Mirrors in upholstered frames

What deep buttoning is

Deep buttoning (capitonné) is an upholstery technique in which the fabric is pulled in by buttons in a regular grid, forming raised diamonds or squares between them. The technique goes back to carriage upholstery, where the soft material was fixed this way so that it would not slip.

On a mirror, this technique does what no hard frame can: the frame stops being a border and becomes an object in its own right. A mirror in a wooden frame is a mirror. A mirror in an upholstered frame with deep buttoning is a piece that draws the eye even when nobody is looking into it.

The second, less obvious advantage is quiet. A hard frame on the wall reflects sound; an upholstered one absorbs it. In a bedroom with a wall-sized mirror, this is noticeable.

The frame fabric — the same choice as for furniture

The frame is upholstered in fabrics from our collections: ECO, PRESTIGE and PREMIUM Textile, 320 colours. This is the same catalogue you choose the upholstery of a bed or sofa from.

The practical result: you can order the mirror in the fabric of your bed. Not a “similar shade”, but the same fabric from the same batch, if you order them together. No shop that sells mirrors separately from furniture can offer that.

If the mirror is going in the hallway, it makes sense to choose from the water-repellent or scratch-resistant (anti-vandal) collections: in a hallway fabric wears faster than in a bedroom.

Buttons: fabric or Swarovski

Two finishes for the buttoning points.

Buttons covered in the same fabric — the frame looks seamless, and the buttoning reads as relief rather than decoration. The calmer option; it works well in understated interiors and alongside an upholstered headboard with the same texture.

Swarovski buttons — every buttoning point catches the light. The frame starts to work as a lighting element: the crystals pick up light from the chandelier or the window. This is a far more eye-catching option, meant for an interior where such an accent is appropriate.

The difference here is not “more expensive / cheaper” but how much attention the mirror should draw to itself.

Where to hang it

Above a chest of drawers in the bedroom. The most common scenario. Leave 25–30 cm between the top of the chest of drawers and the lower edge of the frame — then the mirror reads as part of the arrangement rather than a picture hung too high.

In the hallway. Here the mirror also does a practical job — it makes a narrow space feel wider. An upholstered frame in a hallway also beats a wooden one because nobody gets hurt bumping into it.

In the living room. A mirror opposite a window doubles the daylight. It is the cheapest way to make a dark room brighter.

A set with a bed or sofa

If the bedroom already has a bed with an upholstered headboard, a deep-buttoned mirror in the same fabric completes the room. It works best when the headboard also has deep buttoning — then the two surfaces echo each other, and the room looks designed rather than put together from separate purchases.

It is better to order them together: one batch of fabric guarantees an exact match of shade.