Mirror, mirror ... not always on the wall

Mirror, mirror ... not always on the wall

December 19, 2008 - 6:07 PM By Cindy McNatt/Freedom News Service

Designer Kristy Lynn Smith says you can never have too many mirrors. Doubt it? Smith's small Balboa Island home has mirrors in almost every room.

Why so many mirrors? Mirrors make small spaces feel larger. They bring light in the way of reflection to dark rooms. They add sparkle to spaces where other finishes can't. They add a dash of personality, depending on your décor style.

Smith says bigger mirrors are always better, but we'll get to that. Mirrors don't always have to be massive to be effective design elements. In fact, historically, they were small.

Mirrors have an interesting history dating to ancient Greece, when the earliest mirrors where made of polished metals. Then came the glass slab with a "silvery" substance behind it, probably tin. As late as the 18th century, even very small mirrors weren't affordable for most people.

Today, mirrors are ubiquitous and are created in a labor-intensive process of layering silver on glass. Thicker glass is better, and you will pay more for a heavy mirror than a thin, cheaper choice.

Probably what is most fascinating about mirrors — other than the complex ones used in cameras and telescopes — is that they reverse what they reflect from left to right, but not from top to bottom; this is certainly one of the mysteries of science.

But mirrors have more everyday uses than just checking to make sure your slip isn't showing. Mirrors in the décor sense double your decorating efforts. Got a great room that you love to look at? Plop a mirror in there and you'll get twice as much eye candy.

How to use mirrors

• Great design can look even more inviting when a large floor mirror reflects the room.

• Very large mirrors in small spaces bring light into tight corners.

• A dark wall could look dreary, but an oversized mirror makes it more interesting.