Living Room & Sitting Room Mirrors

Mirrors for the living room and sitting room

In most Irish sitting rooms there is one wall that decides the room, and it is the one with the fireplace. A mirror above it is the oldest trick in the book because it works: it fills the chimney breast without adding clutter, and it reflects the window back into the darker half of the room.

Over the fireplace

Size the mirror to the fireplace, not the wall – between 70 and 90 per cent of the width of the mantelpiece, which is the proportion an overmantel mirror has always used. Leave 10 to 20 cm between the mantelpiece and the bottom of the glass, and keep the top of the mirror clear of the ceiling line and of any coving. A wide, low rectangle is the traditional shape; a large circle is the modern one, and it balances the rectangle of the chimney breast rather than repeating it.

Elsewhere in the room

Above a sideboard, use the same 70 to 90 per cent rule. On the wall opposite a window, a large mirror will do more for the light in the room than anything else you can hang. In a long, narrow sitting room, a horizontal mirror on the long wall stretches the space sideways; in a room with a low ceiling, a tall one does the opposite.

Shape and finish

A rectangle is the safe choice over a mantelpiece. A circle is the confident one. Arch mirrors suit a period room, where the curve echoes the door and window heads. Irregular and wavy mirrors belong on a plain wall where they can be the feature. In tinted glass, bronze warms a room with timber and brass in it, while grey suits a cooler scheme and reflects a little less light – useful directly opposite a bright window. An antique finish suits a period sitting room.

Fixing and sizing

Chimney breasts are usually masonry, so use wall plugs rated for the weight and fix at several points. If the mirror is going above a working fire, leave a clear gap above the mantelpiece and do not hang glass where it will sit directly in rising heat. For an exact width to suit the breast, the cut-to-size configurator works to the millimetre, up to 200 cm.