It can be difficult to decorate a small room, which might leave you feeling hemmed in and uneasy. You can, however, transform a claustrophobic room into a pleasant haven by employing specific design strategies that provide the impression of more space than there is. Mirrors arranged in a thoughtful pattern around the space are one of the most efficient ways to accomplish this goal. You may be underestimating the usefulness of mirrors in this situation.
If you choose your mirrors carefully and strategically position them in the areas of your home where you are experiencing a lack of space, you will be able to achieve the greatest result possible without having to alter the layout of your property. If you’re curious about where you should hang a mirror to achieve the best possible outcomes, read this.
Do Mirrors Make a Space Appear Larger?
Mirrors are not only practical instruments for assessing how we look in the mirror, but they also have an aesthetic impact that may make a space appear both larger and brighter. Mirrors can provide the illusion of larger walls and more depth by reflecting light and reducing the amount of visual clutter they cause.
Mirrors can visually expand a room, giving the impression that there is more room and light available. They can also serve as decoration and artwork, and they can bring a room to life. Mirrors are an excellent way to make rooms feel brighter by reflecting light from windows, which also causes a place to give the impression that it is larger.
Where Should a Mirror Be Placed to Make a Space Appear Larger?
There are a couple of key places where a mirror could be positioned for maximum effect. One option is to reflect natural light by positioning a huge mirror such that it is facing a window. Another fantastic strategy for creating the illusion of more space in a room is to position a mirror directly behind a large piece of furniture, such as a bed or a sofa. Mirrors can also be used as decorative embellishments or even on the doors of closets.
Tips for Mounting Your Mirrors
- Mirrors are notorious for being cumbersome and difficult to hold in one’s hand. Because of the weight of the glass, putting them up requires a little bit more care than hanging a standard picture frame would normally require. It is highly recommended that you sketch up a design for how the mirrors will be arranged and how they will be stored.
- After you have calculated the available space as well as the total number of mirrors, you will need to use a level and a pencil to make markings on the wall to draw out the grid pattern. If you want the grid to have a symmetrical appearance, then each mirror should have the same amount of space between them and the grid should be uniformly spaced.
- It requires a certain amount of precise finesse to keep both the eye and the brain satisfied. You will need to take measurements to determine the distance that separates each mirror to ensure that they are all the same distance apart. Even if you are going for a more abstract look, you should still note the position on the wall of each mirror’s form and size before you hang them.
- To provide the impression that a room is larger than it is, you should construct a layout pattern that is not only pleasing to the eye but also as balanced as is practicable. If you don’t like it, alter it till you do.
Tips and Best Practices for Installing Mirrors
- After you have finished designing the configuration of your mirrors, the next step is to install them. In the same way that they should be laid out, there are best practices to follow, and it is important to go the extra mile to ensure that this is done correctly.
- After that, you’ll need to secure the mirrors to the wall using the appropriate hardware. To safely secure the mirrors to the wall, use wall anchors and screws of a suitable size. Before you attach the mirrors, you need to make sure the measurements and the grid pattern are correct by performing a quick check.
- Keep in mind that the result should be an inviting and eye-catching environment when you are in charge of handling this procedure. Rather than simply hanging the mirrors in any location that you believe may be useful, it is recommended that you devote a little bit of effort during the installation process to achieve a better result.
- Erasable pencil marks are significantly more difficult to fill up than actual holes. If you try to finish the project too quickly, you will end up having to fix a dozen holes later on when it doesn’t look the way you wanted it to. To properly decorate with mirrors, all that is required is a little bit of thought and planning ahead of time.
Using Mirrors as Décor
When you don’t have a lot of room, the things you can do in there to make it seem like there’s more space than there is are restricted. A naked wall can be intimidating, and this effect is amplified in confined spaces.
Mounting Mirrors
Mounting a mirror on the wall is both an excellent option and a fantastic technique to give the impression that there is more room than there is. You may create the illusion of windows and provide the space with additional dimensions and angles by employing mirrors. The eye is drawn upward by a tall mirror, which creates the illusion that the room is larger than it is.
Mirrors that are ornamental or make a statement and can also serve as wall decor should be used. In this manner, you can add functionality as well as aesthetics without sacrificing any of the available space.
Utilizing Reflections
Mirrors, like any other reflective surface, are capable of capturing and reflecting natural as well as artificial light around the space. You won’t have to make any further effort to illuminate your room if you merely position your mirror so that it is facing a window. This strategy is especially useful in confined spaces that are lacking in natural light and have few windows.
You may also use the same technique to reflect light coming from fireplaces, chandeliers, and lamps. Are you in the mood for some merriment? You may create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your room by wrapping a string of lights around a huge mirror and then taking in the resulting glow. Take caution not to employ an excessive number of mirrors or to position them too close to one another.
