How to Use Mirrors in Interior Design

Interior designers use mirrors of different shapes, styles and sizes to ramp up visual interest, create optical illusions or to generate a cheery atmosphere. You can follow the lead of designer-savvy professionals by incorporating mirrors into almost any room in your home. Choose the right mirrors to reflect your decorating dreams.

Give a small room the appearance of a grand space by incorporating mirrors into the design. Mirrors allow light to bounce around the room for a more expansive feel. A mirror’s reflective surface provides the illusion of depth, so you can lean a large floor mirror against the far wall at the end of a short hallway to visually lengthen the passageway with designer panache. Or hang a big mirror on the wall behind a dining room table to accentuate the festive mood of a lively dinner party under a sparkling chandelier.

Use mirrors to capture visual attention as a natural focal point. For example, hang an arrangement of antique-framed convex mirrors on a blank wall to spice up the space with eye-catching accents. A single mirror in a stunning frame, such as a metal sunburst design or colorful tiled pattern, provides irresistible eye candy. And you can boost the aesthetic appeal of an existing focal point, such as a gorgeous fireplace, by hanging a complementary mirror above the mantel. Place glowing candles and a decorative vase of fresh flowers on the mantel in front of the mirror to increase the dramatic effect.

Bring the splendor of the outdoors into your home by arranging a group of mirrors on a wall opposite a picture window. The mirrors will reflect the picturesque view of a seascape vista, cottage garden, majestic mountain range or whatever scenery you enjoy through a favorite window in your home. A wall of mirrors also sprinkles sunlight throughout a room to foster a bright, cheery atmosphere. Use one huge wall mirror in lieu of an arrangement of smaller mirrors to amplify the bright design statement.

Mirrors can transform an ordinary room into an energetic space that’s full of lively design activity. For example, create a one-of-a-kind headboard by grouping mirror tiles or panels on a wall behind your bed to add a glistening accent, or wake up a dark, dreary corner with a full-length wall mirror and a jazzy floor lamp. Include a mirrored coffee table, accent tables, dresser or chest of drawers in your furniture layout to ramp up the room’s visual aesthetics and decorative oomph.