Dramatically Brighten Any Living Room With Mirror Decor

Do you ever wish your living room looked brighter and more spacious? I certainly did in my own home. My living area faced north with only one small window, which made it feel cramped and dark much of the time. After doing some research into interior design tricks, I discovered that strategic use of mirrors can work magic when it comes to opening up and illuminating living spaces.

By reflecting natural and artificial light in powerful ways, mirrors can dramatically transform even the drabbest living room into a bright and airy oasis.

Determine the Look You Want to Achieve

Before picking out specific mirrors, decide what aesthetic you want them to enhance. Do you envision a glamorous old Hollywood style living room with elegant framed mirrors? Or perhaps a bohemian eclectic space with an asymmetrical mirror gallery wall showcasing different shapes and styles? Determine your goal so you can select mirrors purposefully instead of randomly.

Traditional Elegant Mirrors with Intricate Frames

For formal living rooms, ornate mirrors with carved wood or metallic frames set a refined traditional tone. Place a stunning antique mirror above a fireplace or sofa to act as a regal focal point. Flank it with smaller accent mirrors boasting matching elaborate frames for beautiful symmetry.

Modern Minimalist Mirrors in Sleek Shapes

Prefer a pared-down modern aesthetic? Choose simple mirrored shapes like circles, rectangles, and squares without any frame at all. Hang them clinically with space between or creatively cluster mismatched geometrics for an edgy style statement. This allows the mirrors' sleek shapes to take center stage.

Eclectic Gallery Wall with Different Mirror Styles

Make your living room more playful and full of personality with an eclectic mirror gallery wall showcasing an assortment of different mirror shapes, sizes, and frame designs. Arrange and hang them asymmetrically for lots of visually intriguing angles to catch and reflect light from.

Glamorous Old Hollywood Style with Framed Mirrors

Create a dramatically retro glam living room reminiscent of old cinema and Art Deco style using mostly rectangular mirrors in striking metallic frames. Place them strategically around the space to amplify light and movement and evoke luxury. Using mirror frames that match or coordinate can help cultivate fabulous visual cohesion.

Strategic Mirror Placement for Maximum Brightness

It's not only about what mirrors you choose but also where you decide to hang them. Be very intentional with mirror placement to dramatically brighten up your living room.

Place Mirrors Across From Windows

Hang mirrors directly opposite living room windows so they can reflect gorgeous natural light deeper into the room, making dim corners brighter. Position them to catch sun rays at different times of day or the seasons. The mirrors will cast dancing beams of sunlight over surfaces and exponentially expand the feeling of space by creating the illusion of more windows.

Use Mirrors to Brighten Up Dark Corners

Living rooms often have cramped areas or entire corners that stay permanently dark and gloomy no matter how many lights you install. Cleverly hanging mirrors opposite these trouble spots enables them to reflect artificial light across the room, opening up and illuminating once-dead spaces to make them feel like part of the living area again instead of black holes.

Hang Mirrors to Reflect Key Decor Elements

Living room mirrors don't merely have to catch natural and artificial light. Also position them purposefully to reflect other visually interesting architectural details and decor you want noticed more, like artwork, ornate molding, built-in shelving, and furnishings with cool shapes. Mirrors can spotlight these items, doubling their design impact.

Mirror Styles and Shapes for Brightening

In addition to placement, the actual style and shape of mirrors heavily impacts how they interact with light. Keep these options in mind when selecting mirrors to brighten up your living space.

Circular Mirrors

The rounded shape of circular mirrors softly diffuses and gently reflect light in more directions instead of beams shooting straight out like from flat mirrors. Circles also help soften a living room's hard lines and angles, making the space feel more softly lit. Go for classic round shapes or playful SUN disk mirrors.

Sunburst Mirror Designs

Similar to circular mirrors, sunburst mirror designs also emanate light but in a more visually dynamic fashion. The radiation of triangular rays bursting out from the center gives off an energetic brightness vibe. Sunburst mirrors hung smartly can bathe an entire living room with their luminous rays.

Rectangular Mirrors

Rectangular mirrors allow for more targeted, directional light reflection versus scattering beams all over. Their clean lines lend them easily to mounting over common living room anchors like fireplaces, consoles, media centers, or religious home altars. They feel tailored and intentional versus more whimsical shapes.

