Mirrored Furniture in your Home

Nothing evokes 1930s film star glamour like a stunning mirrored cocktail cabinet or a gorgeous bedside table. No self-respecting Hollywood starlet would be without a fabulous mirrored chest of drawers in her boudoir. When it comes to luxury furniture, mirrored furniture epitomises the lavishness and opulence of the era. And we have noticed a resurgence in interest in mirrored furniture recently. Searches on our website have increased dramatically so we thought we would give you a few tips on how to bring mirrored furniture into your home.

 

Bedroom mirrored chest of drawers mirrored bedside cabinet blue velvet bed mirrored furniture in your home
Mirrored furniture gives any home a touch of Hollywood glamour

 

A Brief History of Mirrored Furniture

For most of history, mirrors have been the preserve of the very rich and well-to-do. The earliest mirrors were made of highly-polished stone or metal. In the early days of glass making, it was discovered that a metallic backing on a piece of glass gave a slightly better reflection but it was still imprecise – and early glass mirrors were prohibitively expensive. Nobody would have dreamed of using them to decorate even the most luxurious furniture. The earliest forerunners of mirrored furniture would have been small, decorated boxes, used to show off the wealth and status of the owner. Early mirrored furniture had to rely on a multitude of small panels of glass. Today’s luxury mirrored furniture owes a lot to modern manufacturing methods. These allow mirrors to be made in large, perfectly flat, highly reflective sheets, giving us a flawless, seamless surface at a far more reasonable cost.

 

Mirrors and Interior Design

One of the earliest examples of mirrors being used on a grand scale, as an integral part of an interior design, can be seen at the Palace of Versailles. Commissioned by the Sun King, Louis XIV in 1678, the Hall of Mirrors uses 17 beautiful mirror-clad arches to reflect the superb arcade windows opposite. Using 357 mirrors (a vast expense in the 17th century), it is recognised as one of the greatest achievements in classical French art. Nowadays, we think nothing of using mirrors as part of any interior design. From a simple overmantel mirror to an expanse of plate glass across an entire wall, we use mirrors everywhere. But what is the best way to incorporate mirrored furniture into our homes?

 

mirrored furniture in your home Versailles Hall of Mirrors
Palace of Versailles Hall of Mirrors, an early example of mirrors as a design feature

 

Mirrored Furniture for your Bedroom

Your bedroom should be a haven of peace and calm. It is a place of rest and sanctuary, and somewhere to get a good night’s sleep. Mirrored furniture is a good way of increasing light, making your bedroom feel bright and fresh with an air of opulence that other furniture can’t quite achieve. If you want a subtle effect, we suggest a pair of luxury bedside tables and maybe a mirrored lamp table. You have the option of an all-over mirrored finish or, if this is still too much, combine a mirrored top with softer finishes. If absolute glamour is a must, go for a full set of 1930s-inspired mirrored furniture with bedside tables, chest of drawers, side table, even a coffee table if space allows.

 

 

Mirrored Furniture for your Living Room

This is where you spend a lot of your waking time. It is somewhere to relax, to catch up with family and friends. Again, mirrored furniture is a great way to increase the feeling of light and space. This time, it is also a chance to show off your personality to your guests. Choose a style of mirrored furniture that expresses your individuality. It could be classic, Art Deco or contemporary, flamboyant or understated. A mirrored cabinet can brighten up a darker corner, or try using strategically-placed mirrored side tables and lamps to bounce the light around. Again, you need to decide whether to go for a few accents or full-on, all-over mirrored furniture. A glorious, mirror-clad sideboard can make a dramatic statement while a mirror-topped coffee table may form a fun part of a more subdued design. Our advice would always be to let your personality shine through and choose pieces that you love and can live with.

 

 

Mirrored Furniture for your Dining Room

A mirrored dining table can be a brave choice but a spectacular one. Choose accessories wisely as everything on the table will be reflected and on display from an angle you don’t usually worry about. Having said that, a mirrored table is perfect if you have beautiful tableware and glassware that deserves to be noticed. A glamorous mirrored cocktail cabinet will always add an air of indulgence without the worry of what might be placed on top. A sleek sideboard or buffet will make your dining room appear larger and brighter. This is a functional room so think about the space you have, the storage you need and the look you want to achieve.

 

 

Mirrored Furniture for your Hallway

Hallways great and small are a fantastic place for mirrored furniture. This is an introduction to your home and needs to welcome people in. A small, dark vestibule can appear to double in size with careful placement of mirrors and luxury furniture. A larger space can become a grand, impressive entrance hall full of light. Don’t be scared to experiment, not only with mirrored furniture but also with wall or floor standing mirrors. If your hallway is modest, you can increase the feeling of light and space with a mirrored console table topped with the largest wall mirror you can manage (no wider than the console table, however). If you have more space to play with, bring in sideboards or cabinets, hang mirrors so that they reflect the maximum amount of light, let your imagination run riot. You could even create your own hall of mirrors to reflect the natural light from any windows or doors.

 

 

A Word of Warning

In our experience, mirrored furniture needs a fair amount of self discipline. There is no point having a glorious, reflective surface if it’s always covered with clutter. You will need carefully-chosen accessories that look beautiful reflected in a mirrored table top. Nobody wants to see a reflection of your car keys on the hall console or your coffee cup on the coffee table. That would be missing the point of mirrored furniture. It should always look perfect. It is not the most child-friendly of luxury furniture either. If you have little hands around your home, you may well find that your mirrored furniture is constantly covered in little handprints. Maybe settle for a couple of exquisite mirrored pieces in your bedroom until the children are older.

 

Award-Winning Interior Design Service

If you are hankering after mirrored furniture in your home but don’t know where to start, that is what we are here for. We offer a range of interior design services to all our customers, from a single room to an entire property. Just give our design team a call on 0207 870 7415, tell them what you have in mind and let them do the hard work for you.

 

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