Hanging Mirrors – the do’s and don’ts

By Val Sharp

Mirrors are a fabulous addition to a home. And with all the new frames and sizes that are available, they are a decorator’s dream. But how do you decide where to hang them?

One of the most common places to hang a mirror is over the mantle of your fireplace. This, frankly, is probably the last place I would hang a mirror. Here’s why. The fireplace in your room is usually your primary focal point. You want something stunning and powerful there to enhance the fireplace and reinforce that primary focal point. When people are seated in the room, the mirror tends to reflect a blank ceiling. There is nothing gorgeous to look at.

If you want to hang a mirror over your mantle, then think about putting a vase with a huge bouquet of flowers in front of the mirror. This gives you the reflection of the vase and flowers instead of a blank ceiling. Greenery also works well as do statues or anything else where the back and front are both attractive.

Here are some guidelines for when to hang a mirror:

Functionally – in your bedroom to help you get dressed in the morning; or in your foyer so you can see how you look as you leave the home.
To reflect something beautiful – If you have a gorgeous view of greenery or water out your window, hanging a large mirror on the wall across from that view can double your beauty. It can also reflect light from the window at the same time. You can also hang mirrors across from a beautiful painting or a stunning piece of furniture. Just remember that whatever the mirror is hung across from will be doubled in the room.
To reflect light. A mirror is a great way to lighten up a dark corner, particularly if there are lights or candles placed in the vicinity of the mirror.
To create a sense of spaciousness in the room. Be careful with this one, making sure that the mirror still reflects something beautiful. There is no point in having more white walls in the room.

Remember that hanging mirrors should follow the same guidelines as hanging art. If you’re hanging a mirror over a piece of furniture, it should be 2/3 the width of the piece of furniture and never wider than the piece of furniture. Also pay attention to whether it looks better to hang the mirror vertically or horizontally. Try both to see which one looks better. It’s easy to switch the hangers on the back if you want to hang it a different way.

When you’re hanging a mirror, think about the balance in the room. How visually heavy is the mirror? What does it reflect? If you hang it on the wall, does it have enough visual weight to balance what’s on the other side of the room?

One of the most difficult situations to deal with is when the whole wall over a mantle is mirrored. Generally this reflects a whole lot of empty ceiling. As mentioned before, it doesn’t enhance the fireplace and it doesn’t give you anything beautiful to look at. Also, it tends to make the room feel off-balance.

If you have this situation, the best solution is to have the mirror taken off the wall. Repair the wall and paint it. This frees you to hang some gorgeous art over the mantle. If you can’t do that for whatever reason then you can try to hide some of the mirror:

choose some dramatically beautiful accessories to place in front of the mirror. Greenery from the garden can fill the empty space and make the humblest vase look elegant.
hang a picture from the ceiling in front of the mirror using chains, strong fish-line or ribbon
prop a picture or pictures on the mantel to minimize the amount of mirror. If you do this, use a sticky putty to adhere it to the mirror and the mantel. You can also use rubber anti-skid pads.
look for very large sculptural pieces to put on the mantel (or even hang from the ceiling)

Normally you would match the frame of the mirror to the tone of the room. For example, formal frames in formal rooms. However, it’s fun to mix things up a bit. Just don’t do it too much. It’s great to have a room that’s cohesive with just one special item that’s “out of the box”. One and it’s design; more than that and the room starts to look cluttered.

Play with mixing periods as well. A gorgeous antique mirror in a contemporary setting can be just the right touch. However, make sure there is some commonality with the rest of the room. For example an ornate silver frame can work well with modern chrome lamps because of the commonality in color.

Playing with mirrors is fun. Just follow these guidelines and enjoy!