Creative Living Room Mirror Display Ideas

Take living room mirror decor to exciting new heights by utilizing displays that enliven a space beyond basic hanging. Get creative with these striking mirror arrangement suggestions for maximum wow factor.

Gallery Walls

Gallery walls crowded with mirrors might sound like overkill but can actually ratchet up serious visual interest when clustered artfully. Start by playing with different asymmetrical arrangements and then fill in with comfy seating to relax and enjoy the reflective show.

Accent Wall with Mirrors

For incredible drama, forego regular wall art and cover an entire living room wall with mirrors instead for a seriously luminous focal point. Mix mirrored sizes, shapes, and frames or stick to one style for cleaner visual impact. Either way, this specially designated mirror wall will reading dazzling!

Unexpected Places to Hang Mirrors

Stick to ceiling height for mirrors? Yawn. Maximizing brightness means thinking outside the box when it comes to positioning mirrors in unexpected areas to pick up stray light particles. Mount horizontal mirrors above crown molding, place slim mirrors vertically between bookshelves, or even lay large rectangular mirrors completely on the floor or embedded INTO floors!

Tips for Selecting Mirror Frames

The frames encasing living room mirrors heavily contribute to their design style, mood, and how well they coordinate with a room's existing decor. Keep these tips in mind when choosing frames for your brightening mirrors.

• Select frames in metals like antiqued bronze, brass, pewter, silver or gold to communicate classic elegance with both traditional and modern spaces.
• Lean into organic elements like carved wood frames with finishes matching hardwood floors or furniture pieces.
• Make a statement with unexpected painted mirror frames in your accent living room color or go colorblocked.
• Keep mirror frame sizes proportional to the actual mirror so they don't overwhelm yet still provide presence.

Avoid These Common Living Room Mirror Mistakes

While mirrors can work magic, they also can sabotage a living room's aesthetic and functional flow when used incorrectly. Steer clear of these common mirror mishaps.

• Placing mirrors too high or low on the wall so they don't optimally catch light and just look awkward.
• Selecting a mirror drastically too small or overwhelmingly huge for its hanging spot and surrounding furnishings, throwing off room scale.
• Only using one lonely mirror in an isolated area instead of creatively clustering multiple mirrors together for amplified brightness.

Mirror Accent Wall

If you want to take your living room decor to the next level, consider creating a mirror accent wall. This is a bold and dramatic design choice, but it can also create the illusion of a larger space and reflect plenty of light.

To create a mirror accent wall, you can cover an entire wall with mirrors of different sizes and shapes, or you can create a pattern or design with mirrors of varying sizes and styles. This can be a statement piece in your living room and a great conversation starter for guests.

Mirror Floating Shelves

Another trendy mirror decoration idea is using mirror floating shelves. These shelves can be installed on a wall and used to display decorative items, such as flowers, candles, or picture frames.

The mirrored surface of the shelves can also reflect light and create a sparkling effect. This can add a touch of glamour and sophistication to your living room decor.

Mirror Console Table

If you want to combine functionality with decoration, consider using a mirror console table. These tables come with a large mirror on one side and a console table on the other, providing ample storage space and a functional surface for displaying decorative items.

The mirror surface of the table can also reflect light and create a bright and airy atmosphere in your living room. This is a great option for smaller living rooms, as it can save space and provide all the necessary functions in one place.

Mirrored Coffee Table

For a unique and modern living room decoration idea, consider using a mirrored coffee table. This can reflect light and create a glamorous and luxurious ambiance in your living room.

A mirrored coffee table can also serve as a focal point in the room and provide a functional surface for displaying decorative items or serving drinks and snacks during gatherings.

Mirror Wall Art

If you want to add a personal touch to your living room decoration, consider using mirror wall art. These are decorative mirrors with unique designs, patterns, or shapes, that can add a stylish and artistic touch to your living room decor.

Mirror wall art can also reflect light and create a magical and mystical effect in your living room. This is a great option for those who love to collect unique and interesting wall decor pieces.

Strategically hung mirrors can work magic when it comes to dramatically brightening living rooms by amplifying natural and artificial light. Choose mirror placement intentionally to spotlight gorgeous views and eliminate dark corners. Select frameless modern mirrors for sleek lines or go ornate and opulent with carved accents. Utilize gallery mirror walls or just one fantastically framed focal mirror mounted smartly to pull the room together. Avoid rookie mistakes like picking the wrong size. Embrace lighting your living space with mirror decor!