Mirrors are a fantastic interior design tool that can be used in pretty much any part of your home to great effect. The key is to stop thinking about mirrors as functional items of furniture and to start seeing them as an alternative to art and other decorations.
Most people are aware that installing a mirror in a small room can make it look larger, or that mirrors can make dark spaces seem much brighter by reflecting the light around. Here are a few other suggestions about how you can use mirrors in your home.
Quirky uses of mirrors in the bathroom
We’ll start with a room that almost always features a mirror – the bathroom. While you’ll probably have a small mirror mounted on the wall or the front of a cabinet, have you considered what else you can do with mirrors?
One great – and striking – option is to use mirror tiles to reflect light around the space. You could just go for one line of tiles around the middle of the walls, or choose a section of the room that you want to cover exclusively in mirror tiles.
Another good choice for bathrooms is a mirror with LED lights fitted in it. This looks particularly stylish in a contemporary setting and means you’ll always have strong task lighting around the looking glass.
Companies like Splash Direct offer a host of bathroom mirrors, which are designed to complement their range of suites.
Mirrors as art
While mirrors may be functional, they can also look fantastic, especially if they’ve got unusual frames. What’s more, they don’t have to cost a lot of money – particularly if you’re happy to trawl through charity shops and car-boot sales looking for a bargain.
A few unusual, carefully selected mirrors spread out across a section of wall can look just as striking as a large canvas – and will probably cost considerably less to set up. One suggestion is to choose a larger mirror that can be used as a feature and surround this with smaller looking glasses in frames that complement it.
Alternatively, you can choose one large mirror that will stand out on its own – these are best positioned above fireplaces or in the centre of walls that are lacking a focal point. It could be the frame that’s striking, or you may want to opt for a mirror that’s been painted with a design reminiscent of stained glass.
Mirrors in the garden
You don’t need to restrict your use of mirrors to the inside of your home – they can look amazing in your garden as well. This is a particularly great way to create the illusion of space if you’ve got a small yard.
One effective option is to position a full-length mirror on a wall at the end of a path, giving the impression that it continues further on. To add to the effect, consider hanging a wrought iron gate in front of the glass, which will make it look as though you can continue to follow the path.
Another idea is to buy small mirror tiles and hang them from a tree. They’ll spin in the wind, catching the light and creating pretty reflections around the rest of your garden in a similar way to a mirror ball. Best of all, it’s reasonably cheap to set up.
