Mirrors-Use
Mirrors are brilliantly useful when space is short, but they can also bring the wow factor to a well-proportioned room, lending a sense of drama while maxing the feeling of size. This fabulous space with its soaring ceiling is instantly doubled by adding a wall of framed mirrors, with mirrored doors too. The pitched roof is reflected back, creating a lovely sense of symmetry, and the showstopper chandelier looks twice as fabulous!
Mirror tiles fitted into the alcoves either side of the fireplace give this compact living space a gloss of elegance and a greater feeling of space. A further genius touch is arranging the seating symmetrically, so that it’s perfectly aligned to create long reflections in each alcove. These mirror tiles have a soft, antiqued finish, providing a gentler, warmer feel than a single piece of super-shiny mirrored glass.
A huge freestanding mirror propped against a wall will brilliantly boost the sense of space in a room. Plus, you can reposition it to refresh the look and take it with you if you move house. Placing some furniture in front, as seen here, softens any glare and creates further interesting reflections.
Elegance and simplicity in design often go hand in hand. The marbled antique mirror glass in this dining room is simplicity itself, but the designer has added detail and glamour by using tiles with bevelled edges rather than one plain sheet. The patterns and colours are as pleasing as any artwork and would give dinner party gatherings a real sense of occasion.
Vintage-style antique mirrors come in myriad finishes, including speckled, marbled and mottled. If you have several items in a room that could be the focal point, maybe go for one of the subtler finishes, as in this speckled chimney breast, so they don’t fight for attention and instead work together in coherent style.
Anchor a tableau This lightly foxed mirror forms the centrepiece of a pleasing tableau, drawing together the lights, table and accessories into a cohesive arrangement. The colours are key here, with the soft greys of the antique mirror chiming with the metalwork, and the brass frame uniting the warm metals of the lighting and reflected overmantel mirror frame in the room opposite.
Hallways are some of the trickiest spaces to decorate, largely because they tend to be narrow. The owners of this home have solved the problem of a slim space with an entire wall of foxed mirror glass panels. Not only do they make a stylish first impression, they bounce the light around and deepen the space without startling visitors with a full view of themselves the moment they walk through the door!
The look of this bathroom would be completely different had the designers left out the chandelier and used a regular mirror – indulgent as full-length wall mirrors may be. The twinkling but muted glass adds glamour without being hard-edged, and has turned this smart bathroom into a luxurious bathing space.
6. Think of the positioning This one is a given: you do need to know whether your mirror is the hero or going to be part of a greater set-up. If it’s the latter, take your cue from a mirror like this, which has been edited in harmony with the side table and chair. Yes, it’s neutral but the scale makes it stand out beautifully.
Mirrors in gardens are like small portholes to a hidden world. Although they are seldom seen in gardens, when they are used, they’re very effective at camouflaging themselves into the surrounding landscape and creating a gateway into a world beyond. They add visual interest and curiosity, and extend the boundaries of any garden space.
This former dining room was converted into an opulent formal lounge. The client wanted the look and feel of a bygone era using not only furnishings to achieve this, but architectural detail, too. The fireplace was clad in an antique-finish mirror to match its age while giving a focal point to the room. A silver mirror would have been too contemporary for the space.
The thought of knocking down walls to reveal rooms beyond was daunting. A technique we used and discussed previously was to install large mirrors on either side of the fireplace to give the illusion that the fireplace itself was a standalone feature between two rooms. The ceiling appears to float right past the face of the fireplace to the room behind. More importantly, the mirrors provided a transparent backdrop to display the oversized ceramic vases while at the same time reflecting light into the now bright room.
To magnify the space The inclusion of mirrors is an excellent way to make a small space feel larger. The interior designers at Jado Decor have used a variety of techniques to give this bedroom more visual space. Firstly, to simplify the room of clutter, they have hidden the robes behind the mirrored doors. The mirrors themselves are installed floor to ceiling and in slim vertical panels. This technique is important as the mirror will reflect the floor and the ceiling, giving the illusion that the space is larger than the true reality.
Less mottled, more scuffed around the edges, this antique-effect mirror creates a different look again, covering an entire wall section to baffle the eye. Fixed with utilitarian studs, this foxed mirror also helps to highlight the grey-grouted metro tiling, enhancing the feel of a traditional Victorian bathhouse. What’s extra smart in this bathroom is the use of mirror to clad ledges, creating the ultimate invisible shelf that’s perfect for highlighting attractive bottles and vases.
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