Make a Room Look Bigger With Mirrors: 10 Placement Ideas

A mirror makes a room look bigger when it reflects something worth seeing: a window, a lamp, a piece of art or a long view. Go large, hang it at eye level, and anchor it well.

You don't need to knock down a wall for a tight room to feel more open. Below are ten placements that work, grouped by where they go, with sizes and heights you can measure before you drill.

Use mirrors to catch light and extend sightlines

1. Hang the mirror beside the window, not straight across from it

A mirror directly opposite a window can throw glare back at you. On the wall perpendicular to the window, it catches daylight at an angle and pushes it deeper into the room, which reads as a softer glow. Choose a large mirror, ideally covering a good share of that wall, and leave a few inches between its edge and the window trim.

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2. Try a tall floor mirror in a low room

A mirror that is at least 72 inches tall pulls the eye upward and borrows the proportions of a doorway. It suits basements and attic rooms where headroom is tight.

If you have a dog or a toddler, don't just lean it. As an architect, I recommend anchoring the top to a wall stud with a heavy-duty D-ring or an anti-tip strap. A happy tail can topple a leaning mirror faster than you'd think.

Make hallways feel wider

3. Put a mirror above a console table

A mirror on the long wall of a corridor doubles the visual width. Pair it with a slim console and choose a mirror about two-thirds to three-quarters the width of the table. Hang it so the bottom edge sits roughly 4 to 6 inches above the tabletop, so the two read as one group.

4. Close the end of a long hall

A mirror at the end of a corridor makes it look as if the space continues. Pick one with some architecture to it, like a windowpane grid or an arched top, instead of plain frameless glass. Antiqued glass softens the reflection, which keeps the effect from feeling like a funhouse.

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Place mirrors in the living room

5. Scale the mirror to the mantel

A small mirror on a wide mantel looks lost. Aim for a mirror close to the width of the firebox or mantel, hung with a few inches of wall showing above the shelf. Center it around 57 to 60 inches from the floor, which is average eye level.

6. Hang a wide mirror behind the sofa

A solid wall behind a sofa can feel flat. A horizontal mirror spanning at least two-thirds of the sofa's width adds depth and reflects the opposite side of the room. Hang it with some clearance above the cushions so nobody bumps their head when they lean back.

Where do mirrors go when there is a TV?

Screens and mirrors compete. If you're working from small living room ideas with tv on wall, keep the mirror on an adjacent wall so it doesn't double the screen and its glare. In a small living room layout with tv in corner, a mirror on the wall beside the corner can bounce window light toward the seating without reflecting the screen. Modern small living room ideas with tv often go for a slim-framed mirror opposite a window for the same reason. Check the angle from your sofa before you drill. If you're mounting the TV too, read what to know before mounting a TV on your wall.

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Always check what the mirror shows. Reflecting a ceiling fan, a messy counter or a blank door cancels the benefit. Have someone hold the mirror in place while you sit and walk through the room. Aim to reflect greenery, art or a window.

Use mirrors in bedrooms and bathrooms

7. Upgrade mirrored closet doors

Cheap, wobbly sliders gave mirrored closets a bad name. Solid doors with inset mirror panels, or sliders on good soft-close hardware, still make a bedroom look larger. Pet owners should expect nose prints at dog height and keep glass cleaner nearby.

8. Run one long mirror across the vanity

In a small bathroom, a single wide mirror over the whole vanity removes the visual breaks that two medicine cabinets create. If you want sconces mounted on the glass, the holes and wiring need a professional glazier and a licensed electrician.

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Layer mirrors for focal points

9. Add a faux window mirror to a windowless room

A mirror with a black metal grid, styled like a steel-framed window, suggests an opening in a powder room or basement office. Center it where a real window would logically sit and flank it with curtains.

10. Use tinted glass in the dining room

Mirrors multiply candlelight and a chandelier's glow, but large clear panels can make diners feel watched. Smoked, bronze-tinted or antiqued glass keeps the depth and blurs sharp reflections. For more ways to stretch a space with surfaces, see vertical vs horizontal stripes, or the shorter list in 10 ways to make a room look bigger with mirrors.

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Common mirror mistakes and fixes

• Too high: a mirror that only shows the ceiling disconnects the room. Center it around 57 to 60 inches from the floor, a little lower over low seating.
• Too small: a tiny mirror on a big wall makes the wall feel bigger and the room tighter. Go larger than you think, filling most of the space above the furniture.
• Too heavy a frame: thick, dark, carved frames absorb light. Thin metal, light wood or beveled frameless glass keeps things airy.

Hang it safely

Skip the wire on the back of store-bought mirrors and use D-rings or a French cleat. Choose anchors rated well above the mirror's weight, and screw into a stud for heavy pieces. Check the mirror at night with the lamps on, so a bare bulb doesn't reflect into the seating area. If a floor mirror sits on a rug, make sure the whole base rests on it so it doesn't tilt.

Frequently asked questions