How To Decorate With Mirrors

Decorating with mirrors is a stylish way to brighten up your home. "Mirrors are one of my favorite pieces to use in a space," interior stylist Danielle Montgomery told HomeLight. Why is that? For good reason, of course. Mirrors are the go-to feature for any interior decorator as these items hang beautifully above consoles, lean against walls, or dazzle from floor to ceiling to make the space feel open and large. You can decorate a mirror in countless ways. They are versatile and visually stunning.

However pretty mirrors can be, decorating with these beautiful objects must be done eloquently to boost the mirrors' influence in your space. In a home, they often reflect the beauty and bounce light around a room, making the placement key. You don't just want to set a mirror on any wall or table. You should find the perfect place for the mirror to duplicate beauty. If you are looking for something to fill a void in a room, look no further for your inspiration. Here are the best ways to decorate your home with mirrors.

If you know, you know. Layering mirrors is a trending interior design concept. Yep, mirrors with other decorative pieces right next to or layered on top of one another or above. Imagine mirrors paired with art, lamps, and furniture. While this layering effect creates dimension, it also helps conserve space while making the room appear bigger.

Go big or go home. You can easily create a layered look that expands your space by using an oversized mirror with a bar cart. In this decorating concept, the mirror should cover most of the wall so that when you place a bar cart in front of it (or below), you can still see the mirror behind, as per By Sophia Lee. Yes, you are accessorizing your wall accessory with a bar cart. This setup fits best in a living area, cafe space, hallway, or kitchen. Complete the look by styling the bar cart with glass stemware, plated utensils, small plates, or a coffee bar to practice your barista skills at home.

When decorating with mirrors, it's essential to take a few moments to think about where and how you plan on hanging them. While art may be able to hang anywhere, mirrors are a more purposeful decorative element in an interior. You can't just place this feature on any wall. Mirrors are for more than just for good looks. Use mirrors to enlarge, enlighten, and elevate a room. So what's your mirror going to be doing in your home? Will you hang it above the sofa? Maybe in the bedroom or entryway?

Once you sort this out, you're ready to secure the mirror to the wall. Ensure you have all the necessary tools in hand, including a stud finder, pencil, tape measure, screwdriver, and a helper, as per Pottery Barn. If you cannot stabilize the mirror on your own, it's best to ask for assistance with the installation process. Measure, measure, and measure again for accurate placement on the wall. Even the slightest deviation is noticeable, making the hanging process pivotal.

Mirrors can be placed anywhere in the home (with purpose), but how many in one room is interior design friendly? Sometimes one is all you need, but there are circumstances where using several or covering the entire wall is aesthetically pleasing. A collection of mirrors on a single wall in a living room or bedroom can help drastically brighten the space and create a more open visual concept. Consider covering most of, if not all of, a wall in any given area for a dramatic feature wall. Talk about maximum impact.

Hanging mirrors can be the trickiest part when designing a wall of individual mirrors to look like one. Luckily for you there are several ways to get the job done without using a hammer and nails, level required! Design your own mirror wall using 12-inch mirror tiles, as seen at IKEA, and use adhesive squares to mount them to the wall (via The Crafty Blog Stalker). Using alternative adhesives like tape, brackets, and hooks is renter-friendly and has a simple installation process for those less-handy with tools. Plus, it makes it a lot easier to correct mistakes. Don't forget to use a level to check that each tile aligns for a streamlined design.

Before you open the front door to leave the house for dinner and a movie or drinks with friends, you want to have a chance to stop and check your perfect fit one last time. You could choose to hang a mirror right by your front door for a decorative element that is selfie approved. A mirror in this location can magnify the lighting (bonus if your entryway is dark) and open up the space to make it feel more spacious than it really is.

What mirror style you choose to check your look before running out the door depends upon the entryway. Does your selfie check need a full-length view, or are you just looking for a quick facial touch-up? Choose a mirror size and shape that suits you and meets your needs. For those seeking an upper body reflection, consider a round mirror like the Project 62 circular mirror from Target. If a head-to-toe view is a must, choose a floor-length mirror you can mount or lean on the wall. Touch up your lipstick or slick back your hair as you jet out the door by decorating with a mirror at the entryway.

