Coastal Living Designer Jill Johnson; Photographer Grey Crawford

Mirrors can be a great way to expand a space, add interest, make a statement, reflect light or a great view and generally add sparkle. Here are some ideas for incorporating mirrors into your space...

Designer Jeffrey Billhuber layered an antique mirror over the window for use with this floating dressing table.

Architectural Digest Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

Stylist and designer Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Design created this huge dramatic wall with black paint and 48 rectangular mirrors (via Canadian House and Home)

Framed mirrors also make a dramatic statement in this bedroom...

Coastal Living Photo: Jean-Philippe Piter

House Beautiful photo credit: Lisa Cregan

Designer Vincent Wolf likes using massive, over-scaled mirrors leaning against walls, as you can see in the bedrooms he designed above and below. This is some of what he told House Beautiful about that. "It's taking an architectural approach to a decorative object — like cutting open a wall onto a space beyond. It's also more casual and interesting to lean something than to hang it. Once a mirror is hung, it's isolated on the wall. But when it leans, the floor runs right into the glass."

I love the idea of layering mirrors like designer Mary McGee did in her living room. You could also just layer a great frame over a mirror and it would work just as well.

House Beautiful Photo: Miguel Flores Vianna

The mirror used in this bedroom designed by Gary McBourne (House Beautiful - Photo: James Merrell) was too small so they added what Gary calls a "sash" to give it scale. I'll admit that, even though this room is beautifully designed, it isn't my style but that doesn't matter. The basic idea can be used in any room from casual to formal and contemporary to traditional and there are a variety of items (fabric, ribbon, rope, etc.) you could use to make your "sash". Just hang the mirror on the wall and then attach the "sash" to the back of the mirror and the hook.

Coastal Living Photo Dominique Vorillon

Mirrored night stands are so pretty, aren't they?

BHG.com

The next four images are from Homes and Gardens. You can see the rest of their slideshow, How to Decorate Using Mirrors, on their site. (Photos: Carolyn Barber)

Displaying a variety of mirrors on ledges is a creative and fun idea to punch up your space.

Adding mirrors to an armoire in a bedroom is a great idea, especially if you're short on space to add one anywhere else.

Reflective drum shades could be stunning in the right space!


Using a mercury glass mat for a centerpiece. I've used a framed mirror in the same way in the past, which also works well.

Just for fun... Can you tell what this frame is made from? I'm sure you probably can. Colored plastic spoons! :-) Country Living


Cute tennis racket mirrors from Country Living. Imagine how many different things you could repurpose as mirrors once you start thinking outside the box...


Hmmm... Any ideas on how I can get my mirror to reflect the same view that this mirror is reflecting? :-)

myhomeideas Photo Keith Scott Morton

If you're interested in more inspiration for decorating with mirrors, check out the mirror image post that I did back in August.

Use two (or three) tablerunners horizontally across a table. Gives you a different look and they can double as placemats.

marthastewart.com

So let's just say that it's Tuesday (because it is :-) ) and you're looking around your house wondering what little thing you could do today to shake up your decorating a bit. Just a little. Not much. Just something fun or different that you may not have tried before. The list of things you could do is actually unending, but here are some ideas...

If you've never layered art on your fireplace mantel, why not try it for a different look?...

myhomeideas.com

If your artwork is too small, make it bigger by attaching a thin piece of painted wood to the back like Just A Girl did for her spring mantel...

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton

We've talked about painting the backs of bookshelves and papering the backs of bookshelves, but why not make it a little more interesting by doing a little of both and mixing up the patterns?...

idealhomemagazine.co.uk

Arrange your books by color...

Style At Home

Paint a funky mirror a fabulous color...

marthastewart.com

Add some lace to your favorite pillow...

Style At Home

Mix up your bar stools with different finishes or paint colors...

Style At Home

Update your family photos and make them a focal wall in one of your rooms or hallways...

myhomeideas.com

Photo by Michael Partenio via House Of Turquoise

Paint your front door a bold or just different color...

houseandhome.com

There was a question in the comments on my decorating with mirrors post on whether I knew how to make a new mirror look old. I actually didn't, but found some sources that do....

e-how article How Do I Faux Antique a Mirror?
marthastewart.com How to Antique a Mirror
HGTV.com How To Distress a Mirror

Most homes, irrespective of size, opt to have blinds as their window treatment in their bathrooms. These are easy to install, easy to operate and are available in a vast array of different colours and patterns.

Make no mistake there is nothing wrong with using blinds, far from it! They are a cost effective and practical way to provide privacy as well as letting plenty of natural light flood into the room when they are rolled up. However, if you are looking for something a little more unusual and unique in your bathroom, break from tradition and use full length curtains if you windows is not situated with the sink, bath or loo above it!

Curtains add a touch of chic styling which oozes elegance when the right colour combinations are used! As most bathroom suites are white you have a whole world of gorgeous colours to choose from! For a funky look use vibrant fuchsia pink, lime green or deep purple. If you are after a monochromatic look of course you should opt for black and white. Floral patterns which trail up the length of the curtains will also give the illusion of more height in your room.

Retro looks can also look simply stunning in bathrooms. Look for mirrors with metal or mirrored frames to bring extra light in a stylish way.

The use of free standing baths in-trend enables these looks to be more easily achieved. The other trend of staying in rather than spending on nights out means you will have time to enjoy relaxing and soaking in a bath filled with fragrant bubbles! If you want to create a warm and romantic look scented candles are a good choice, just be careful where you place the candles if you use curtains to reduce the potential fire risk.

Image: Belle Maison

If your living space is small and restrictive you will need to adopt the tricks of the interior design world to give the illusion of more space!

White is a classical example of maximising space by tricking the eye into thinking the space is larger than reality. Brushed steel and reflective surfaces are another trick used as the light is bounced around the room which again provides the illusion of more space.

Many people place a mirror on a chimney breast as older houses typically have the window directly opposite the fireplace! Maximising the light by placing a mirror to catch as much natural light as possible has been adopted for many years!

White is also an ideal choice for kitchens and bathrooms as bright white has a clean, crisp look, especially when new! Be careful though otherwise your home could become an uninviting steely icy place which makes you feel cold! The easiest route and key is to add subtle touches of a vibrant warm colour such as red or orange.

Just select a few carefully placed objects of interest and add the finishing touches such as either a white or coloured roller blind to the window which will allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room when pulled or rolled up to the top of the window. Roller blinds are also ideal for lowering to a height which prevent glare from sunlight when working in the sink area, because just like older styled houses have windows opposite the fireplaces, they also have kitchen windows above the sink!

Image: AtticMag