Blast From the Past
Often as you RightSIZE into dwellings that will now allow you more personal freedom, less stress and a far better quality of life, something’s gotta give and that’s usually square feet.
When adjusting to small spaces one has to develop an inventory of tricks…illusions that fool the eye and make you not miss the square physical footage you’ve gotten used to or, more to the point, took for granted.
Nothing does this better than mirrors. They double everything you’ve now carefully re-curated for your new life. The can bring light over into dark corners and even give you the illusion that there’s an entire new room where one doesn’t even exist.
The other wonderful thing about mirrors is that unlike very subjective art, that often never pleases the entire household, mirrors simply reflect space itself. So they never date, won’t become passé, nor will you ever get board with the subject matter. They will remain classic forever and therefore they remain great investments.
Placement is Key
Opposite Windows: The key with mirrors is all in the placement. Putting a mirror over a high fireplace mantel, for instance, only reflects the ceiling fan and the recessed lights. Placing one opposite a window on a dark parallel wall? Well you just got yourself not only another window but, the light and view that comes with it. How cool is that?
Under Kitchen Cabinets: Placing long mirrors (or mirror tiles) under cabinets in tiny kitchens, gives the illusion that there’s an entire room beyond while also bring more light to your food prep area.
Behind bookshelves: I’ve often placed mirror tiles flat against the back of bookcases that (especially if dark wood) suck up a lot of light. The mirror allows you to see the backs of whatever’s in front of them plus, they also give the illusion that the cases are floating like space dividers with another room beyond, rather then up against the wall.
How to Buy: Mirrors can completely stretch every square inch, which removes the often-claustrophobic aspects inherent to smaller spaces. Today they can be found almost anywhere. The key here is to keep them as simple as possible (no etching, bevel or painting) otherwise they can’t do their illusionary thing and end up stopping the eye rather then tricking the eye that they are portals to more visual square feet. When contemplating the frames, think of them as part of the architecture of the room. After all in most cases it IS molding.
So when in doubt about accents, wall décor or accessories, you just can’t go wrong with mirrors. I found a few on Amazon that will give you an example of safe bets. You can see them in our store here. Oh and enjoy our Blast From The Past Classic Video above. It’s from my last TV series Work That Room.
