Reflects light, makes a room appear larger, good near the door so you don't leave with lipstick on your teeth (so I hear).

Re taking time to look for art, I've been looking for a year and a half for a painting for my LR. I have a certain look in mind. The stuff I like I can't afford, and the things I can afford are schmaltzy. Re taste, that's too personal to comment on fairly. So a mirror is probably going to go in that LR spot until I find what I'm looking for.

Mirrors' sparkle, movement and light enhancing abilities can do a lot for a dull room. I have a convex mirror in my DR. I love how it plays with the shapes it reflects. It's an interesting world in that mirror, a bit of festivity for a rather staid room.

I like the ones with beautiful frames and antiqued, speckled surfaces because they reflect light and movement without showing a clear image and because they create a special backdrop for the items displayed in front of them.

They reflect light, which helps to balance the light in the room; they increase the sense of space by creating an opening in the wall where none existed before, and double the impact and volume of whatever they reflect. They are a wonderful tool for sculpting and reshaping space that's not doing what you want it to do. They are often used over a mantel because the chimney breast protrudes into the room, and a mirror makes it recede, and balances the depth of the firebox. And because they are so easy to keep clean, they add a fresh, pristine quality to the wall and the room.

And they can certainly be tacky, just like anything else can be tacky, if their frames are cheesy or unattractive, or if their optics are poor, or if their proportions are clumsy in the space, or they reflect something boring or excessively busy. But they can also be beautiful, elegant, and energetic. They provide an opportunity to showcase a beautiful frame without the expense of a painting or print in it. Like everything else, it's all in how you choose and use them.

Here are two ways I've used them in my own houses. The first is the backsplash over the stove, which otherwise would have made standing there feel like standing in a tiny closet, and which I used because I find mirror to be the easiest material in the world to keep clean.

This one is the parlor mantel, and you can see that it reflects the light fixtures, opens and brightens an otherwise uninteresting space, and draws your attention away from the undistinguished (and that's putting it kindly) mantel arrangement. I couldn't have used an image that size without overwhelming the room, but the space needed something big. The frame is simple, classic, and light, and it is genuine gold and silver leaf. At that size, i think the quality has to be the best you can afford. (This fuzzy photo was taken before the curtains went up, and I have no idea why the creamy pale butter-colored walls look pink in this picture....)

They were used a lot over fireplaces and sideboards in dining rooms to reflect light from the candles or argands or other lamps in the room. An early "light fixture" was called the Girandole: a sconce mounted on a mirror to reflect the candlelight. So they started out with a practical purpose, and people continued to use them this way. We don't Need to reflect as much light now, but it still looks nice. They are also practical for near the front door so you can quickly check your appearance without running off to a bathroom.

I like mirrors only if they have really interesting and/or spectacular frames, which would often put them out of my price range. I'm fortunate to have a lot of good oil paintings, drawings and water colors (and not all of them by any means were expensive) and a light-filled house which doesn't require mirrors. I have to say that mirrors over the fireplace almost never appeal to me. That's such a pivotal point of the living room that it deserves a very special piece of art.

Into the first sentences I was sputtering, but, but but....!! I love mirrors and have at least two in all major rooms. All of mine are antique(ish) with splotchey silver, and frames that show their age. I even posted once to ask if anyone could give me the technique for splotching new mirrors! I wasn't going to respond, as I didn't really know what to say. Don't have to since the rest of you, and bronwynsmom with wonderful detail, already did! I'll just say Ditto!
Oh, but wait! Must say that my favorite thing is reflecting nature. I once had two ocean views, and now have numerous tree and mountain views, all thanks to mirrors! If a mirror does not reflect something beautiful it should not be there.

I love mirrors. I love to use them in groupings. I have 3 old mirrors hanging above the antique mahogany sideboard in my LR. I also have a mirror in the fireplace, we don't use it for fires, instead I have candles in there. In my LR I also have a lot of nice art, but the mirrors add the sparkle I want.

In my guest room I also have several mirrors in different chunky frames mixed in with crosses and picture frames. Again, it's the sparkle element that draws me to it. I think it adds another dimension.

Also have a long mirror above a shelf in my long, dark hall. Helps to bring light to that end of the room. A decorative one in my bedroom above my jewelry armoire; a full length behind the bathroom door as well as another antique mirror used with the vanity.

I think some mirrors have a lot of personality, and there are plenty of dull mirrors, just as there is plenty of dull art. I feel mirrors are another form of art. Especially antique mirrors.

Bronwyn, I too have a parlour (We have a late Victorian)! How interesting someone else has one too! I love it. A mirror would not like right in ours, though. There is a cut-out above the fireplace and all of our wood work and built in cabinetry is a dark, dark colour, which I love. A mirror would not look so good, IMHO.

I like two points various people have made above:
1. "If a mirror does not reflect something beautiful, it should not be there". Perhaps that is the reason that in general I find them to be icky, because people put them up and all they do is reflect a wall or a couch.

2. That mirrors are generally overused above fireplaces and the most expensive and beautiful piece of art you have should be there since it is one of the most important focal points you have. I find that they are overused over mantels. Bronwyn, yours actually looks really nice there - i like the reflection, I like the frame, it's nice and clean look which reflects your room. But I do agree they are over used in that particular setting in general.

