How to Harness Mirrors in Modern Home Design (From Tiles to Feature Walls)

Whether you’re decorating your kitchen, living room, bedroom or downstairs bathroom, understanding how to harness the power of mirrors in interior design will ensure you can transform any size, shape or style of room into a beautiful space.

As the secret weapon of many interior designers, knowing how to use mirrors as more than just a practical feature for checking your reflection in bathrooms and bedrooms will guarantee your home’s interior design is packed full of character and charm.

We’re not just talking about hanging one above your fireplace, though. In this post, we’ll be exploring all the numerous different ways you can use mirrors to enhance your home design. From creating striking feature walls in living rooms to using mirrors in the garden and more, this post will leave you in no doubt that mirrors are a must-have accessory in modern home design.

Simple solutions for tricky interiors

Incorporating mirrors into your interior design not only adds a stylish and chic focal point, but it can also be a practical way to tackle some of the most challenging interior design obstacles – bringing with it a host of beautiful benefits.

Small room sagas – if you’re faced with decorating a small room, carefully placed mirrors can be the ultimate way to double the amount of visual space you’re working with. Ideally placed on the largest wall in the area to bounce as much light around the room as possible, mirrors will instantly create the illusion of a larger space, even in the smallest rooms.

Whether it’s a narrow hallway or a modest downstairs bathroom, using mirrors will open up the space and combat that cramped feeling – and we’d suggest going bigger where possible. While you may worry that a big mirror will dominate the room, it will in fact have the opposite effect, as more light will be reflected. In dark hallways that feel closed in, why not place a tall, slim mirror on the end wall, making the space feel infinitely bigger?

Dark room dilemmas – another common interior design issue that can be easily solved with the right use of mirrors is tackling dimly lit spaces. With reflective properties, positioning a mirror opposite or next to a window or other light source will ensure more rays of light are cast into the room to brighten up those dark spots.

Essentially, your mirror will work to double the amount of light that comes into the room – so you could even consider adding multiple mirrors on different walls, which will allow even more natural light to flood the area and reach every corner. 

Naturally, this tactic works brilliantly in small spaces with few windows, but it can be equally effective in large areas where the light source is positioned at just one end of the room. Placing mirrors strategically throughout the space will ensure that the light finds its way right to the back of the room, too.

Vacuous spaces – large rooms can be just as tricky to decorate as small spaces, as the wrong choices can leave the room feeling vast and characterless. But, you guessed it – mirrors can change all that, enhancing the aesthetic by adding a sense of depth and interest exactly where you need it.

Whether it’s creating a focal point with a single decorated mirror above a mantelpiece or hanging multiple mirrors on one wall to create an eye-catching gallery, mirrors have the ability to instantly lift spaces that feel flat.

The trick here is to consider where you’re hanging your mirror and ensure it has something aesthetically pleasing to reflect back into the room – for example, a piece of artwork, a statement piece of furniture or even a window.

Tricky corners and awkward spaces – unfortunately, not all homes are blessed with beautifully symmetrical rooms – particularly older properties – which can make those awkward spaces and tricky corners unsightly and, more often than not, a waste of space. However, having mirrors in your bag of tricks will soon make this a problem of the past.

From sloping ceilings to recesses that just aren’t quite big enough to accommodate furniture, a cleverly placed mirror in these areas will instantly make use of the space and deflect attention away from unconventional proportions.

Similarly, using mirrors positioned behind lamps offers a clever solution to illuminating dimly lit corners – particularly if you opt for a dressing-table-style mirror, with 3 panels that will reflect the light in different directions.

Lack of focal points – in rooms where there doesn’t seem to be a natural focal point to position your furniture around, like a fireplace, instead use decorated mirrors to effectively create your own.

For a stylish living room mirror idea, hang a large mirror on the wall behind your sofa, which will help to add to the overall ambience – especially when framed by wall-hung lights. Alternatively, you could go all-out with a full mirror feature wall that will accentuate the depth and light in the room.

Versatile, stylish and timeless

Mirrors really are an incredibly versatile accessory when it comes to modern home design, delivering a stylish and timeless aesthetic. It doesn’t matter whether your interior scheme is ultra-modern or classically vintage, we’re here to show you that there are numerous ways to use feature mirrors for every setting.

Glorious galleries in the bedroom

Gallery walls are an impressive way to bring a bland wall to life, and there are endless styling possibilities here, too. Suitable for both small and large rooms, using a mixture of wall mirror designs and pictures in different frames is guaranteed to add charm and character.

