (after removing the original applique by pulling out its original tiny nails) I knew I had found the right one.

The French rose applique is actually made up of eight separate parts that I had to place together. 

I started the project with painting the mirror frame gray and adding gold accents. Initially I taped off the mirror with painter's tape. Then I taped off the areas on either side of the spots where I wanted to add more gold using Rub 'n Buff in gold leaf.

Here you can see examples of the additional gold accents I added as noted by the arrows in this photo. 

And here's the full effect of the gold embellishment. Once the extra gold trim was completed, I got to work painting the mirror's wooden frame with Behr Marquee in Dolphin Gray (leftover sample from our kitchen remodel). 

As for the eight bare, plain white applique parts, I knew I had to paint them to compliment the mirror. So as with my recent trumeau mirror transformation, I painted the pieces with white acrylic paint, followed by a water-based wax in Antique (painted on, then rubbed off), and finally Rub 'n Buff in gold leaf.  

I did my best to center the appliques in the open space at the top of the mirror. Once I had the spacing set, I glued the pieces onto the mirror with E-6000 clear glue.

Once it was completed, I placed the mirror on top of the living room mantel and set up a French-inspired display. The transformation of that vintage Henry Link mirror, while not exactly like my inspiration mirror, was sublime. 

 

The six gold taper candles I placed in the vintage distressed thrift store candelabra accentuate the gold trim on the Trumeau mirror. 

 

 

 

I was really thrilled with the outcome of the plain white appliques that I painted and gilded and glued onto the mirror. 

My thrifted cement urn with topiary on the left, and thrifted gold pillar altar candlestick on the right, framed the distressed vintage candelabra perfectly.

Hanging from the candelabra is a pressed metal hanging ornament that brings in a rustic French vibe.

I couldn't be happier with the final result of my Henry Link mirror transformation. It truly compliments the Trumeau mirror I recently painted (as seen above) and I really feel like the two mirrors will go a long way towards the overall French-inspired decor transformation I've been going for.

Well, that's it for today, friends! 

I hope you enjoyed reading about 

 How To Upgrade A Vintage Henry Link Mirror  

 and that I've inspired you in some way. 

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