When decorating, we fill our home with all sorts of things. Some items are functional, while others are fashionable. Mirrors, however, are both. If you think about it, your home wouldn’t really be complete without them. Sure, they’re a standard fixture in places, such as bathrooms and bedrooms, allowing us to check our appearances, but they also serve as a functional design piece in other rooms.

The right mirror can add dramatic flair, visual interest, and create the illusion of a larger space. Mirrors also come in handy for illuminating dark corners and standing in as artwork for your walls. Not only can mirrors be fun to decorate with, but with a little creativity, the right mirror can be a real show-stopper. In a nutshell, mirrors should be an essential part of your home’s decor.

Here are a few tips that will help you use mirrors in a way that will maximize the style within your home.

Create Works of Art

Just by grouping mirrors together in a visually appealing way can create a wonderful piece of art for your wall. Try combining different sizes and shapes of mirrors to create a mirror wall that makes a huge decorative statement. The trick here is to find mirrors with different frames and borders, which will add visual texture while ensuring that the wall mirror decor looks more like a classy art gallery rather than a carnival funhouse. To avoid a cluttered or cramped feel, keep the scale of the mirrors in proportion to each other and the wall–small mirrors for small walls and larger mirrors for large walls. Another idea is to incorporate mirrors into a decorative gallery wall or a shelf arrangement alongside photos, textile hangings, and artwork. This will create an element of lightness and space among the weightier pieces you have on display.   

Bring in the Light

Mirrors can both reflect and draw in light, which means they can make dark spaces look bright and small spaces appear bigger than what they are. For instance, say your hallway is extremely narrow. Adding a large mirror on the wall will make the area seem less confined. Have a small entryway? A full-sized floor mirror not only make a dramatic statement, but it’ll also open the space to where it feels welcoming while allowing for that last head-to-toe glance before you rush out the door.

Another example would be if you had an area lacking in natural light. A mirror placed high on the wall near a light fixture, or a mirror placed opposite a window, will reflect and draw light from elsewhere in the house. In a sense, the mirror mimics the window across from it giving the illusion of a second source of natural light. Creating a vignette of mirrors on the fireplace mantle is another way that you can position mirrors in a way where they’ll be closer to a light fixture or surrounding windows. Not only will your mantle look stylish, but you’ll also get that extra boost of light you need within the space.

Start a Project

You can certainly buy something already complete, but it’s pretty simple to take on a project with mirrors. One fun project is turning an old piece of furniture into a mirrored piece of furniture. Mirrored furniture became a hot trend several years ago and continues to be a fun and favorite way to add style and function to a home. If there’s a piece of furniture around the house needing a facelift, go buy pieces of mirrors and create something beautiful.

Squares of mirrored tiles are also great for creating something in lieu of a headboard for your bed. You might consider a mirrored backsplash in your kitchen or bathroom instead of traditional tile. If you’d like to add something fun to your backyard, a faux pond made out of a mirror surrounded by plants and stones is the way to do it.

Stay True to Your Personal Style

As with other elements of interior décor, mirrors can be a reflection of your personal style. Regardless of what you like best–the drama of gilded antique frames, the minimalist appeal of sleek, modern borders, or a blend of both–it’s important that you select pieces with that are interesting to you and complement your design style in a way that gives you the desired decorative touch you want the room to have.

However you decide to use mirrors in your home is up to you, but be sure to give them a try. Stop by our showroom to “reflect” on our great selection of mirrors! With so many ways to incorporate them into your design, you’re sure to find something you love.