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Thursday, January 20, 2011

What Can A Mirror Do For Your Space

Most everyone has a mirror over their bathroom vanity.  Decorative mirrors can not only be useful, but can beautify your home.  Mirrors can act as a sort of magician.  Mirrors can completely transform a room.  A mirror allows the light to bounce around a room and gives the appearance of a much larger room.

Look at the difference in this before and after.  There was much discussion about my hanging that mirror (it hangs above the toilet).  It had even a better effect than I thought.  Not only does it make the room look so much bigger, reflecting the beautiful chandelier, but it also completely distracts from the fact that the toilet is the first thing you see when you walk into the bathroom (a complete pet peeve of mine).

Mirrors can visually expand a space.  The addition of the mirrors on either side of the bed give the overall space a larger appearance.  Above is a photo of my guest room...below is a photo from Pottery Barn.  Both rooms use long tall mirrors on either side of the bed.  I can attest that my guest room looked so much bigger as soon as I added those mirrors.

Image from Pottery Barn
The light bounces and reflects off the mirror making the room appear lighter and brighter.
Image from Candice Olson Divine Design
Here are a couple of bedrooms from one of my favorite decorators, Candice Olson.  She often uses mirrors in her designs.  Here again, in both photos, she flanked the bed with mirrors.
Image from Candice Olson, Divine Design

When you walk into my daughter's room the first thing in front of you is the large mirror.  She has what I like to call a space-challenged room (so many doors and windows there is very little actual space for furniture).  The addition of the mirror really makes the room look larger and reflects the beautiful armoire on the other side of the room as well as her chandelier.

I'm a fan of having a mirror over a fireplace.  I have a two-story great room and the mirror reflects the upstairs balcony beautifully.

Image from Candice Tells All-HGTV - Candice Olson
Look at that gorgeous mirror behind the piano in this photo from Candice Olson.  Stunning.

Here are a few more tips for using mirrors effectively:
1.  Multiply the look of a gorgeous chandelier by placing a mirror behind it.

2.  Place a mirror across from a window to bring more light into a room.

3.  To make a hallway look longer, place a mirror at the end of the hallway.  To make a hallway look wider, hang mirrors along the side walls of the hallway.

4. Place a mirror in an entryway.  Not only will it make your entry look larger, it's great for taking one more look at yourself before you leave the house.

I'd love to know how you use mirrors to beautify your home.

-Judy



11 comments:

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Judy,
Your bedroom is sp pretty...love the painting on the wall and also love mirrors in there.

Blessings,
Linda

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Love your use of mirrors, they are all wonderful. I especially like the larger one in your daughters room. So pretty. I use mirrors a lot. The huge one I have over the sofa in my living room almost doubles the size of such a small room. Without it, the room just closes in. I have a round one over the sofa in the family room too. A SMALL house like mine really benefits from the use of mirrors. Great post and wonderful tips. Hugs, Marty

laxsupermom said...

I love the way mirrors bounce light around a room. The branches and birds over your guest bed are gorgeous! Is it a stencil or a vinyl? Thanks for sharing.

Pip444 said...

Hi there
Thanks for following my blog and l'm following back. I love your site. I really need to redo my living room. Perhaps your site will inspire me.
Lilac
Pawberry Lane

Brandi said...

love the use of mirrors in your rooms. I've been searching for a reasonably priced sunburst mirror for my bedroom.

Vanessa said...

I'm so with you on this Judy! I have a mirror hung on one wall of a long dark hallway and it makes such a huge difference, capturing and reflecting what little light actually gets into that space! I love what you did with the mirrors on either side of the bed behind the nightstands. Fabulous idea!
Vanessa

Kelly said...

These are great ideas, especially for a gal with a small house....thanks!

Kelly

Traci@ Beneath My Heart said...

Thank you for inviting me to come by your beautiful blog. I am so glad you are enjoying blogging. I started it two years ago and it has blessed my life in ways I could have never imagined!
Nice to meet you. :)
Traci

Rashon Carraway said...

it certainly goes to show how much mirrors impact our lives. I enjoyed this post. I am a new follower and I'm headed back to read some old posts.


Mr. Goodwill Hunting

Loribeth said...

I love this idea! We have such a small bedroom with furniture that is much to large for the space. I haven't been able to find any way to make it feel more spacious, but I think you've just provided a solution that might work. Thank you!

Mirrored Wardrobe Sliding Doors said...

I really like your idea,Mirror can be used to make an impression on a wide room.According to me mirror is a very elegant decorative element in a house and it can create an optical illusion that gives the benefit of space in a room in such a unique way.

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