How to make the right decisions when designing a swedish interior

Why is a carefully placed mirror a brilliant way to transform your living space?

There are a number of tricks you can use to change the feel of a room or make the room appear bigger than it is. Using a mirror is one of them. For instance a narrow room will ‘feel’ a good deal wider by putting a long horizontal mirror on one wall especially if it can reflect light and a view from a nearby window. Combining mirrors near chandeliers is a fabulous trick because it enhances the stunning effect of the light passing through the chandeliers crystal drops and disperses the fractured light further around the room.

Lighting a room is more than just placement of obvious ceiling or wall lights. If your room is south facing for instance and get a good deal of sunshine, you can use mirrors to accent the daylight into different areas of the room in question which can create very interesting effects if you combine it with the right paint colour.

In our own home, we have used a custom created colour that can be off white,grey or pale blue depending how the light hits it. This makes the room feel different at different times of day with the white more prominent at midday and the paler relaxing blue more evident in the evening when you want the softer colour.

Mirrors can also break up the symmetry of a blank wall. Used in pairs they are both an interesting feature in themselves and throw back a different light and view into the room as an additional mood creator

What features should you look out for when choosing a mirror to use as a centrepiece?

Look for mirrors that have a character you like and that enhances the design of the room – it may be a central feature in which case you want something fairly large and grand or it may be more to accent the light in the room in which case it could be more simple. Personally I go for beautifully hand carved frames and with the size of rooms we have at home, I would choose a good-sized mirror so it’s a principal feature when you walk into the room.

If you have a fireplace/mantle piece, an overmantle mirror is always a killer but you must match it to both the mantelpiece width and the ceiling height so that it isn’t ungainly. With any mirror, the height and width need to ‘make visual sense’ in terms of the room dimensions.

What should you bear in mind when deciding where to hang your mirror in order to make it a truly stunning focal point in your room?

If it’s in the bedroom, avoid the mirror directly facing the bed and use it to accent light but for most rooms I would position it in the centre of the main wall facing the entry way of the room as a focal point. Again you may choose to use multiple smaller mirrors including cheval or dresser mirrors ina bedroom to create an effect in which case just don’t place them directly opposite another mirror.

Of course be careful to hang the mirror at a height that gives it a sensible relationship to the ceiling height and not too close to a corner. And mostly importantly hang it safely if necessary off a 2 inch bolt in the wall as large mirrors are extremely heavy

What design aspects should be played down or avoided elsewhere in the room in order to make the most of your mirror?

Try not to have too much clutter in front of your mirror. A stunning candleholder or flowers look good if you have a shelf below for example providing an interesting reflection. Remember that the mirror reflection will show you various other aspects of the room and its contents so you don’t want to get visual indigestion from too many images. Simplicity is always the most effective tool especially if the mirror is very ornate. We live opposite the sea so we have mirrors placed purposely opposite the French doors to pick up the sea’s reflection and let the natural light spread throughout the room.

Should you stick to just one or can a series of mirrors be used in conjunction with each other to stunning effect?

You can make a room appear larger with a series of mirrors or use them to break up over long wall lengths when combined with tall pieces of furniture. It would also be good for dark hallways or any small spaces that need brightening up perhaps in conjunction with a series of wall lights or accented uplighting. Personally I always feel the room dictates what it needs as you start doing it up but always over visual clutter as that starts to affect the ‘feel’ of the room.

What are you favourite pieces in your current collection of mirrors and why?

We have a wonderful freestanding handmade bespoke mirror with amazing detailed and intricate handcarvings in the bedroom. It looks like a magic door into another world and was made for us by our master cabinet maker who has done restoration work for the V&A Museum in London. It is tall and grand with incredible intricate carving engraved within its frame. We finished it in an off white/grey white and have extensively antiqued as we do to most of the bespoke mirrors and furniture we make for our clients . We are also currently awaiting the arrival of a stunning 8 foot 1800s full-length antique swedish mirror for the hallway from Sweden. It has angels carved around the giltwood frame and a hand carved giltwood console table underneath. I am very excited about that it has a very imposing yet delicate presence and personality.