Best in class: Mirror images

Mirrors for new homes

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Mirror . . . tricks the eye into making rooms seem more spacious and more visually interesting,`' says Roisin Lafferty of design firm Kingston Lafferty, who is making a name for herself in London, with Elle Décor featuring her work at Asian street-food restaurant Tootoomoo. In this kitchen she set bistro-style mirrored panels opposite glass garden doors to refract light and to show off the many textures in the room, including exposed yellow brick and decorative encaustic tiles. This is a very simple technique to use in a new kitchen, especially if it faces north. kingstonlaffertydesign.com

A large mirror set on the floor and simply leaning against a wall adds very little clutter and give a less formal finish to this room by Miami-based Lourdes Gabriela Interiors. Set in a mid-century modern pied a terre, it helps maximise light to open up a room but feels less formal than a wall-hung mirror. It’s also ideal in a new home as you’re not yet sure where you want everything to go. The Lucite trolley helps bounce light around and is used as a side table here. Mirror-topped side tables can perform the same function. lourdesgabrielainteriors.com

The mirrored sliding doors and bevel- edged doors, all made to measure, in a loft conversion in East Dulwich, London, make you feel as if you’re floating, says its creator, Guy Morgan-Harris of Morgan-Harris Architects. It makes what was originally a small dark space somewhere you want to spend time because the light bounces around it so elegantly. A smart design, perfectly executed, it could be used in the utility room of a new home to light an often windowless space. Photograph: Paul Scannell Photography morganharrisarchitects.com

Make a statement by investing in a wall-hung mirror, but in a less traditional form. So instead of a square, rectangle or circle, try something much stronger-looking, like this poison-ivy green lacquered supersize Marie-Therese mirror by Boco do Lobo, named after a woman who was queen for just 20 minutes. It would look super-smart hung at the end of a hall, especially one in a new home that might have no window. It costs about €11,130. bocodolobo.com

Mirrors, mirrors on the wall can also climb the stairwell as in this house remodeling by Bright Design Lab, an interior design firm based in Portland, Oregon. “The trick to arranging such a wide array of mirrors together effectively, is to find (or create) a common theme, for example choose frames made of wood, or a colour, or a shape . . . that will bring a cohesive feel to the space,” says the firm’s Leela Brightenburg. In a new home this adds instant texture to walls. brighdesignlab.com

Turn a boxroom into a bijou walk-in wardrobe. It’s a multitasking idea that can also be used to create storage in a hall space. “Stepping away from its practical necessity and using mirror as a ‘finish’ is a wonderful way of bouncing and reflecting light in both small and large spaces,” says Tiffany Duggan of Studio Duggan. She and her husband, James, love using distressed mirrored panels in an array of finishes from colour tinted, textured and antique mercury-speckled. “It can also look great on splashbacks and coffee tables.” Photograph: Anna Stathaki studioduggan.com

Panelling a whole wall in Antique Mirror tiles adds instant glamour to a bathroom, to kitchen niches or in the alcoves you see in period living rooms. They come in several different finishes and add a sense of originality to a new home. These Original Style tiles can be ordered from National Tille; Tilestyle; Richardsons Ceramics and Surface Ceramics in Dublin and Plan B Bathrooms in Naas, Co Kildare. originalstyle.com

Sat Nov 05 2016 - 06:00

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