When most people think of mirrors they immediately think of the mirror in their bathroom with its frameless beveled edge. Fortunately, your mirror can serve all kinds of purposes in many other locations in your house. It can lighten up a room, expand it, or reflect a cherished piece of art among many other uses. Here are some insights about how to use mirrors to enhance the home you already love.

What We Know as Mirrors

Mirrors, as we know them today, are a blend of glass and metallurgy technologies. The artisanal technique was monopolized in Venice in the 16th Century, creating high quality and large format mirrors up to 40” square.

That monopoly was ended during the Industrial revolution as new science and production methods became scaled and mirrors became much larger and much less expensive, creating the foundation for the mirrors we know today.

It’s About Size, Shape and Style

You can purposely oversize or undersize mirrors and still be just right in any situation. A mirror perpendicular to a window will reflect the view and light from that window into a room. This makes the room seem bigger and brighter during the day. You can choose the mirror to be large or small depending on the amount of reflected light or view you want to bring in.

   

A small group of mirrors or a group of small mirrors can make an entryway or small space feel quite large. These may be individually small but, make a large impact when grouped together.

   

Notice how mirrors positioned directly behind your important 3D art pieces can reveal and repeat that piece of art in different ways, making the art even more prominent.

   

Circles, ovals and geometric shapes like octagons, or rectangles with cropped corners can assist in adding interest to an otherwise rectilinear room or space.

   

Before you “enter the world”, a mirror, in the form of a floor mirror or on the wall, near an exit is a perfect place to provide everyone with a final opportunity to review how they look before leaving your home.

The frame of your mirror can integrate with your existing theme or can contrast to make the mirror itself a piece of art. To blend a mirror to a room, select a large mirror with a minimal frame. To make a mirror stand out, select one with a contrasting frame to the rest of the room or space.

   

Be sure to consider the mirror as a decorative accessory opportunity in situations where the opportunity exists.

Even the bathroom mirror can add a pop of style or visual interest in addition to its other duties. For many bathrooms, the mirror is the only space to bring style to the room. Take advantage with a  frame or shape that makes the room feel more friendly.

   

The right mirrors are a designer touch that we are delighted to help you discover. Take a couple of pictures of your space and come in and let’s see if we can find something that confirms “you are the fairest in the land”!