Using mirrors within your decorating scheme can help reflect light around a room, creates the illusion of space, adds a focal point to the room and can add a much needed hit of glamour, its fair to say that the humble mirror is a hardworking piece of decoration!
There are numerous ways you can add a mirror into your home, below I talk about a few different ways you can add them into your space.
Fireplace/Mantel Mirrors
Adding a mirror over a mantel /fireplace is a very classic way of introducing a mirror into your room. It creates a focal point, bounces around lots of light and reflects back anything you happen to place on the mantel helping add depth to both the mantel and the room. If a mirror happens to be opposite a window or catches the light from a natural source it doubles the amount of light you have in the room which is great if your room is starved of much needed light.
The bigger the mirror the more space it will create, however, you don't need to just hang one large mirror above a fireplace, you can achieve the same effect by hanging groups of mirrors together.
Hanging mirrors opposite each other
Hanging 2 mirrors opposite each other creates quite a dramatic effect in the room as they mirror the reflection in its opposite number and creates an illusion of depth and bounces lots of light around the room. Its a very traditional way of decorating and something you see quite a lot in stately homes and palaces, such as Versailles, as a way to increase the amount of light before the advent of electricity.
Groups of mirrors
Hanging groups of mirrors together creates a dramatic feature in a room. This works best when all the mirrors have something in common, be that shape, frame colour or style. This style of hanging mirrors works best in an uncluttered space as it could feel a little too chaotic otherwise. By hanging lots of mirrors like this you again bounce lots of light around the room whilst also creating individual vignettes of your room in each mirror.
Reflective surfaces
You don't have to just stick to a traditional hung mirror in order to achieve a sense of space and create lots of light in your room, by using antique/smoked glass as a surround for your shower enclosure or by adding a wall of mirrors onto the front of your fitted wardrobes you can also achieve an illusion of space.
The image below shows perfectly everything that I have been talking about in this post. They have cleverly used mirrors in the alcoves of the chimney breast to add a sense of depth to the room, it almost looks as though the mirrors aren't there and the room runs behind the chimney, they have also placed a light in front of the mirror which will help to bounce light around the room. Overall a fab and innovative use of mirrors to alter the perceived space.
stylist.co.uk
Although most of these images are of mirrors hung on the wall this isn't to say its the only way. Im a big fan of propping large mirrors against the wall on the floor as a piece of furniture, this works especially well in a hallway or any narrow space where you want to create a feeling of more space.
seventeendoors.blogspot.co.uk
You can find lots of great and inexpensive mirrors on the high street if you want to create an interior that is unique to you then you can't go wrong with rummaging in your local charity shop, eBay or car boot as you can quite often pick up a little gem for a fraction of the price. It may have a bit of wear and tear and may not be in perfect condition but for me this only helps add to the character and helps you achieve an individual look.
