About to install some beautiful mirrors around the house to create an illusion of space and bring in some light? Well, check out the most common mirror decorating mistakes that you should avoid while using mirrors as a crucial element in your interior decor.
Common Mirror Decorating Mistakes
While mirrors can make any room look huge by creating an illusion of space, mirror placement is a science that is not to be trifled with. Before you buy wall mirrors and start hanging them on every wall around the house, here are other such mistakes to avoid when decorating with mirrors:
- Buying mirrors without a plan
- Placing a mirror opposite your bed
- Having too many mirrors in one room
- Choosing incompatible mirror styles
- Forgetting mirrors in small rooms
- Hanging every full-length mirror
- Setting a mirror too high on the wall
Let’s discuss the home décor mistakes when using mirrors mentioned above in detail below.
Buying Mirrors Without a Plan
Wall mirrors can add style, charm, elegance, and a sense of spaciousness to your home, but only if you know which mirrors to buy and where to hang them. Ideally, mirror décor should take the room’s existing style into account, as well as potential mirror placement ideas. This means you should pay close attention to the walls of your room and decide where you want a mirror to be hung. Doing so will help you determine the most appropriate size of a mirror for the room.
Generally, people add mirrors to a space either as the focal point in a room or to make the room appear bigger, but irrespective of the reason, you must remember that all mirrors reflect some part of the room back to the viewer. Now, consider a wall and imagine a mirror on it. How high will it be hung? How wide will it be? And most importantly, what parts of the room will it reflect once it is in position. If the mirror highlights some of the unsightly corners of the room that you’d rather keep hidden from your guests, you should reconsider its placement.
Choosing the right mirror for your wall is easy once you know what factors to keep in mind. But avoid buying mirrors without a plan, hoping to just fit them on the walls somewhere in your interior, especially if you’re planning to buy a mirror with an antique frame.
Placing a Mirror Opposite Your Bed
The above discussion has probably clarified that you can’t hang mirrors everywhere simply because you want to. There are certain rules to hanging mirrors that must be followed, including not hanging a mirror directly opposite a bed for the sleeper to see their bed head first thing in the morning. Similarly, hanging a mirror above the bed is a security risk if it ever cracks and breaks, so that is never advisable as well.
If you really want to add a mirror to your bedroom, consider hanging one on the wall on either side of the bed. Moreover, do not hang too many mirrors in your bedroom. A maximum of one or two large mirrors are enough to make the room feel spacious but also relaxing, as too many mirrors will bounce the light around the room, resulting in disruptive sleep.
Having Too Many Mirrors in One Room
The bedroom is not the only room that will suffer from the addition of too many mirrors. One of the mistakes to avoid when decorating with mirrors is hanging too many mirrors of different shapes, sizes, and styles in a single room. The trick to tasteful mirror décor is to pick just one or two walls in a room to hang large or small, simple or ornate mirrors.
Do not hang mirrors on more than two walls, and if a full-length mirror will do, then do not crowd your walls with multiple small mirrors instead. Having too many mirrors in one room can often be quite disorienting for people, so don’t overwhelm yourself and your guests. Keep the room looking stylish, spacious, and calm by using restraint when hanging mirrors around the house.
Choosing Incompatible Mirror Styles
One of the most common home décor mistakes when using mirrors that most people seem to make is not matching the style of the mirror to the interior décor. This creates a confusing space with no true interior décor style being followed.
What needs to be done here is choosing mirrors that compliment your existing interior décor. If you have a modern, minimalist interior, a simple mirror with a white frame will go well with the monochromatic theme. Meanwhile, mirrors with antique frames will go fabulously with eclectic décor. Learn more about each of the interior décor styles to discover which mirror is best for your home.
Forgetting Mirrors in Small Rooms
Small rooms like dining rooms require mirrors to enhance the space and make it appear larger than it is. Thus, forgetting to add a mirror to a small room is one of the most crucial mistakes to avoid. However, remember the points above. Although your room requires a mirror, it needs to be well placed to produce the right results.
Hanging Every Full-Length Mirror
One of the most common mirror decorating mistakes often made by homeowners is hanging every full-length mirror rather than placing some on the floor in a tilted fashion with the wall for support. While most people hang mirrors to keep them out of their children’s reach and to avoid accidental injuries, not every mirror is supposed to be hung, and full-length mirrors can work their magic for your room even while they are leaning against the wall.
Setting a Mirror Too High on the Wall
Mirror placement is important, and the ideal height to hang a mirror is supposed to be according to the average eye level. This means that the mirror should not be so low on the wall that people have to bend down to look into it, but it shouldn’t be so high that all it reflects back is your ceiling design. The ideal length will also depend on how the mirror will be used.
A mirror with a dressing table will most likely have the user seated in front of it, but needs to cater to both seating and standing eye level. Meanwhile, a full-length mirror leaning against the wall should offer a reflection at the average eye level when standing, but it’s positioning should allow you to assess your attire completely, including your shoes, without bending down.
Now you know which mirror decorating mistakes to avoid while using reflective surfaces around the house. Want to use mirrors successfully? Check out these amazing ways to incorporate mirrors in your interior. Also, if you’re adding mirrors to your home, we bet you’d love to know how to keep your mirrors clean and sparkling. Happy Decorating!
Keep reading more home décor tips and tricks on Zameen Blog. We can also be reached via email at blog@zameen.com for your comments and suggestions.
