Mirror, Mirror On The Wall.

Mirrors come in infinite shapes and styles, they instantly open up a room and add light. Isn't there a saying "You can't have too many mirrors"?... if not, then there should be!

Aside from the style and color, there are a few important things to keep in mind when using mirrors to decorate. First is scale. My biggest decorating pet peeve is when objects and furnishings are just too small. If you think your space is small and you fill it with small stuff, it's going to look cluttered. Worse yet, is filling wall space with small frames, photos, wall hangings or even small mirrors just for the sake of filling up wall space. When you think of decorating with mirrors, think big!

The mirror should take up a substantial amount of of space on the wall where it's being placed. If a mirror is going to be hung on a large, long wall that's not broken up by windows or tall furniture, then there should be a piece of low furniture under the mirror to anchor it in the space and the mirror should match the scale of the furniture. When thinking of scale it's not simply the size of the mirror alone. A large mirror with a thin delicate frame is not going to have the same "weight" in scale as a mirror with a chunky wood frame.

If you're just starting out recognizing scale, it's best to go larger then you normally would. The mirror should take up about 1/2 - 3/4 of the upper half of the wall where it's being hung or take up 1/2 the length of furniture it's being placed over if it's being hung on a long wall over a piece of furniture such as a bureau, side board, chaise, sofa or table.

Another important thing to consider is what the mirror is reflecting. If you're putting up a mirror hoping to make the room look nice, it's not going to do anything if it's reflecting back another blank wall or the laundry pile you have tucked in the opposite corner or the open doorway to the boiler room. Consider the reflection, have someone hold the mirror in place and walk around and view it from all angles. If you're placing a mirror high and it's reflecting only the ceiling, try tilting it forward when you hang it to get a more interesting reflection.

So what are you waiting for...go buy a mirror! Happy reflecting!