Are you wanting to make your home feel bigger, brighter and more beautiful? Mirrors and reflective surfaces are a great addition to any home and can be used widely throughout to get the look your desire.
Mirrors have been around since 600BC and were mainly made form copper, bronze, gold and silver. All of these materials are heavy in weight and so mirrors were made small in size back then and really only used for show. Of course only the rich could afford them and it wasn't until the middle ages that the modern mirrors we see today started being produced. Now we have the luxury to be able to use mirrors for many different purposes and there are mirrors to suit every budget. So how do you use them in your home?
When you typically think of using a reflective surface, the standard handing on a wall above your fireplace comes to mind. But there are other ways to achieve bigger and brighter spaces by using mirrored furniture and ornaments. A great use of mirrored furniture is in your hallway. Many people have small entrance halls that don't bring in much light and is the first room people see when they come into your home, so why not make it stand out? One of my favourite pieces to use in a hallway is a mirrored table or unit as it is both practical for storage but also makes a statement when you walk in. I would recommend placing one or two lamps on top of your mirrored table also as this will reflect light onto the table and up around your hall, but also give your home a warm comforting feel.
If you really want to make a statement reflective wall treatments can really transform a room while also bouncing light around. Graham & Brown are a great resource and offer a wide variety of wall accessories, especially when it comes to wallpaper. They have many unique designs that can be incorporated into your home to not only reflect light around, but to add a statement to any room. I would recommend using a reflective wallpaper in smaller rooms that don't see much light or in your dining room to add a creative statement to your guests when they come over for dinner.
Now we can't talk about mirrored furniture and reflective wall treatments without forgetting the most commonly used reflective surface, the mirror. Mirrors come in all different shapes and sizes and can be cleverly used to make your home feel bigger and more decorative. I believe that a lot of people focus on the main rooms with decorating and making them perfect, but a lot of the time important areas are missed such as the stairs. People's stairs aren't usually the main focus of their home and are undecorated and fade into the background. Why not branch out and make your stairs a feature of your home rather than a way to get to the more decorated rooms? What I love to do is use mirrors on one side of the wall going up the stairs to add interest and bring light into this area of the home. Depending on the style of your home, I like to use different shapes and detail to add interest and make them a focal point. You may be thinking that this may start to look busy and not coordinate with each other. One way to avoid this is to ensure all of the mirrors, although different shapes and sizes, are all the same material and colour. This will bring unity to the space and make an unused space beautiful.
Reflective surfaces are a great addition to any home and can be used with any budget in mind. Remember that mirrors also come in different colours and tones so no matter what the style of your home is, you can achieve the same result with the right aesthetic for you.