Asymmetrical mirrors add a cool factor to the walls in your home. They share a little bit of your quirky personality with guests and family. Not only are they purposeful, but they're a statement piece. They instantly make the flat surface much more visually appealing since the irregular shape is an attention grabber. Check out this frameless option from West Elm. The fluidity of the edges mingled with the purpose of the piece makes them an attractive interior design element. If you prefer a mirror with a frame, these are available too.

Curate your aesthetic by decorating with abstract mirrors above entryway tables, credenzas, or just hanging solo. Asymmetrical mirrors can add a bit of personality to a bedroom or living area for a fresh new feel. The 1970s forms are a popular inspiration for interior decor, and wavy mirrors fit the contemporary reboot of this retro style, as per YourHomeStyle.

Have you ever walked into a room and thought, "I wish this mirror was bigger?" These moments tell us that something is off about the decor. Adjusting the size often corrects the distortion you sense in the design. Perhaps you needed to see a full head-to-toe view, or a larger size would have worked better in the given space. Don't hesitate to correct the reflection and update the room with a large mirror that corrects the line of vision and expands your interior.

Not all mirrors need to be the focal point in the room, as there are interior instances where smaller size mirrors are preferred. When decorating with mirrors paired with furniture it's important to have the right size above the item. As per Studio McGee, keeping the mirrors smaller than the item they hover above is ideal, as you don't want them to overtake the wall or the furniture. A mirror that is larger than the credenza below it will skew the proportions and manipulate the scale. Pro Tip: It should never be wider than the piece it's above. The right size mirror will draw attention in a pleasing manner as it is proportionate to the environment.

Have a blank wall in your home? Create a chic gallery wall display of favorite photos and other wall decors. Gallery walls are an opportunity for a stylist like yourself to add a collection of items to the walls. Amongst those carefully selected framed pictures and art could be a mirror. "I suggest incorporating mirrors into the space," art historian Alex Bass told Insider. "They make the space feel larger and the art pieces look more dynamic." You can create an eclectic gallery wall composed of mirrors and framed pieces in an open and organic layout.

Elevate your gallery wall by adding one, two, or three mirrors to the design for a creatively stylish display. Mirrors can be ideal in a freestyle gallery presentation as they uniquely fill voids. To ensure the grouping is cohesive, pair mirrors that are complementary in color and form to the picture frames and other wall ornaments. You want the placement of the reflective pieces to marry well with the other elements so the balance is appropriate and the entire gallery appears uniform.

Got mirrors? What shape you choose matters as the forms and silhouettes in the decor compose some of the visual texture and movement in the area. When deciding on mirrors for your interior, you want to pick a shape that complements and does not overwhelm your space. Glance around the room you are decorating and note the existing forms. If there is an abundance of circular forms, perhaps you need a rectangular mirror. Add some mirrors with curves and rounded edges to help soften the streamlined pieces. These forms introduce a sense of completeness when everything else is rigid.

The idea is to create a balance amongst the edges and lines. "Lines are part of the concept of form within interior designs and are critical to the success of a design scheme," designer Barrie Cutchie told Homes & Gardens. "There is an argument that lines are at the heart of form and are characterized as either horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or curved lines which all help to define shape and volume." Mirrors come in all sorts of shapes (some without). They can accommodate any form missing in a room, including arched, circular, rectangular, oval, or square.

Perfectly placed mirrors are a combination of style and functionality. Mirrors bring intense energy into any room as the reflective properties often magnify a space. Since mirrors can generate negative or positive energy, the placement of mirrors in the home matters according to feng shui principles. The placement can attract good luck in your house, as per MagicBricks. Look around and see what spot attracts the best energy.

Where your mirror lives depends on which placement tip relates to you best. Mirrors can undoubtedly be placed on the wall, reflecting whatever room, door, window, or corner is adjacent. They can also be leaned against a wall or tucked in a corner. What's important to note is what's across from the mirror. Is it an area worth duplicating through reflection? The answer to this question will help determine where you place the mirror. The reflective image can be considered a type of art since it's always on display.

