How to Choose and Hang a Mirror in Any Room

A mirror is the cheapest way to change how large a room feels, and the effect depends almost entirely on what it reflects. A well placed small mirror beats a badly placed large one.

What it reflects is the whole decision

Before thinking about the mirror, stand where you would hang it and look at what is opposite. That view is what the mirror will show, doubled.

Best things to reflect: a window, a lamp, a view, an open doorway, greenery. Anything that suggests more space or more light.

Worst things to reflect: a blank wall, clutter, the back of a door, a television. A mirror facing a blank wall just doubles the blankness.

Opposite or adjacent to a window is almost always the right answer, because it bounces daylight further into the room.

Sizing

Over a piece of furniture, aim for a mirror around two thirds to three quarters the width of the piece below it. Narrower than half and it looks stranded.

On an open wall, a mirror should fill roughly half to two thirds of the visual space you want it to occupy. As with any wall piece, cut paper to size and tape it up before committing.

Full length mirrors are typically 120 to 180 cm tall. For dressing, you want to see yourself from at least mid thigh down, which usually means at least 120 cm mounted with its base fairly low.

Height

The same rule as art: centre at 57 to 62 inches, roughly 145 to 157 cm from the floor.

Above furniture, use the furniture as your reference and leave 6 to 12 inches between the top of the piece and the bottom of the frame.

Over a bathroom vanity, centre the mirror on the basin rather than on the wall, and hang it so an average adult sees their whole face comfortably.

Room by room

• Entryway. Almost always worth it. Practical for a last check on the way out, and it makes a narrow hall feel wider.
• Living room. Over a mantel or opposite a window. Avoid directly facing the television.
• Bedroom. Fine anywhere, though some people dislike a mirror facing the bed. Consider a full length on the inside of a wardrobe door if space is tight.
• Bathroom. Light at the sides beats light above. See our guide on sconce placement.
• Dining room. Reflecting a table with candles on it is one of the oldest tricks there is, and it still works.

Hanging safely

Mirrors are heavier than they look. Check the weight and use fixings rated well above it. Plasterboard needs proper anchors, and a large mirror should be fixed into a stud or with heavy duty toggle fixings.

For anything large or in a family home, two fixing points are safer than one, and a safety strap or a French cleat is worth the extra ten minutes.

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