Tips To Incorporate Mirrors In Your Interior Design Scheme

Incorporating mirrors into your interior design scheme can not only provide a practical function for checking your appearance, but also enhance the sense of light and space, and can add an extra decorative element through creative use of frames and shapes. Here are some top tips to use mirrors to best effect in your home.

Maximising natural light

Most of us could benefit from more natural light in our homes. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a period property with generously proportioned windows, or a modern bespoke home with structural glazing, it is likely that at least some of the rooms in your home will feel deprived of natural light.

Daylight exposure is good for our mood, sleep patterns and physical health, and of course it reduces the need for artificial light and thus lowers energy consumption and bills. Hanging mirrors opposite a window, particularly a south-facing window, will bounce more daylight around the room, creating a brighter and more welcoming atmosphere.

Increasing the sense of space

If you live in a flat or house with compact proportions, you probably sometimes wish that you could push the walls back and make more room. Large mirrors are an excellent way to enhance the sense of space in small or narrow spaces. 

Always make sure that you use the appropriate heavy mirror fixings to avoid the risk of damage to the wall or the hazard of the mirror falling and breaking the glass or causing injury. 

In small bedrooms, consider installing full-length mirrors on wardrobe doors, or even wall to wall fitted wardrobes with mirrored sliding doors. This can create the illusion of a much bigger room, helping you to relax and enjoy your home with a calmer and more luxurious feel. 

Make the mirror a focal point

Mirrors naturally draw the eye as they reflect light and movement, so embrace this and make the mirror the centrepiece of the room. You could do this with an unusually shaped mirror, such as an irregular, wavy, crescent or hexagonal shape. 

A conventional round or rectangular mirror can be made more interesting with a decorative frame in wood, metal or ceramics. Consider the overall decor scheme; a funky sunburst frame could look great if you have a lot of Art Deco touches, or a rustic wooden frame would suit a country cottage. 

If you have eclectic tastes, you could search vintage shops or scour websites such as Etsy or eBay for cool vintage frames, or even commission a bespoke frame from a material of your choice. 

Make a mood board of your favourite ideas using Pinterest or just images from magazines and newspapers, and take your time deciding on the style, colours, materials and proportion of the mirror frame. 

Use mirrors to enhance other features of your home

Place mirrors strategically opposite artworks, plants, ornaments, pendant lighting or interesting architectural features to create depth and interest to a room. The mirror can also be used to create a sense of harmony and balance in an oddly proportioned room, or to even out the layout of the furniture. 

Use mirrors to enhance your bathroom

Bathroom mirrors are no longer merely functional items for applying makeup or shaving; they can be used to enhance the appearance of the decor by reflecting beautiful tiles or making a small bathroom feel bigger. Full length mirrors can even be installed in shower cubicles to add light and depth, or to help make personal care tasks easier. 

Mirrors can also be incorporated with LED lighting with different levels of intensity and touchless switches, so that you can instantly see well enough for detailed tasks such as applying eye makeup. If fogged up mirrors are your bathroom bugbear, look for automatic demisting technology so the mirror stays clear no matter how long you spend in the shower.

Install mirrors in halls and entryways

Large mirrors in halls and entryways can make the home feel more inviting and spacious, particular in narrow spaces. Go for a full length mirror for last-minute appearance checks before leaving the house, or add a decorative mirror above a console table and complement it with a vase of flowers or a plant, or another well-chosen ornament.