Mirrors might not be at the top of your decorating wish list for the bathroom, but nailing the right style and size of looking glass will add an important finishing touch. Make yours more than purely a functional addition and you can really pep up your decorating scheme, whether you’re going for clean-lined minimalism, a bit of vintage or some moody glamour. Mirrors will also reflect light and create a feeling of space – especially in a tiny bathroom – whether you opt for just one or go for an entirely mirrored wall. Check out these examples for inspiration.
Sneak in storage
Mirrors that double up as practical storage cabinets are a godsend in the bathroom. Choose handsome, frameless blocks of storage with simple mirrored fronts that hide a host of drawers, shelves and nooks for stashing your stuff yet maximising reflections.
If you are storing medicines and other first aid kit alongside lotions and potions, be sure to use a lockable cabinet so younger members of the family can’t gain access to the contents.
Make it metallic
There’s nothing like a fancy carved mirror in burnished gilt to top off the bathroom – particularly when it’s huge and impressive like this one, hung amid stunning architectural proportions and complemented by additional metallics. Gold, bronze and copper are still flying high on the interiors radar, so seek out vintage designs at car-boot sales and in second-hand shops. (Or find stacks of modern-day versions on the high street.)
You could even upcycle a wooden frame with a can of gold spray paint – just make sure you neatly seal off the inside edges with masking tape so it doesn’t ruin the mirror.
Lighten up the dark side
I have a real soft spot for charcoal walls at the moment, and this deep, dramatic hue makes a seriously cool design statement teamed with a pure white bath and basins.
If you’re thinking of doing dark in the bathroom, you’ll need several mirrors dotted around to reflect natural and artificial light. These gold-edged, vintage mirrors are bold, curvaceous and spot-on for mixing up striking colour and finish. Combined with the inky walls and vintage-style sanitaryware, they create a real sense of glamour.
Plump for classics
In my view, it’s difficult to beat the classic styling of an original Art Deco mirror on a chain. These mirrors will inject just the right hint of eclectic chic if you don’t want to go for the full-blown vintage look.
It’s unlikely two second-hand designs will be the same, so pairing a couple up will really boost the effect. This allows the subtleties and slight design differences (and even imperfections) between each mirror to create an interesting montage that can’t be picked up on the high street.
If you aren’t one for antiques hunting, there are many pretty reproductions available new that will create a similar effect.
Join the band
Sleek bands of cut-to-size mirror sandwiched between tiles are a simple solution for giving a bathroom a fresh and airy feel. Position the mirror at just the right height so all members of the family can get a good view and so the reflective surfaces can bounce light around all four walls to maximise the effect.
Offset with plain white fittings and a swathe of dark timber for a classic look. (And don’t forget to polish your mirrors regularly to maintain the gleam – on a large, continuous surface, it will really show up!)
Cover a wall
It’s often the simple decorative touches that make the most impact. This dividing mirrored wall not only conceals the shower, it manages to bounce maximum light around this uplifting space.
The plain, modern mirror also creates a sleek, pared-back contrast with the curved bath and classic architecture, proving that mixing-and-matching your styles really can work wonders.
Shine in different ways
Bathroom mirrors don’t necessarily need to be of the wall-hung variety. Reflective surfaces in all sorts of forms can help to create a shiny, happy, feel-good eau zone. So consider maxing out on the shiny stuff with mirrored storage, shiny chrome fixtures and glossy tiles.