Embellished Frame Inspired by Bergdorfs

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I saw the holiday windows at Bergdorfs this December and wanted to create my own mirror inspired by what I saw!

bergdorfs embellished frame

Story time: Right after Christmas, I met a friend in the city to see the musical Shucked. It’s since closed on Broadway but if it ever comes to your city, RUN to go see it. So charming and fun. After the show, we walked uptown to see the holiday windows at Bergdorfs on our way to dinner across the street. These windows were absurd in all the best ways possible. Imaginative, whimsical, clever, SO over the top. We loved them and I was particularly drawn to one window with this amazing embellished giraffe. I wondered aloud whether that would be a fun project to recreate at home on a frame or something. Which is where we are today!

giraffe in the bergdorf  window

Step 1. Procure the Mirror

I found this mirror on Facebook marketplace for $10 or $15 and it turns out a ton of you guys had the same one in your house growing up. Ha! I liked this mirror because it was cheap and it had a simple flat frame. I have plans to beef that up.

mirror from Facebook marketplace

Step 2. Build Out the Frame

I used basic poplar hobby board from Home Depot to fatten up the frame. I primed the boards first and then used liquid glue to stick them onto the mirror.

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mirror frame

Step 3. Add Base Layer of Texture

What I loved about the inspo giraffe was the base layer of that raised floral pattern. I grabbed old cardboard and cut it into floral shapes before gluing it in place onto the frame.

cardboard floral shapes
gluing cardboard shapes onto mirror

Step 4: Adding More Texture

The inspo giraffe also had some doodles and swirls in the background so I used a custom mixture of thinset and caulk to pipe some patterns onto the mirror.

adding more texture to mirror

Step 5: Paint/ White Wash

The final step before embellishing was to paint/ white wash the texture I’d placed on the frame. I mixed up a combo of joint compound, white glue, white paint and baking soda so that I had a thick flat white textured “paint” to smear ontop of my texture. I wanted this to be thick enough to fill in the cracks but also to look like a plaster wash.

painted mirror

Step 6: Add Embellishments

This was the final and most fun step of the whole project: adding the bling! Honestly, the biggest challenge was figuring out what embellishments to use and where to get them. I picked up some sparkly beads and pearls and the dollar store and then got the rest on Amazon. That was clearly where the artistry on the giraffe occurred: the variety and quality of bedazzling.

close up of bergdorf giraffe
embellishing the bergdorf mirror

Mirror Reveal

This is the finished mirror. I probably could have added even more embellishments but at some point I ran out and I decided just to share it without spending another $20 on jewels and to call it a day.

finished bergdorf embellished mirror
close up of bergdorf mirror
embellished bedazzled mirror inspired by Bergdorfs

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2 Comments

  1. Wow, your mirror turned out absolutely stunning! I saw the holiday windows at Bergdorfs as well and was also inspired to create my own mirror. I love how you added different layers and textures, and the embellishments truly add that extra touch of glamour. Thank you for sharing your step by step process and the final reveal. I’m definitely going to try this out myself!