Enhancing Space, Light, and Style: Decorating with Mirrors
If you want to liven up your living space, using the right mirror decor ideas is a great place to start. Using mirrors as home accents enhances the brightness of your room, making it look larger and more spacious. Whether you're looking to illuminate a dark area in the home or want to maximize the natural sunlight that shines through your windows, mirror decor can elevate any space.
Mirrors can play an integral role in enhancing the look of your home, and since they're entirely neutral, you can add them to any color palette without worrying about creating a contrasting look. Any style, size, and room can benefit from their use.
At Mor Furniture for Less, we have a wide assortment of mirrors and home accents to explore. Whether you need a large, traditional mirror for the bedroom or are looking for decorative mirrors to include in a gallery wall, you'll find what you're looking for right here.
There are a few tips and tricks to properly using mirrors to improve the lighting and space in your house, and it's important to know how mirrors pull off this trick in the first place. Keep reading to learn the science behind the concept and bring new, stylish pieces into your living area.
How Mirrors Make a Room Look Larger and Brighter
Mirrors make rooms look larger and brighter, even without an outside light source. It's an exciting concept; you may wonder how a simple accent in your home can make such a big difference. The reflective property of mirrors allows them to bounce light off themselves and onto others if there are multiple pieces throughout the room.
This tricks your brain into thinking that it's seeing more depth in a space, therefore making your eyes view the area as bigger than it is. This works in even the darkest places, like finished basements without ample sunlight, walk-in closets, and smaller areas of your home that seem closed off and dim. In the same way, mirrors' reflection gives the room a sense of depth. The bouncing of light also makes it appear brighter.
Mirror Decor Ideas for Your Home
There are a few tips and tricks that you can use to optimize the use of mirrors in your living space. While any mirror certainly provides benefits, learning more about proper placement, sizing, and how to use them as decor or statement pieces can instantly make a drastic change.
The Bigger the Better
To increase the illusion of space and light in a room using mirrors, the larger the mirror, the better. This gives a larger area for reflection from the piece, which maximizes the benefits. Consider using full-length or oversized mirrors in bedrooms or walk-in closets.
The Sethal Floor Mirror, for example, is an excellent piece to add. It gives you plenty of room to check out your outfit for the day and ensure your hair and makeup are ready to go, making your space look bright. You can also use this mirror in any other room that has a large blank space on the wall.
Many think leaving blank spots on their walls will help the area look less cramped and more airy. This is true. But you can take it to the next level by placing an oversized standing mirror in that spot.
Placement Is Everything
Simply adding a mirror to your living space can help, but with the proper placement, the results are shocking. Try to arrange mirrors where they'll catch the most natural sunlight–facing a window or a more open area of your home.
Additionally, placing them in front of your main seating or eating area helps your eyes catch the light, making the space feel larger. Common placements include above the living room mantel, bedroom dresser, or foyer where guests enter your home.
You can use a mirror over the dresser, like the mirror you see here in the Willowbrook Panel Bed and Dresser Set, which faces the window on the other side of the bedroom. Or, use a mirror as part of your decor in the front hallway. The Divakar Accent Mirror in Antique White goes well over an entry table or console and provides an element of decor to farmhouse or antique-style homes. It's also great for dining rooms, kitchen nooks, and living room decor.
More Mirrors Equal More Benefits
Feel free to use more than just one mirror in a room. In fact, the more mirrors you have, the greater the reflection properties become as they bounce off the other mirrors. Have the mirrors face each other or caddy corner for the best results.
Choose one large piece as your statement item if you want to avoid making the room look overwhelmed with mirrors. Then, use smaller mirrors as part of your decor to augment the benefits of the large mirror. Many people choose to use the smaller mirrors as part of a gallery wall or as an element of simple decor that serves as a slight accent in the home.
If you're looking for a small accent mirror, try the Dusan Mirror in Black, which hangs on the wall and has a diameter of just 20 inches. Or choose something a little fancier and decorative, like this Villette Accent Mirror with beautiful curved features.