Making Mirrored Walls Modern: Seven Ideas to Steal

published Mar 21, 2016
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Michael Reeves)

We all know that mirrors are fantastic for making a space appear larger than it is. It goes like this: available light + reflective surface(s) = much more light = greater sense of space. The problem is that a mirrored wall can sometimes feel vaguely commercial, or even cliche, if the application is off. Here are seven mirrored walls that are anything but, and that pack a big (spatial) punch as well.

The lead image is of a Michael Reeves-designed home in London. A mirrored wall provides interest and hides the staircase behind, while concealing storage compartments in its paneled design.

(Image credit: Philippe Boisselier)

This beautiful Philippe Boisselier apartment features moving mirrored panels in one corner of the room. The placement is unusual and quirky and also serves to bounce back light from the adjacent window, as well as reflecting the apartment’s length.

(Image credit: Norm Architects)

It’s not technically mirror, but this aged brass panel and bathtub situation works in much the same way to reflect light, and it’s also chic as anything. Takeaway: modern mirrors don’t have to be glass.

So this Berlin penthouse uses a lot of mirror to wrap the kitchen: it’s textured, it’s got designs in it, and it has cool and useful cutouts, too. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but there’s no denying it’s modern.

(Image credit: Troy Builders)

In a slightly more digestible, user-friendly use of mirror, we have this powder room. With the back wall covered in mirrored subway tiles, it’s equal parts glam, light-reflecting, and practical—no need for a separate mirror above the basin.

(Image credit: House to Home)

With the side of this tub covered in a mirror panel, the floor area of the bathroom seems to increase exponentially. It’s a good example of using mirrors at different levels to visually expand space.

Doable in just a few minutes (and with a limited budget), this small wall with peel-and-stick wall mirrors is as chic as it is easy. It’s part art, part mirror, and it livens up this space perfectly.