A New Twist on the Starburst Mirror

Hey y'all I have an exciting opportunity that I get to share with ya and I am pretty excited. I was contacted by Home Depot back in November to partner with them and share some content on my blog. I was able to choose the content based on what I thought y'all would be most interested in and then Merri wrote up a quick article for me to share with you. If we like how this goes then my partnership with Home Depot will continue to grow and that is like SOOOO exciting :) I've shared a bit of info at the end of Merri's article on who she is, but for now here is her article on an awesome DIY starburst mirror!! 

A New Twist on the Starburst Mirror

By Merri Cvetan

 The starburst mirror has been around for centuries and may be attributed to Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, who used the head of Apollo surrounded by rays of light as his symbol.

However, mirror production was extremely expensive until the early 19th century. The starburst style mirror has been an important interior design accessory for years. It found a new resurgence during the 1940s, and who can forget the popularity of the atomic-style mirror in the '60s?

Today, starburst mirrors come in many sizes, styles, shapes, finishes and price points. It's also an easy DIY project, so I decided to try my hand at making my own using decorative wood moulding.

For my moulding, I chose a 3/4 in. embossed pine wall and cabinet trim. I cut out eight 6 in. pieces and eight 5 in. pieces with a powered miter box saw. To add to the starburst look, I cut the ends to a point. The power saw is much faster, but you can use a regular handsaw and miter box. Sand the cut edges with sand paper for a nice smooth finish.

Traditional starburst mirrors used convex mirrors (the surface bulges outward) so they reflect a wider field of view than a flat mirror. They were also easier to make centuries ago. I found a couple of regular flat mirrors at a resale store-one with a gold frame and the other without. I preferred the color and scalloped edge of the framed one (which had a 7 in. diameter), so I bought a can of Rust-Oleum Metallic spray paint in in the Gold Rush color. It's a nice soft gold that's not too shiny, and it matches the frame.

I cut a 5-1/2 in. diameter circle from foam core board. It's 1-1/2 in. smaller than the mirror, so it won't show from the front. I like foam core instead of cardboard because it's sturdier and lightweight.

I divided the foam core into 16 equal pie pieces (I used 16 "rays") with a straight edge ruler and pencil. My rays were 5 in. and 6 in., but I wanted a bigger difference between the two sizes on the finished mirror, so I glued the longer rays .5 in. from the edge and the shorter rays 1 in. from the edge with white craft glue.

After the glue is completely dry, give it a couple of coats of spray paint.

Finally, glue the mirror to the finished back with hot glue. I punched a hole in the foam core and hung it on a nail. It couldn't be easier!

The possibilities are endless. I could have doubled the number of rays or made them longer. I also could have used more than one style of moulding. A starburst mirror can be any size. Although gold is the traditional color, you can make yours to coordinate with your room's décor. Share your ideas in the comments!

Merri Cvetan of MEC Design Studio is an interior designer who writes about her DIY projects for Home Depot. Merri's starburst mirror makes creative use of ordinary moulding to create a stylish project for the home. Home Depot's wide assortment of moulding for your starburst mirror can be found online.