Bathroom Mirrors
You may utilize a mirror in the bathroom to transform the space with just a few simple adjustments, even though it serves a very practical purpose when you are getting ready in the morning. You may create the illusion of greater space and bring in additional light by installing a large mirror along the length of your vanity.
If the space in your bathroom does not allow for a large mirror, you might want to consider creating a mirror wall out of multiple smaller mirrors instead. In this manner, not only will you be able to add additional brightness, but you will also be able to make your bathroom appear to be larger. Alternately, if you have a sizable bathroom, you might want to think about installing a free-standing mirror for a room that has a more dramatic effect.
Closet Mirror Doors
Mirrored doors, an element of interior design that was once popular but has since fallen out of favor, are making a comeback, and it’s not hard to understand why. Because mirrored doors are typically larger than free-standing mirrors, you may utilize their surface to reflect even more light without having to sacrifice any additional room.
When it is not possible to hang mirrors on the walls or add additional lighting in a small area, a fantastic alternative is to install closed doors that are made of mirrors. These doors have proven to be an excellent choice for use in both freestanding wardrobes and sliding closet doors. They are useful in addition to having the potential to make a bold statement in your bedroom.
Hallway Mirrors
The areas of our homes that are typically the most constricted in width are the corridors and halls. Mirrors are an excellent method to provide depth and brightness, which will prevent your hallway from giving the impression that it is overly congested. To immediately increase the amount of available light, install a mirror that has been custom-cut to fit on one of the walls in your hallway or doorway.
You may also place mirrors on the walls instead of paintings or other forms of wall art, particularly if your hallway is on the smaller side. You’ll be able to create the illusion of more room and avoid running into things that are hung up this way. Flat mirrors or mirrors that stick on are your best bet in this scenario because they won’t take up a lot of space.
More Helpful Tips You Can Utilize Mirrors to Make a Space Seem Larger
Ensure Proper Height
The best height for hanging a mirror, unless you are doing it over a headboard or a mantel, is the height at which the majority of people look at things, which is around 60 inches from the floor to the center of the mirror. Your entire location will have the impression of more space when the mirrors are hung at an almost uniform height. On the wall, you should also leave some space for air circulation. The ideal way to make a mirror seem its best is to leave at least two inches of space between the edge of the frame and the edge of the wall or ceiling.
Put a Mirror Next to a Light Source
This reflection trick makes a room appear brighter while also contributing ambiance and depth to the space. Mirrors are not the only things that look good when paired with lighting fixtures; candles and mirrors also make an excellent combination.
Use a Leaning Mirror
If you are having trouble filling an empty corner space, using a large mirror that is resting against a wall will be beneficial to that space. Your room will appear to have added depth and height as a result of its addition. You can purchase a mirror with no frame if you want it to have a more minimalistic appearance, or you can get a mirror with exquisite framing if you want the mirror to be the focal point of the room.
Utilize Paneling Mirrors
If you don’t want to place a single giant mirror on a wall, you can have a lot of fun with mirrors by hanging numerous smaller mirrors on the same wall. You can find mirrors of the same size and position them side by side to create a panel, or you can find mirrors of varying sizes and frames and position them in a variety of patterns around the room to create an avant-garde appearance.
Mirror an Entire Wall
It will appear as though you have more room if you cover a whole wall in mirrors and use them together. It will reflect all of the furnishings and decorative elements in the room, which will make the entire space appear longer and brighter. Just be wary of falling for any tricks and make every effort to avoid walking into the mirror.
Use Multiple Mirrors
Because they reflect everything in the room, including the mirrors themselves, dispersing mirrors along every wall can make a space appear larger than it is. To make it more adaptable, you can either hang a few mirrors on two separate walls or hang one mirror on each wall that has a distinct design.
Replace the Ceiling with a Mirror
In your living room, bedroom, or dining room, you can give your space a unique and quirky look by installing a mirror on the ceiling to create the illusion of more height. Because they are located closer to the light fixtures, they not only make your area brighter, but they also can make any room appear taller.
Find a Design That Serves Two Purposes
A mirror that also has a shelf attached to it is a handy piece of furniture to have in a confined area. It might be challenging to find enough area on the floor or the wall to hang a mirror in a tiny bedroom, which is especially true if you are in the process of designing the room. If you don’t want to dedicate a whole space to a mirror by itself, you can get more use out of the pieces of furniture you already have.
Conclusion
Mirrors can reflect an image and generate a sense of depth, which gives the impression that there is more room than there is. Because mirrors may create a sense of extra space by reflecting light and giving depth to a room, they can make a room or an object appear larger than it is. This effect can apply to both rooms and objects.