Mirrors are interior designers’ best friends. The clever inclusion of a mirror can improve the look and feel of any room, big or small. They can be a piece of decorative art in their own right, they can make a room feel bigger and brighter, and they can highlight and amplify the very best of your interior design ideas.
Design tips for mirrors to enhance natural light
The goal for any interior designer, especially when working with a smaller dark space, is to do their very best to enhance and amplify light. The lighter a room, the brighter and airier it seems.
When it comes to making the most of the natural light in your room, a large mirror is your best bet. The larger the better, really, for interior design purposes. In terms of mirror placement, you should hang it where the sunlight falls naturally. This clever trick will give it the best chance to reflect light into your room and amplify it.
If your room doesn’t have very much natural sunlight, you can still amplify the available light using a mirror by placing it opposite table lamps or other electrical light sources. This will create the illusion that there is more light available than there is.
Design tips for mirrors to make a room appear bigger
Another interior designer trick of the trade is the use of mirrors to make a room seem bigger, especially for a small space or cluttered dining area. Again, the larger the mirror the better. You should hang a mirror to take up as much available wall space as possible and have it in a place that reflects a large portion of the room.
You could go as far as creating a mirrored wall. Mirrored walls are exactly what they sound like: an entire wall that is covered in mirror panels. Having an entirely mirrored wall will create a sense that your room has much more space and is almost twice the size it actually is.
A mirrored wall can also help to introduce some symmetry into your space. Humans find symmetry naturally appealing and attractive and completely mirroring your room will create a sense of symmetry with your furniture and other decorative pieces.
An interior design classic is to use a freestanding mirror at the very end of a hallway to make the length of the corridor seem much longer. Hallways are naturally a little dark and cramped, so this will help to open up the space and, by reflecting light, will also help it to appear brighter.
Design tips for mirrors as a focal point
If you create a focal point in your room, this means that the attention of whoever enters the room will automatically be drawn to exactly that spot. This interior design idea has two functions: first, it allows you to make a great first impression with a decorative touch.
Second, it helps to anchor the room. Humans are more comfortable in spaces that have an obvious order. When there isn’t a focal point, it can be difficult to get an immediate feel for the space and it won’t be as comfortable. When there is a focal point, however, this helps the space to make sense immediately and your visitors will feel at ease and will likely find the entire room more attractive as a consequence.
The most common way that mirrors create a focus is by placing them above a mantelpiece. The fireplace is a natural focus of the room and hanging a mirror above it will help to enhance that. Try to use a mirror that maximises the space above the mantelpiece, both in terms of width and height, to get the greatest effect. Small mirrors may not create the same effect.
Another way of using mirrors in this way is to use a collection of smaller mirrors as a gallery wall. A beautiful mirror or three hung cleverly, will naturally draw the eye. They can be matching or you can make them all different shapes and sizes.
Using a very decorative single mirror can also help to draw attention. A mirror can itself be a piece of wall art and if you choose an eye-catching and beautiful frame, people will be naturally drawn to it. There is a wide variety of different mirror frame styles, so you can choose one that easily fits the already established design scheme or you could choose a frame that helps to enhance the architectural elements of the room, such as the window frame.
Design tips for mirrors to enhance your scheme
Even in a small room, you can use a mirror to give more emphasis to the design scheme that you are using. We have already mentioned that you can choose a decorative mirror style that is in keeping with your interior design scheme, but clever mirror placement can also do wonders.
The key to where to hang a mirror is to think about what it will be reflecting. Of course, having it reflect sunlight will introduce more natural light to your space. But the image that you can see in the mirror can also be important.
If you have a statement piece in your room, such as an elaborate chandelier or an important piece of art, you can use mirrors to give your space the same effect twice. By placing a wall mirror at the opposite end of the room so that they reflect your statement piece, there will be two images of it in the room.
If you are hanging a mirror in a living space, such as a dining room or a living room, then it can reflect back the busiest part of the room. This means that any social event you have will be extra joyful and full of life as the room appears fuller and busier.
If your interior design scheme introduces ideas of nature, then having a mirror opposite a window that reflects an image of natural greenery or actual greenery of indoor plants (as well as natural sunlight) can be one of the best ways of carrying through that natural feel.
And if you are lucky enough to have an amazing view through your windows, you can hang a mirror to bring that view right inside your room.
The bottom line
Clever use of mirrors can enhance your interior design and create the feel of a bigger and brighter space. Whether they are in a dining room, living room, hallway, kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom, mirrors can make all of your rooms more comfortable and help to enhance their styles.
