You’ve heard it before: Adding mirrors to a small space, like an apartment, does wonders for making the space feel a whole lot brighter and roomier. But how the heck are you supposed to add a ton of mirrors to your space with any sort of variety? Check out these four tips on adding mirror décor to your apartment in unexpected ways:
Hang Your Mirror Among Art
If you’ve got a gallery wall going on in your apartment, a mirror would look right at home among your art prints, and it’ll add a bit of variety to your wall of art, too. The key is to pick a mirror with an interesting frame so it holds its own hanging next to interesting art. I was drawn to the mirror in the pictures above because of its ornate, fanciful frame. Originally, though, the frame was painted a gaudy gold color to mimic gilt — which was just a bit too much for my apartment. To tone down the “Versailles” feel, I spray-painted the frame a matte black. It looks a bit more modern now and matches the frames of the art prints that hang next to it.
Easel It Up
For an unexpected way to display a mirror, try propping it on an art easel in a corner of your apartment. This works especially well in apartments for a couple of reasons. For one, propping the mirror on an easel gives you a bit of space underneath to display other objects — like this pencil plant — or store a stylish storage bin, and secondly, if your apartment manager isn’t too keen on you hanging heavy objects on your wall, the easel route is the perfect alternative. You can find wooden art easels for relatively cheap at craft stores.
Do The Lean
It doesn’t get any easier than this. To add a bohemian, slightly undone look to your apartment, simply lean your mirror against the wall rather than hanging it up. This works best for heavy mirrors with thick frames, which won’t slide down easily when you prop them against the wall. To double up on that boho feel, I leaned another small art print against the mirror.
Add in Mirrored Furniture
Truth is, you can only add so many mirrors to your walls before your apartment starts to feel like a funhouse. Luckily, there’s another way to add the glitz of mirrors to your place. Give your arms a rest from hanging heavy mirrors and add some unexpected sparkle to your apartment by investing in mirrored furniture instead. While I think pieces that are fully paneled with mirrors are beautiful, I thought that’d be a bit too much “glam” for my apartment. That’s why I opted for a small side table that’s only mirrored on the top. I use it as a petite bar, and it adds just the right amount of sheen to my living space.
Looking for more ways to decorate with mirrors? Check out this post with more tips on the ForRent.com blog, or learn how to upgrade your mirror’s old frame with this DIY tutorial. And if you have other tips on how to spice up an apartment with mirrors, share with us in the comments below!