House of Mirrors

From the outside, the House

of Mirrors truly stands out among the surrounding buildings. A white brick building with an incredible array of mirrors, depicting stars, butterflies, palms, planets and even calligraphy. But even the brightly decorated outside pales in comparison to the stunning inside of the building, in which nearly every space is bedecked in mirrors.

Floors, walls, pieces of furniture, and even the bathroom sink are decorated with mirrors in all possible shapes and colors. The creator of the building is Italian-born Lidia al-Qattan, a painter, sculptor and jeweller who is married to Kuwaiti artist Khalifa al-Qattan. The work started with what later became an obsession, when her husband travelled to an exhibition abroad. She felt lonely during his absence, and began to decorate a cabinet with mirrorpieces. When he returned, he was impressed with the result, and encouraged her to continue, and she did.

Even though this is a lived-in building, the owners are eager to show curious visitors their home. The attached art galleries upstairs, which hold collected pieces both artists have created can also be visited.