So I was scrolling through my Facebook updates when my eye caught something familiar.  Something that turned out to be one of my portfolio pics…ON HGTV’S FACEBOOK PAGE.

HGTV_FB

*Gulp*

Since this will undoubtedly end up looking like a hot pixelated mess, here’s the photo they posted:

…with the question, “Mirrors, Mirrors, Mirrors!  How many is too many in your bathroom?”

Obviously, HGTV thinks I have too many mirrors in this bathroom.  Most commenters think one is enough…another chunk of the responder pie thinks two is the limit.  Here are some that are hilarious:

“That whole design of that mirror is just a bit too much for my taste. I like one large mirror over the vanity or a pair of medium sized ones. That design looks kind of weird. I would feel like ‘here’s looking at you’ when using it.”

“one is too many, especially in the morning blech”

“If you are in shape, lots! If you need a work-out, none. hahaha.”

“Ugly and Lame”

“Looks bug eyed.”

And now I’ll explain the mirrors…which until now have only received high praise.  In fact, for several years, this bathroom makeover–one of my first professional jobs ever–was the highest draw for new clients out of everything in my portfolio.  Anyway, this homeowner already had the large mirror in her possession when we embarked on her remodel and wanted to use it.  I had the contractor strip it and refinish it the same color as the vanity.  When he put it on the wall horizontally, it wasn’t wide enough to provide adequate viewing while standing in front of the sinks.  D’oh! Try shaving in front of a mirror that only reflects 1/3 of your face!

I flipped the mirror vertically and layered the other mirrors so they were centered with the sinks.  I didn’t want the large mirror to go to waste because it’d already been refinished to match the vanity.  Amateurish mistake not to have measured the mirror to make sure it was large enough–I sho’ didn’t do that again.

It’s funny to experience this…and humbling too.  I’m getting a little taste of my critical medicine.  People are commenting on my work without seeing the whole room, without any back story, and they have very different opinions from my own.  Not unlike what I do when I critique the designers’ work on Design Star!  At first I thought, do I want to read this?  How will I feel if people don’t like it?

The truth is, I laughed.  I feel really confident about my work and am relieved to discover that I didn’t take anyone’s comments personally.  (I did, however, mentally thank the few people who liked it.)  I understand now what Trent Hultgren was saying when he touched upon the reaction of the blogosphere in my interview with him this week.  There are tons of people with very unique perspectives and tastes and they’re not always going to align with mine.  Honestly, there are a TON of things I would like to change in virtually every room I’ve ever done.  If you think I’m overly critical of other designers’ work, don’t think for a minute that I go by unscathed myself.  I think that’s sort of natural as a creative person, to always be our own worst critic.

Thanks to HGTV for featuring my work, and cheers to all of the Design Star finalists and HGTV personalities I’ve written about in the past who were good sports!