MIRRORS
Ourselves. We see us everywhere. In the car. In the bathroom. Hanging on the bedroom wall. It doesn’t matter where we go, we see ourselves. Some of you may be slightly confused at this point, but really, mirrors are unavoidable. It seems as if they are around every corner we turn, no matter where we go.
Most of the time, except when we are looking like we haven’t showered in the last few days, these mirrors are quite beneficial. They help us see the traffic behind our car. They provide us the means to do our hair in the morning. They can even spruce up a room quite nicely (if used correctly). That’s right, mirrors aren’t just for looking at ourselves or a specific object. They are a decorator’s best friend! Especially when you’re dealing with those small, tiny rooms that often seem super cramped and impossible to decorate. Mirrors are the perfect tool to help ‘expand’ and liven up a small room.
THE SMALL ROOM DELIMIA
Decorating a house or apartment is hard. Wallpaper. Furniture. Decorations. Appliances. Paint. Everything has to be picked out and placed just exactly how we like it. It’s an almost never ending ordeal when we’re first starting out. But what’s worse? Trying to decorate the small rooms. We can’t leave them empty. That’s too bland. We can’t put a bunch of decorations in them. That would leave the room useless. So what do we do?!
We add mirrors to the mix, that’s what we do! Mirrors are natural attention getters. They draw attention away from other matters and unto themselves. They are somewhat of attention seekers, one could say. With the help of strategically placed and styled mirrors, small rooms look much larger and more inviting. Follow these six steps to grow your small rooms.
By placing window-sized mirrors next to actual windows, you draw attention away from the size of the room and other obstacles that may be protruding. The attention is now focused toward the mirror. And because our eyes naturally wonder to natural light, eventually the focus will be on the actual window. Thanks to the mirrors attention getting qualities, occupants will naturally admire the outside beauty rather than be negatively sucked in by the room’s actual size.
Place a few mirrors around the room that are directed to a nice focal or center point. This may be a fireplace, plant, antique decoration, etc. Guests will no longer be staring at numerous pieces of art that clutter the walls. They will see themselves (which everyone loves seeing) and the beautiful center piece you have selected. This allows you to get the maximum use of decorating without actually using much space at all.
It can be difficult to pull off in larger rooms, but it’s the perfect utilization of wall space in a tiny room. Place multiple mirrors of any size and style on the same wall. It’s important to leave limited, if any (overlap), space between the mirrors. By creating this outer-space looking wall, light is reflected masterfully and the room opens up. Not to mention it’s extremely rare and unique look will leave all attention towards the mirrors, not the tiny room it’s encasing it.
Similar to directing your mirrors toward a focal point, place one mirror on the far wall and have it directed at greenery stationed on the opposite end of the mirror. When you look into the mirror, you will see lushes greenery as if you were in a large greenhouse. For those who are not so fond of plants but understand their importance in decorating, this is a simple and ideal option to bring green into your environment. For plant lovers, well, this is just another way to showcase your earthly love.
By strategically placing a mirror (or two) directly in the view of people as they walk in, people’s attention is taken away from the room size. All of the sudden it expands the room into a normal sized, standard occupant room. This technique is also highly useful in hallways and narrow quarters.
Other than the standard square mirror, a full length mirror is the most common and traditional decorating mirror on the market. For those of you unfamiliar with mirrors and their corresponding names, full length mirrors are the mirrors that are as long as the human body. By placing these traditional, classic decorating pieces in areas around a small room, the room takes on a sense of style and class that is rarely attributed to small rooms. It’s an allusion.
For many things the old adage is—use it sparingly. For mirrors in small rooms, this is not necessarily the case. Find those useful places to hang different styles of mirrors to create wonderful looking rooms, no matter how big or small they may be. And, take full advantage of the actual reflective properties of mirrors. Not only do they give you the chance to quickly freshen up without having to go to the restroom, they can turn simple objects and decorations into the centerpiece of a room.
All in all, you can’t go wrong with mirrors. Their attention getting characteristics and light grabbing abilities make them the perfect decorating item to bring a room to life. More importantly, they are able to turn those small, cramped, tiny rooms into classy, vibrant, larger looking rooms. Mirrors are the ultimate piece—practical, elegant, and fun! Follow these six steps to mesmerize yourself and your guests. Happy decorating.