It's interesting to hear on this thread the various uses people have for mirrors and why they are attracted to them. I love to hear what other people do and why they do it!

My mirrors are in practical places like bathrooms, but they can be very nice elsewhere. I like fairly simple frames for art, so I can easily imagine falling in love with an ornate frame and having no way to use it except for a mirror.

When I worked in France a lot, I saw mirrors used very effectively to give the illusion of more space. One particular example was so well done that I didn't notice that the wall was mirrored until I was quite close and in a direct sight-line!

OP:"I like two points various people have made above:
1. "If a mirror does not reflect something beautiful, it should not be there". That was moi, and in the interest of Honesty on The Forum: I do have a full length mirror that reflects all of my 7 a.m. loveliness as I stumble into the bathroom each morning. Many a morning has me mumbling, "OMG, who the heck is THAT?! I really must move that darned mirror!

bronwynsmom - I would have never thought of a mirror for a backsplash. I love it!

LOL!!!!!!!! leahcate. That's hilarious. Sometimes I wonder the same thing when I look into my mirror above the sink in the morning. WHAT IS THAT! AND HOW DO I MAKE IT LOOK PRESENTABLE! LOL.

The mirror is very nice as the backsplash, I would filth it up in a few days though. We seem to have a lot of minute oil splotchies all over the place, I don't know how but we do. I guess that's what happens when two guys live together...even though we're gay we still can't keep a clean house!

"all they do is reflect a wall or a couch. "
Ah, but imagine a great couch with gorgeous pillows,a beautiful lamp, tall green plant, and wonderful/decorative art over the couch. Now all this would be reflected and enjoyed twice, AND ( as yogacat noticed in France) make the space appear larger : Hey! is that another room over there?
p.s. glad the mental pic of my morning frowziness made you smile.

krycek1984 and leahcate - I am laughing at this too. The previous owners did a really funky thing with mirrors in our bedroom, one wall that is part of the closet door and it looks like a mirrored wall until I slide. And it also turns the corner for another two feet of mirror on the next wall. Taking it down isn't cheap because it means redoing a closet and two walls and since we know we will be remodeling, we've left it.

But every morning I roll over and see that lump trying to wake up and I'm grateful for my older eyes and glad it doesn't come too much into focus. :)

I'm in the "a mirror should reflect something beautiful" camp.

My house needs so much to be really beautiful that I don't think any mirror would be bringing it up a notch. KWIM?

" I guess that's what happens when two guys live together...even though we're gay we still can't keep a clean house!"

Well, there goes THAT stereotype, LOL! My gay buddy used to grumble about the peer pressure to have a beautifully decorated home :)

A mirror must reflect something beautiful -- I think this is a pretty maxim, but not always doable or even necessary. Mirrors can add sparkle or movement or a change of perspective as people move around the room. That adds a lot, an element of surprise perhaps, even if the mirror at first only appears to reflect something mundane.

I love mirrors, just love them. And many can cost as much as fine art pieces just take a walk down Royal street in any New Orleans antique shop or any upscale antique shop that sells period mirrors. I love old empire and bullseye mirrors and like Leaheate I love splothcey mirrors.

I've heard Martha Stewart say she prefers mirrors to art. Not that she's God but you have to admit that woman has taste not personality.

Yogcat did you study interior design in France?

....Jane

I love mirrors and have them in every room in the house,
especially the kitchen and family room.
I agree with browynsmom, mirrors are the easiest thing
to keep clean, we even have them over our stove.

We also have them floor to ceiling flanking each side of our fireplace,
they brighten the room and add lots of drama.
Mirrors reflect light, and help
bounce around all the positive energy in the house. :)

They also brighten and widen small areas.

when I had tile over the stove area, it got very greasy,
the mirrors get wiped down about three times a week and stay clean.

Krycek, I'm so happy to see you blast the stereotype...but I'm here to balance it for you...even though I am straight and middle-aged, I can't stop saying "tragic!" and "faaabulous."

In re mirrors in the morning...one of the compensations of age is that when you start to go to pieces, your friends can't see worth a damn...
(I think perhaps that helps make up for the fact that when you can finally afford good clothes, the 25-year old body that would have looked delicious in them is gone, baby, gone...)

Love mirrors of all sorts and kinds!!

And I don't really worry about reflections -- except mine -- and anything that might turn to stone because of it!!! LOL!

:)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I have an issue with mirrors when they're the *only* "artwork" in the room. I've been in living rooms that have nothing on the walls except a gold-framed mirror over the fireplace. Blech.

I agree with everyone else who said that you have to be careful about what the mirror reflects.

I have only 2 mirrors on the first floor of my home: one by the back door and one by the front door. I like colorful art too much to devote any more wall space to mirrors.

bronwynsmom, love the use of your mirror in that pic.

Bronwynsmom are we twins from different mothers? Look at my stove backsplash..........

Mirrors serve dual purposes in my home, and in some cases, both at the same time. They are practical and also art. I'm in total agreement that they can be overdone, as can anything else.

