Tips and Tricks for Decorating with Mirrors

When it comes to catching and reflecting light in your home, nothing does it better than mirrors. Long used to make public places look bigger, these same tricks can be used in the smaller confines of your home. Beyond hanging in the entry hall or on the bedroom wall, mirrors can be used in surprising ways throughout the house.

For people who live in apartments or condominiums, window light can be limited. By adding a mirror or group of mirrors to those windowless walls, you can create the illusion of windows and reflect light into the space. Mirrors mounted inside old window frames with curtains hung over them can further enhance the illusion.

Collections of mirrors can be used instead of traditional art behind a sofa or in a hall way. Start with a large mirror and hang smaller size mirrors around it for an informal, eclectic feel. For a home full of antiques, you can choose mirrors with similar antique style frames, such as gold leaf. Whitewashed frames will compliment the shabby chic look, and identical small framed mirrors hung in rows will contribute to the look of a modern interior. Instead of the traditional wall-to-wall mirrors used to make a room seem larger, the trend now is to use a row of long, tall mirrors spaced across the wall.

Walls are not the only place for mirrors. Long, narrow mirrors are perfect under the centerpieces of dining room tables, especially for romantic, candlelit dinners. A cut-to-fit mirror can serve as the perfect cover for the top of a worn side table. Add a lamp or candles and you increase the sparkle in that corner of the room.

Mirrors can also be found in unexpected places, sewn into the trim of throw pillows and curtains. Placed in the back of display shelves they help show off your collections and figurines. Even if placed in the back of pantry shelves mirrors can reflect light and help locate items on deep shelves.

And of course, don't forget your pets! Hanging a mirror in the bird cage will provide your feathered friend with hours of enjoyment and add one more bit of reflected light to your newly mirrored home.