Written by Catherine Seagrave

We love adding a mirror to our designs at The Living House. They always bring something extra to a room - and perfectly combine both the practical and the beautiful.

Mirrors have the ability to bounce light around, open up a space and add depth. They can make a small room feel larger and they work in every room. No space is complete without one - they add the perfect finishing touch.

But there are a few pointers to keep in mind to get the most out of your beautiful new mirror. Read on to discover the mistakes we often see that you definitely want to avoid.

1. Don’t hang a mirror on its own

A mirror can be a fantastic addition to any room and can instantly create an interesting new focal point. However it’s important to know where you want to hang it before you rush to the shops. Buying on impulse without a location for the mirror in mind, could well mean that you don’t get the most from it. Mirrors always look best when they have a definite purpose, the obvious being a mirror placed somewhere for you to check your reflection. But a mirror will always look better when it is anchored by something - a console table, fireplace or sofa. If the mirror is in grand isolation on the wall it will look random. Think of the mirror as adding to a grouping in your home - creating a vignette. 

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2. Don’t ignore the proportions of the mirror to the furniture

 Getting the scale of the mirror right is very important. If the mirror is above a console table, you don’t want the mirror to be wider than the console as it will feel top heavy and unbalanced. Equally if you have a large 3 seater sofa, a small round mirror above it with a diameter of 50cm is going to look lost and insignificant.

If your mirror is too small, try grouping it with artwork so that visually the collection of items appears bigger and in proportion to the furniture.

3. Avoid hanging the mirror too high

This applies to both mirrors and artwork. So often we see them hung way up near the ceiling, far too high to comfortably look at or see your reflection. Ideally you want the middle of your mirror to be roughly at eye level, give or take a few centimetres depending on the room and the ceiling height. You also want the mirror to be hung quite close to the furniture below it otherwise the relationship between the two is lost and they appear as unrelated objects - which is not the idea!

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4. Don’t hang your mirror opposite clutter 

A mirror reflects back what is opposite and if that is toys, piles of post and washing, you'll be seeing it twice over! Consider what the mirror will see and instead of positioning it opposite the clutter stashed beside the sofa, aim to reflect back the best view. That could be opposite a window to help bounce the light around, or a favourite piece of artwork which means you can see it from a different angle in the room. 

However it looks great to layer in decorative objects in front of the mirror such as vases, pictures or candlesticks to add visual interest. Having these reflected back adds depth and interest.

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5. Don’t place your mirror opposite your toilet

This might seem obvious but I’ve seen it done! A large mirror in your bathroom is an essential but reflecting the toilet is a no no. No one wants a view of themselves on the toilet so keep the mirror at waist height and above. If you want a full length mirror that’s fine but just be mindful of its position - before you give yourself and your guests an unwelcome shock!

Bonus tip - do make sure your mirror is put up with the correct fixings. Mirrors are surprisingly heavy and make a real mess when they fall down - as I know!! Not only did my bathroom mirror smash to bits but it cracked the sink below it too. And it nearly gave me a heart attack in the middle of the night!

If you need some friendly expert help in your home, take a look at our design packages. We’d love to help you!  Book a free Discovery Call and see how we can help you today.

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