MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

Mirrors have ceased to only be a thing of reflection. Following a steady path of evolution, mirrors are now strategically used in designing our spaces. Mirrors enhance our lifestyle, bringing in more light, draw your eye to a sight worth viewing and so much more.

Interior designers have known about the strategic use of mirrors for years. Now everyone with a small investment can let the wonderful effects of mirrors enhance life – so let the light in.

How to add Light

Darker rooms can feel depressive – A bright room could do just the opposite. A series of ideally positioned mirrors can result in your home becoming significantly lighted.

Place a mirror just opposite a window, and notice the immediately effect, allowing natural light to stream in and the reflected view becomes part of the inside.

Check out the mirror image below would – bouncing the light around the corner of this otherwise darker corridor.

Go Modern

A great way to open up a room is through the use of mirrored robe doors – no longer just used in the bedroom – reflecting the outside in.  Giving the illusion of increased depth and space – volume is immediately created. This would have been just another dark hallway it is wasn’t for the wall of mirrors.

Here is a fit-out trick – add sandblasted lettering to your mirror and then put a light behind it – pizzazz all the way.

For a quick and easy way to spread light throughout an entire room, place a bright lamp in front of a mirror – watch the reflection bounce.

Adding Focal Point, Drawing the Attention

Drawing someone’s attention as soon as entering the room can always be a great idea for you to showcase the room.

Create a point of interest, by placing a large mirror in the entry area with a glass shelf underneath.

Creating the illusion of space

Tall mirrors help to elongate spaces, making the space feel higher than they really are.

A wall of mirrors or a large wall mirror with a simple piece of furniture next to it instantly makes the room appear so much larger, making it feel twice the size.

Ever thought of a mirrored splashback in your kitchen or bathroom.

Products like mirror-kote – whilst not a true mirror, offer all of the benefits of the reflective surface of a mirror.

You may remember the twins on the Block 2013 and their use of a mirror splashback and then mirror on the range hood.

(images and product courtesy of www.superkote.com.au)

(images and product courtesy of www.superkote.com.au)

Imagine the view with the bi-fold window open and the world streaming in from both directions – well the illusion of both directions anyway. Who says working in the kitchen would be boring.

Things to remember

While understandably your journey into the world of mirrors just got more exciting, we would remind you of a few basic aspects, to make the path easier:-

First question you need to answer – is what is the purpose of your mirror?

Framed mirrors can create interest – however they can also restrict the line that can add the illusion of increased space – so consider the purpose of your mirror before you decided on a framed or unframed version.

All mirrors in bathrooms or areas where people can fall in to them (incur human impact) are required to be made up of A grade safety mirror (as per AS1288 glazing code).

Let us take you through what a safety mirror is?

It is standard mirror that has had an adhesive woven protective film applied to the back of the mirror. This will prevent any fragments falling off the mirror should it be broken. The pieces of the broken mirror adhere to the film on the back and top them injuring you.

Helpful Terminologies before you proceed to Shop

Mirror – is referred in the trade as silver.

Mirror is not all the same colour – there are tinted mirrors and normal silver mirror- grey, bronze and in the past colours like peach were popular (thankfully not so popular now).

The edgy story to your mirror:-

• Clean cut – this is in its raw state before any work on the edges is carried out – be careful if you are handling clean cut mirror or glass as it is very sharp – otherwise your enthusiasm for mirrors may be rather short-lived.
• Arrived edges involve a quick polish either by hand or machine to the edges to remove the sharp edges
• Flat polished edges involve the use of machinery to create a 3 edged finish to the mirror. Note this is not a bevelled edge
• Bevelled mirrors are standard mirrors that have had the edges processed on an angle to produce a cut away or tapered look. The bevel’s can be anything from 5mm to 40mm in width/depth – or even have multiple bevels. Most bevelled mirrors are created by machine, although some hand bevelling is still performed on a polishing disc.

………Ready for a cheeky copy trick

Can’t afford real bevelled mirrors – then stick a second smaller mirror on top of your current mirror to create that bevelled glamour effect – without the cost and viola the awesome effect of bevelled glamour.

Finally, before we wrap this up, we need to tell you something about ‘going bad’!

People often call us and ask about the black spots that have started to appear in their mirror. This in known as going bad. Because the silver is a secondary process to the glass, air and moistures get in between the two surfaces, causing the mirror surface to separate or to go bad. This often starts closer to the edge and will just creep and creep. There is nothing you can do about it once it starts, best to get your mirror to a glazing company and get them to cut it down to salvage as much of the remaining mirror as possible.

You dream it – We make it at Central Glass and Aluminium!

Contact us to find out how we can solve your needs!