When positioned above a key piece of furniture like your bed, the myriad of mirrors and pictures can serve as a beautiful way to accentuate the design of the room. To really make it pop, we’d suggest picking one larger mirror that will act as the centrepiece, complementing it with a selection of smaller ones in mismatching frames and colours to create a striking, eclectic finish.

Creative clusters for hallways

Similar to the gallery wall, why not experiment with using clusters or collections of mirrors to inject a quirky touch? Choosing the right mirror designs is crucial here, though, as you want to keep sizes relatively small so the space doesn’t feel crowded. Whether you prefer a more uniform looked with symmetrically hung mirrors in the same size and style or a more relaxed, rustic feel using mirrors in different shapes and sizes, they’ll add a personal touch – as well as the illusion of more space.

Perfect for hallways positioned near a light source, each frame will reflect the light in different directions, enhancing the ambiance of the space as well as providing a practical place to grab a final look at yourself before you head out the door.

Go big and bold in the living room

In many cases, bigger is better – and if you want to really open the space up and make it feel bright, airy and full of depth, a full mirror feature wall could be the way to go. This concept works brilliantly as a living room mirror idea, where there tends to be bulky furniture that can make this area of the home feel cramped.

Mirrored walls aren’t limited to large panes of glass, though – get creative with mirrored tiles to create an eye-catching design. You can even play with how the light reflects around the room with bevelled-edge brick mirror tiles or mirror mosaics with coloured glass that will ensure the light continually changes in the room as it bounces off each tile.

Contemporary splashbacks

When it comes to styling your kitchen or bathroom splashback, you can achieve an elegant look using mirrored tiles. Practical, hard-wearing and effortlessly stylish, mirrored glass tiles are an ideal choice if you want to give these functional spaces a glamorous touch.

Whether you opt for flat, square mirror mosaics for a clean aesthetic or a dark grey mirrored tile, the result will be an ultra-sleek splashback that throws light around the whole room. If a full mirror splashback isn’t right for you, you could opt to use these tiles to create borders or frames around other titles instead.

Use mirrors as windows

With the right style of mirror, you can double up the number of windows (and, in turn, light) in your home, even in rooms that don’t have windows. The best way to do this is to pick a style of mirror that replicates the look of a window frame. In windowless rooms, hang the mirror on the wall opposite or next to the door to maximise the amount of light cast around the room.

In rooms with windows, positioning your mirror opposite or adjacent to these will create a beautiful mirror image of the view outside – bringing the outdoors in and brightening up the room in the process.

Make an impression with mirrored furniture

For a less conventional use of mirrors in your interior design, consider using mirrored furniture, as this offbeat interior design element is primed for brightening dark corners and elongating areas of the home. Be warned that the key is to use these pieces selectively. Placing them in a room with a lot going on decor-wise could be too visually overwhelming.

Instead, use these decorative accents in areas like hallways, dining rooms or living rooms where the decor is relatively minimal – allowing your mirrored chest of drawers, table or cabinet to take centre stage. To really enhance its impact, hang a complementary mirror directly above.

Take mirrors outside

Using mirrors in the garden is a fun way to play with your garden design and conjure the illusion of more space. Whether you simply want to incorporate mirrors to reflect the different types of fauna and sunlight in the area or this is a much-needed hack you’re using to expand the horizon in an enclosed urban garden, the addition of mirrors hung along fences or behind seated areas is a sure-fire way to add depth, light and character.

Whether you opt for a rustic, country feel with window-style mirrors that seemingly double your garden view or you create your own garden gallery wall with small mirrors in different designs, it’s guaranteed to create an impressive finish while optimising the use of space and natural light.

Positioning your mirrors

When it comes to the placement of your mirrors, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. Firstly, you need to ensure that any mirror is hung securely, particularly with large, heavy designs. Investing in strong picture-hanging wire and picture hooks is a must and for really large mirrors – you may even want to double up for added strength and support.

If you’re considering going for large, leaning mirrors as opposed to hanging them on the walls, you should always keep safety in mind. Ensure they’re securely propped up and not likely to impede on any walkways or be knocked over by the slightest contact – the last thing anyone wants is seven years’ bad luck.

It isn’t just safety that matters here, though, as a poorly hung mirror could cause it to tilt forward, impacting your carefully considered reflection. Speaking of which, wherever you hang your mirrors, always pay close attention to what will be reflected in them – as focusing on the wrong design feature could negatively impact the aesthetic of the entire room.

When it comes to using mirrors in modern home design, there are very few places they can’t be put to good use – and if you like the idea of adding a stylish mirror feature wall, our range of glass mirror tiles are made for the job. Bringing depth, light and the illusion of additional space, they’re sure to add a touch of glamour and sparkle to any room you choose.