Glowing or garish?

Glowing or garish?
Sleek, shiny surfaces can light up a room.

The Associated Press

Published Sunday, September 21, 2008

Fall home fashion is aglow this year with metallic, pearled, acrylic and mirror finishes.

It’s a trend that resurfaces every few years. But there are always new examples of creative craftsmanship.

This year, Pottery Barn has introduced a line of mirrored, sleek and sexy tables, and Crate & Barrel offers an array of silver and copper vases.

The trend is everywhere at all price points. Metals, Lucite, gold leaf, ceramic and glass are fashioned into decorative elements. And in soft furnishings, there are iridescent table linens, as well as metallic threaded throws to dress the sofa.

Clad in highly polished aluminum or plated resin, Modern Dose’s curvy Deco Table, Philippe Starck’s Kong chair and Harry Allen’s whimsical roller-skate doorstop all play on "shiny."

If sleek reflections aren’t your thing, there are accessories that feature more muted burnished and hammered metals.

Chiasso has debuted some interesting peel-and-stick tiles, upholstered in pewter- or mercury-toned vinyl. They’d make a sophisticated headboard or wall installation.

Ballard Designs retails an antiqued glass collection of screens and floor mirrors that can both divide and open up a room.

And the Lucite trays lined with colorful graphic papers from stationery e-retailer iomoi are popular - iomoi will create a custom design to fit a small or ottoman-size tray.

Aaron Thomas, a Los Angeles-based designer, sculpts acrylic into furniture, artwork and colorful boxes. He says the "purity" of the material makes it exciting to work with.

"It both catches your eye and disappears into the room. It’s uncommon enough that people just kind of light up when they see it."

Charles Hollis Jones, considered a pioneer in acrylic furniture design, says: "It’s as or more valuable than bronze on the vintage market now." He believes that acrylic’s longevity stems from an architectural and organic resonance. "People appreciate how light carries and penetrates in an acrylic piece."

The reflective quality of these finishes can work in smaller rooms and entryways. Mirrored tables provide useful surfaces without filling up a lot of space.

And for larger rooms, a glamorous furnishing or two is the right "touche extravagante." Those unwilling to commit to the trend with furniture can add some oomph with one or two accent pieces.