Okay, I am going to have to go find a mirror at Goodwill that I can just set behind the stove for a while to try and convince hubby that we need a mirrored backsplash. They are terrific.

All this talk of mirrors has me wondering where I could put some in my house. I have this tall ledge in my office (about 8 feet off the ground) that is across from a set of high windows (with green glass on the ledge) and I was thinking about getting a long mirror to set up there to reflect the outside.

Or would it be wasted so high in the room?

I love mirrors over a fireplace, over a bar, over a buffet, and the usual bedroom/bathroom locations. To make a mirror work, you need to have the right shape and the right frame. The mirror is typically not a stand-alone in that it gets paired with other items, such as vases, candlesticks, etc.

There is no hard steadfast rule saying to use mirrors as decor, if you don't like them, there are plenty of other artwork/decor options.

vampiressrn - this one on CL caught my eye tonight:

{{!gwi}}

To put up here, behind the word IMAGINE:

I have to laugh...I'm in a room now with a mirror on every wall. One is a modern art piece (yes mirrors can be art). And the other three are all Victorian pieces. You're kidding yourself if you think a mirror would not look good in your parlor. Victorians LOVED their mirrors. All of my original fire mantels include mirrors, often more than one.

Honestly, I find homes with no visible mirrors are lacking in an important piece of layering that is necessary in a complete room. Mirrors are the reflective surface that brings debth to a space. There aren't many spaces that should be without them.

Wow susanwrites, that is a awesome mirror...I would love that in my home. Gorgeous frame and size if great.

Of course leahcate is so right on the "who the heck is that"...luckily as a Vampire I have no reflection...LOL.

OK I will play a little. This is not exactly the look I am going for yet. It is still evolving. Eventually I will find the right combination.

And sadly another collectioin/:^( You all bringing out the worst in me today. LOL

I have put all the pictures away, months ago. That got to be too much and not at all right for the space. Not to mention my kitty took great pleasure in slamming them down every morning when he wanted us to GET UP!!!

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: More mirrors

I don't know why, but mirrors never really caught my fancy. Nor do they catch the fancy of my partner. Just must be a personal thing. We don't want any except in bathrooms.

That mirror will look so nice behind the "imagine" sign!

And I never thought a mirror could look good behind a stove!

Igloo, I had read in other places that Victorians loved mirrors. I've been doing some research on a classic Victorian parlor. I don't have the $ to do anything special to it now, but I'm almost done with the "I have no money but let's make it special" look. Maybe one day I can afford some real parlour furniture!

I love mirrors, I have to hold myself back or I'd buy too many of them. And you definitely don't want to over do them or it will look tacky. Except for my kitchen and home office they're in every room of my house. I don't use them to reflect light, or even to check my lipstick (I prefer to run to the bathroom where lighting is the best) instead I find they are the perfect "palette cleanser" in a room with mostly art work on the wall. Helps to break up all the busyness of prints/paintings when you have a frame with nothing but glass inside. I adore mirrors in somewhat-ornate frames. That way the frame takes the stage not what's inside. I also think a mirrored frame adds another layer of depth and interest to a room you can't get with art work alone.

Don't know if convex mirrors were in with Victorians, but I've always got my eye out for a convex mirror in an interesting (non eagle-topped) frame. Maybe it's just the kid in me, but I think they're fun :)

Susan, I think that mirror would look great up there...I'd consider lightening up the frame with paint, though...your workroom has all that lightness and mid-tones, and I think the dark frame would be jarring.

vampiressrn, krycek1984, and bronwynsmom - Thanks on the mirror. It's only $65 so I'm hoping I can go nab it today. (No response from them yet.)

And bronwynsmom, thanks for saying what I was thinking about the frame color. I was wondering if I should do something. I have a big wicker rocker and ottoman and table that are dark too in the room (CL deal) that I keep thinking I might have to paint because they're so dark. (Ethan Allen walnut wicker I think)

I only read the first few replies and I have to agree with them about how mirrors reflect light etc., providing they're in a nice frame.

I have on in the entryway above a table, but we use it.

I don't like art or a mirror on a mantel.

One thing to think about, if your home ONLY has art/pictures on the walls, they become boring and redundant. Mirrors add "texture" & character to a room.

Look at this room of mine. It's my picture wall with a buffet against it and an antique mirror above. This room is incredibly dark in the daytime. (I'm seriously thinking about painting it another color) See how the mirror breaks up the pictures and adds a certain charm at the same time?

If you still don't like it, it's okay, you won't hurt my feelings. lol

Eh, this probably isn't a good picture to show how it really reflects light, but it gives you an idea of how they make a difference in decorating.

"I'm in the "a mirror should reflect something beautiful" camp."

BUT...it all depends on where you're standing. For example, if I were standing right in front of the mirror (and face it, we don't do that in our rooms unless it's a bathroom), I'd see the beautiful hand stitched pictures my MIL made me over the years.

When I'm at the kitchen sink which is a good distance away, I can see my dh in his recliner in the LR, which is a VERY long distance away from the kitchen. And he can see me at the sink!

So I don't think it matters what's directly across the wall from the mirror because you're not going to see it unless you stand up and get in front of it.