Mirrors are necessary household accessories designed to help us get dressed, giving us a place to check out ourselves before leaving the house. But besides that, mirrors are also an essential and versatile home decoration that can add instant glamor and interest to your home while also increasing natural light and maximizing the sense of space.
Adding decorative mirrors – from antique to vintage to modern to contemporary – is an easy way to make a visual impact in any room. Here’s how you can use mirrors to showcase the beauty of your interiors:
Use mirrors in small spaces to make them feel bigger.
Mirrors are a must-have for small rooms. Adding large mirrors or having a mirrored wall in smaller spaces can create the perception of depth, making even the smallest room feel more significant than it really is. Besides that, mirrors also add light to dimly lit spaces and corners.
If you have alcoves in the room, adding mirrors to them will add a distinct advantage. They double the wall space for mirrors so that a small room will feel twice as bright as a single mirror. Plus, they give the opportunity for table lamps to sit in front of mirrors of console tables, so when it’s lit, artificial light offers more of a space-enhancing effect as well.
Put them opposite windows.
Positioning is the key when it comes to decorating with mirrors. Placing them where the light falls naturally is the oldest trick in the book, but it will never be out of fashion. A carefully placed mirror opposite a window will echo the natural light and outside greenery to a smaller room.
Always check what the mirror will reflect.
Traditionally, mirrors are hung from the walls or placed on a mantelpiece to reflect your ceiling and opposite walls. Make sure to consider what will be shown in the reflection. You may have a spot in your house that looks as if it’s begging for a mirrored reflection, like a show-stopping chandelier, or a fabulous artwork, so you can place a mirror opposite it to extend the wow factor. Don’t place a mirror opposite a cluttered corner or an unattractive area of your home.
Turn a mirror into a mantel décor.
Sometimes, a mirror is just what you need to style your mantel. When positioned above a mantel, a mirror draws attention to the center of the room without taking away from the fireplace itself. Style it with plants, vases, and small-scale wall art. You may want to hang a mirror about three to six inches above the mantel to give other objects some breathing room. But if you want to go for a trendy look, lean the mirror on the mantel and layer it with another piece of artwork and decorative objects.
Hang mirrors in your entry.
The entry to many houses and apartments is a light-challenged space, and a decorative mirror can help lift up the space. It’s also a great anchor piece for any entry. Foyers and mudrooms are usually tight, so mirrors can help open up the space. Plus, it can easily create a welcoming atmosphere, as your guests can easily see their reflections as they enter your home. It also gives you a spot to take a look at yourself before you walk out the door. A mirror placed over a table can do the trick, but if you have the space, you can go for a full-length mirror so anyone can glance at their whole outfit.
Use mirrors instead of art on walls.
Consider decorating with mirrors the same way you would decorate with art on your walls. Opt for mirrors with pretty frames and a layout inspired by gallery walls. Using sculptural mirrors can add not just light and reflection but a focal point to a room. You may opt to create a gallery wall made of small to medium-sized mirrors or add a few mirrors to a gallery wall to add contrast and interest to your display.
Float mirrors on bookshelves.
Built-in, floor-to-ceiling shelving is another vertical space where you can suspend your mirrors on. Books, vases, frames, figurines, and globes displayed on bookshelves can sit behind gleaming mirrors suspended outside the shelving. This adds interest and dimension to your décor.
Add mirror tiles to the backsplash.
Framed or frameless, mirrors are true design chameleons. Incorporating mirrors into your kitchen backsplash can help brighten up the space. It works great for small kitchen ideas where space and light are often at a premium. The mirror tiles can add a reflective surface to your kitchen and an element of high-gloss glamour that does not feel over-the-top. Also, a little bit can go a long way, so you can simply focus the mirror backsplash on one area of the kitchen.
Add mirrors in between windows.
The beauty of decorating with mirrors is that they come in many shapes and sizes, so you won’t be limited to popping the mirror in places like above a table, sink, or mantel – you can place them in obscure spots as well. If you have a window-dominated room, you can embellish a patch of solid wall with a rectangular leaning mirror that mimics the shape of your windows so you can achieve a camouflage effect.
Place a mirror on the end of a hallway.
If your house has a dead-end hallway that serves as corridors to bedrooms, bathrooms, and other areas, you can dress that up with an attractive mirror to add depth and reflect back views and light. This way, you can turn a dead space into a dynamic focal point.
Surround mirrors with plants.
You may not think that mirrors and plants go hand-in-hand, but they do. Embellishing a mirror with air plants or trailing vines, then surrounding them with planters is an excellent style choice.
You may also want to decorate your garden with mirrors to embrace the beauty of nature. By reflecting the plants, you essentially double them up visually to create a beautiful outdoor oasis that looks larger than it really is.
Use a mirrored tray.
When decorating with mirrors, you don’t have to get too hung up on large-scale additions. Even the smallest mirrored accessories can make a difference. A mirrored tray, which you can use to organize your centerpiece items for a coffee table or console table, can add enough light, dimension, and some contrast. It’s an easy, low-risk way to add mirrors to your interior décor.
Opt for mirrored furniture.
Decorating with mirrors isn’t just reserved for those hung on the walls. Mirrors can be integrated into furniture if you don’t have a lot of walls to put mirrors in. Adding a mirror to your closet door, drawers, sideboards, and bed frames gives a new dimension to the furniture and increases its benefit.
However, always select your mirrored furniture carefully, or else your look can go from sophisticated to tacky. And keep it minimal – the mirrored furniture must be an accent piece in the room.