How To Use Smoked Antique Mirrors When Interior Designing
Mirrors are far more than just a tool to monitor our reflection. Although we might be fooled into thinking that mirrors are only hung or attached to our walls as practicality, we would be wrong. Interior designers know, only too well, the vast design benefits that come with interior and exterior mirrors. There are plenty of ways you can utilise mirrors within your spaces to achieve a series of different aftereffects.
Smoked mirrors, in particular, come with a certain aesthetic to them. Mostly utilised in darker designs, they excellently reflect industrial and moody feeling spaces. They work alongside the darker-based colour schemes adding distressed reflections into a space. However, they certainly are not only predisposed to a darker aesthetic and can be manipulated to give brilliant results in multiple environments.
Whether you are looking to create the illusion of more light, broken reflections, symmetry or something else, we have put together some suggestions for you to play around with when it comes to making the most of your smoked mirrors.
Add a Little Brightness to a Space
Purposefully clouded, or foxed glass mirrors still catch the light, and can be used to brighten a space effectively. Where purposefully darker schemes exist, they work particularly well not to lose the designers initially intended effect.
Try placing your smoked mirror directly opposite to a source of natural light. Capturing and reflecting this light, the glass has serious potential to bring the entire room into focus. The larger your mirror, the more light you will be opening the space up to, which is worth considering during the design phase. Alternatively, you could set your mirror up to reflect a source of artificial light. This will give a different feel altogether as artificial light tends to give off a more yellow-ish hue.
Place the mirror next to a source of natural or artificial light to capture a particular corner or area of vision. This way, if you are seated, or walking through a specific space, it will give the illusion of extra light, wherein other spaces it will not.
If you want to get expressive with your glass, cover alcoves next to focal points in your room, like the alcoves around a fireplace. This will reflect the entire space and give the illusion of further space and will make use of all light in the room to spread the light to each section of the area.
Create Focal Points or Enhance a Room
With a smoked mirror, you can easily enhance a room. Methods that deceive the eye, such as deflecting attention or boosting the atmosphere in an entertainment space can be employed.
One common way this is done is by hanging, or situating, a mirror over a fireplace or mantlepiece. As guests enter the room, their eyes will automatically be attracted to this statement section, because it will hold and reflect the most light. The bigger the smoked glass section, the more attention it will attract and this opens up opportunities to get creative with your design.
A single mirror will give guests a clear focal point. Their eyes will be able to rest in one place as they scout the room. If you were to add more than one mirror, either symmetrically or not, this would have a completely different effect. By adding symmetrical mirrors in a single space, or on opposing alcoves, for example, you give your room a real sense of balance and enhance the feeling of space (depending on the size of the mirror). Besides, you have created two equal focal points here, or you might be framing an art centrepiece.
By using nonsymmetrical smoked glass mirror placements, you instantly take away a clear focal point, and it will give the space a feeling of disjointedness. This will not be to the space’s detriment. By adding sections to a single mirror, or having one crafted in an elaborate shape will give your decoration a level of distortion.
Boost and Distort a Space
If you have a small corridor or other similar space, mirrored glass can give the illusion of a larger overall area. This is particularly effective if you have high ceilings but a narrow space. By using a large antique smoked mirror in this way, you effectively add space, but with distortion. It almost adds a parallel, not entirely natural, area next to the one you have. While it will enhance the perceived size of your area, it will add an extra layer of interest for you and your guests to glance at.
Another way to boost a room or alternative space is to brighten the corners. While antique-styled mirrors may not flood the area like traditional glass, they will still catch the light and present whatever features you would like to highlight, be that a lamp or another ornament. Either make use of panelled wall glass or go for a multi-panelled smokey mirror which you can bend in your desired fashion.
We manufacture and install smokey, or heavily foxed, mirrors. We have a range of antique mirrors for you to choose from. Get in contact with us today if you are looking to enhance your space today.
