Small Apartment Decor: A Guide to Decorating With Mirrors

Sure, we all wish we lived in a giant penthouse or a large, airy loft– but when you’re looking for a reasonably priced apartment in a big city, that’s rarely what you end up with. In fact, more often than not, big-city living means settling for a pretty small apartment.

That’s not to say that little apartments are bad, though! For some people they’re the perfect size, and they often have a natural warmth and coziness that bigger spaces can sometimes lack. But they can also seem a bit … well, cramped. The great news is that there’s a certain type of decoration that can make your place seem a lot more spacious: mirrors. Here’s a guide to decorating with mirrors in a small apartment:

Utilize Natural Light

One of the tried-and-true tactics interior designers use when decorating with mirrors is placing them across from windows. This does two things: One, it reflects the outdoors, which makes the room appear much bigger (and much less claustrophobic).

And two, it reflects the natural light that the window is letting in, flooding the space with even more sunshine than is shining in from the single window. This added brightness makes the apartment seem bigger and airier, and it can even positively affect your mood.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go Big

When decorating with mirrors, there’s really no such thing as too big. The bigger your mirror, the more of the room it reflects, and the bigger your room looks. So, really, big mirrors are a great option.

Try placing a framed floor-length mirror on one wall and using it as a focal point for your decorating scheme.

Know What You’re Reflecting

One of the only real rules there are when decorating with mirrors is to be aware of its placement– keep in mind what it will be reflecting. You don’t want to hang a mirror only to find that you can now see the toilet from your living room when your bathroom door is open.

Make sure it’s reflecting a window, a wall, a piece of art, or something else you’ll enjoy looking at.

Use Mirrors in Your Narrowest Spaces

Mirrors are particularly useful in really narrow areas, like tiny bathrooms or skinny hallways. They give the illusion of spaciousness, making the area appear a lot wider than it really is.

If your apartment’s bathroom mirror is small– like a single medicine cabinet– you may want to hang more mirrors above the toilet or on the opposite wall to make the room look a bit less cramped.

Put One In Your Entryway

Entryways are a really common spot for mirrors.

Why? Decorators agree that they have a welcoming effect, probably because they reflect the light in the room, which will naturally makes any entryway brighter.

Try a Gallery Wall

If you love mirrors but don’t want to spend a lot more money for a huge one, opt instead for arranging several smaller ones in a gallery style along one wall.

This has the same brightening effect of hanging a single large mirror, but also adds some visual whimsy to your room. If you want you can even alternate mirrors and framed photos or art.

Pick Up Some Mirrored Furniture

Mirrored furniture may seem like it’s straight out of the ’70s, but it’s actually coming back into style. While it’s not for everyone, if your style is a little funkier, consider picking up some mirrored side tables for your bed or a coffee table for the living room.

Believe it or not, even though they’re not hanging on the wall, they’ll still reflect some light and brighten the room up a bit.

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