Mirror, mirror on your walls!

Designers love mirrors! Not only do they reflect fabulous images, like a double image of an amazing room we have just created (you thought I was going to say an image of us, didn't you!?), they also add light and pattern - yes, I said pattern - into a space. Lately, I have been bringing patterns into my spaces with cut mirror panels as an alternative to wallpaper or wall tattoos.

I love creating a room that is reflected through a wall of mirror. In my modern spaces, I have been covering an entire wall (usually just one wall) with full length mirrored or 3x4 foot panels of beveled mirrors. Then on top of the panels, I glue wooden cutouts in the shape of circles of various sizes and width (you can use any shape you like). Prior to attaching the shapes with glue, I have them painted or finished with a metal leaf, generally gold or silver.

In the den of one of my ultra luxurious condominiums in Shanghai, which I just completed a few weeks ago, I covered a wall with a mirrored pattern made from 3x6 inch beveled pieces of antique mirror. The glass company supplied all the panels and then we glued them onto the wall in the desired pattern. In this case, the pattern was two stacked on their side next to two standing side by side. The result was spectacular.

In yet another space, I simply covered a dining room wall with 2x2 foot beveled panels. In the past, I have turned similar square panels onto their side and created a wall of mirrored diamonds. In my own home, I'm using mirrored mosaic (tiny broken pieces of mirror in conjunction with solid colors to form a pattern) to work next to mirrored walls in the dressing room. I love the mirrored mosaic so much that I just can't seem to get enough of it at the moment, so in addition to my own space, I am working with it in a client's ensuite and in a commercial fitness space. It is very versatile and well priced so I must share.

Mirrored walls in a room do more than just look great and bring light and pattern into a room. Mirrors allow us to play many useful tricks on the eye. For example, if you want the room to appear wider I would cover the wall with a series of vertical mirrored panels to create the illusion of a wider space. To highlight and heighten a room's ceiling height, a designer can employ patterned mirror on the ceiling. We can use mirrors for more than their reflective ability and good looks. Today, designers in the know use mirrors to add height, width and pattern to a space. For years, commercial designers have been employing these tricks and techniques with mirror but we have not used them as readily in our residential spaces...until now.

CHERYLL'S DESIGNER SECRET

Changing a light fixture is an affordable and effective way to update a room.

If you're changing your dining room chandelier, remember to cut and measure the chain so that the base of the fixture will hang at least 36 inches above the top of the table. A chandelier that hangs any lower may look cramped and actually interfere with conversations across the table.

Today, designers are not keeping chandeliers to just the dining room. Consider them for the living room above the coffee table, the kitchen island or even above the tub in your ensuite.