9 unexpected ways to use mirrored surfaces
Mirror, mirror on the wall, and ceiling, and door… Take a peek through the looking-glass and into homes that gleam with reflective surfaces
Mirrors are one of the most impressive tricks in an interior designers arsenal. Use them in more architectural ways (like these examples in some of the world’s most beautiful homes) and the effects can be transformative – the illusion of more space, the ability to disguise things you want to hide and the possibility of pure glitz.
Seamless mirroring
‘Our studio often works with contrasts,’ says Stéphanie Lizée, co-founder of architecture firm Lizée-Hugot. When designing a high-end boutique for fashion label Roseanna, the team devised a materials palette where soft and hard converge – floors are natural stone or soft carpet, while sleek stainless-steel and raw-brass rails flank lime-washed plaster walls. The store’s mirrored wall panels act as ‘a reflection, a resonance, that amplifies these textures’, she explains.
Mirror as disguise
Mirrors can reflect light, distort aspects and, in the case of one Parisian abode, hide all manner of prosaic household items. When presented with a 90-square-metre apartment in Montmartre that was unchanged since the 1970s, designer Jean-Malo Le Clerc used mirrors to conceal load-bearing walls, kitchen cupboards and even a cat’s litter tray, with a circular hole cut into the mirror allowing direct access for the homeowner’s furry friend.
Expanding horizons
In this light-filled living room, the mirrored ceiling creates an ‘interplay between refined finishes and bold lines, enhancing the apartment’s sense of openness’, say Amandine Gauthier Henderson and Nicolas Mathevet of interior architecture studio Stigen. The result gives the impression of a soaring double-height ceiling, while a stainless-steel ‘Undum’ coffee table by Hadge adds another reflective surface to the scheme.
Disco decorating
Stainless steel is undoubtedly having a moment in the world of kitchen design. When it came to collaborating on an apartment in Warsaw, design studios Jasno and Modernismo took things a step further, using mirrored mosaic tiles to create a shimmering island that bounces disco-ball-like shards of sunlight around the space. After all, ‘autumn and winter in Poland can be quite gloomy – every ray of sunshine between November and March feels truly precious’, they say.
Reflect on division
By cladding this living area’s partition wall in full-height mirrored panelling, design studio Kick.Office added flow back into the room. ‘It creates a seamless illusion of spatial continuity,’ says founder Mario Abruzzese. ‘More than a simple aesthetic device, the mirror becomes a design instrument capable of redefining the space,’ he adds.
Mirrored details
Simplicity can be powerful. The strip of mirror used for the splashback in this home’s kitchen is a trick that architecture studio Volta uses often to create ‘a greater sense of space and depth, as well as increasing brightness’, says founder Agathe Lavaud. The custom cork cabinetry’s textural, gnarled appearance (a collaboration with Portuguese surface-design studio Muratto) contrasts well with the sleekness.
Disappearing acts
The work of architect Delphine Maumot, this shower space perches like a cuboid spaceship within the confines of an opulent French bathroom, with mirrored panels capitalising on otherwise awkward architectural elements. Light bounces between the shower and hanging mirrors to result in a shifting sense of light and depth, reminiscent of a very chic hall of mirrors.
Burnished reflections
Michele Pasini doubled down on the notion of a mirror image when designing his home in Milan. His vintage 1960s sofas and Ico Parisi armchairs are seen again on the ceiling, which is clad with a micro-perforated brass sheet initially created by his design firm Storagemilano for an exhibition. Now, he’s found the perfect place for what he calls his ‘suspended carpet’.
Built-in mirrors
Mirrors and high-shine chrome accents recur throughout the neutral home of Natalia Maczek, founder of fashion label Misbhv. Architect Katarzyna Baumiller installed smoked glass over the chimney breast, while the bedroom features a wardrobe cannily clad in mirrored panels. The same panelling and gentle curves are seen in the living room, creating a cohesive thread from room to room.
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