Floor mirrors are a unique decorative accent that can cover a wall but not be as laborious as hanging gallery walls or millwork design. They fill up space in a chic, classy way. A tall mirror can be paired with furniture for a modern twist, placed in a corner to complete a nook, or used to strike grandeur in the living room. What's so attractive about large mirrors? Not the price tag, but the effect. Floor mirrors are a favorite for maximizing natural lighting in an interior.

"Mirrors are essential for a few different reasons," interior designer Marco Bizzley told The Zoe Report. "One of which is they can give the illusion of a larger room and make it look like you have more natural lighting, especially if you have a limited amount." If the room lacks windows, add a mirror. This decorative feature does an extraordinary job of capturing natural light and bouncing it around the room. Station the mirror opposite the window or in the direct path of the light to maximize the effect. A well-crafted floor mirror is an investment-worthy statement item for an interior.

Take your mirror game to new heights with this next decor idea. Mirrors can be the ideal decorative item on a wall ledge or above a mantel in the living room. Often considered too high to be practical, mirrors placed in this area are still super luxurious. This placement preferences style over functionality, and that's acceptable in interior design. Flat bottom mirrors like this Project 62 mantel mirror from Target are perfect for this spot since you can prop it against the wall.

Layer the mirror with framed art, candlesticks, and unique vases for a contemporary mixture of pieces. Keep to a color scheme if the mirror has a specific frame color and match any art or decorative elements with similar hues for a cohesive display. Mirrors paired with these elements give the setup purpose and dimension, making it a visually stunning addition to your living space.

A busy, bold wallpaper pattern covers your walls, but it's still missing something. You absolutely love it, so taking it down is not an option. However, you might now know how to decorate the wall when covered with such a bold, vibrant design. Assuming you want the pattern to remain visible, the decorative element should be minimal, simple, but impactful. The solution to this interior design dilemma is to hang a mirror over the wallpaper.

"If you dress your walls boldly in wallpaper, it removes other things that need investment, like art," designer Erika Bonnell told Washingtonian. Let the wallpaper be the art in this combination while the mirror elegantly breaks up the pattern. Since the pattern provides plenty of movement, keep the mirror frame understated. Focus on what type of mirror would fit the area most. Opposites are known to attract, making these two decorative pieces a pleasant pairing in an interior.

It's easy to neglect hallways when decorating a home. It's not necessarily the first place you think of when furnishing a house. A hallway isn't really a room where someone would spend a significant chunk of time, but it is a place frequented by people throughout the day. The high traffic makes this part of the house a great place to concentrate your decorating efforts.

Interior hall corridors are typically narrower and darker, making them an ideal spot in a home for a mirror to do its best work. Mirrors have an impressive ability to brighten up a windowless hallway and enlarge a space, making them the go-to decor for these narrow pathways. Tall and slender free-standing floor mirrors like this oversized one from Pottery Barn can help create the illusion that the area is more spacious since it will reflect a floor-to-ceiling setting. Consider mounting or leaning one in the hallway for some light at the end of the tunnel.

When accessorizing the walls of a bedroom, the eye naturally gravitates to the wall spot above the bedroom. Great for art, not so much for mirrors. Mirrors are not quite functional here and are often too heavy to install above the bed. Instead, change the placement and consider adding mirrors to the wall space behind your nightstand. Double the mirror (one for each side) if you have two nightstands to create a similar appearance on both sides of the bed frame. This duality will lend a sense of symmetry to your design. "Symmetry is pleasing to the eye and therefore calming," designer Kate Watson-Smyth told Homes & Gardens. Opt to mount your mirrors directly to the wall or lean them for an alternative display option.

Decorate the walls of your interior confidently with elements in multiple styles and colors. Design preferences range from mid-century modern, Avant basic, farmhouse, traditional, and more. Among these different design styles, mirrors are a favorite decor staple. The best place for a mirror is where it has the most impact, so try to find that sweet spot in your home to enhance your interior style.