It's the one thing just about every homeowner craves: more space. Whether it's your yard, bathroom or bedroom, bigger always seems to be better. For people living in cities or in older homes, the space shortage can be especially acute. Adding on or trading up to a bigger place are common dreams, but before you take those large leaps, realize that there are plenty of ways of making your small place feel bigger.
One easy project is to increase the feeling of space by decorating with mirrors. It was the perfect solution for our Jane-in-training, Jennifer. She had an office/guest room with enough space, but we wanted to make it feel like it had more. In the process of converting her closet into a mini-office, we removed her mirrored closet doors, which although a bit dated, opened up the room. We decided bring that reflective asset back into the room in our own way!
Adding mirrors to a room can be incredibly inexpensive. In fact, we only dropped about $7.00 a piece on the six unfinished mirrors we purchased. The bric-a-brac however, (pillows, candles, etc.) really added up!
We painted the frames of the mirrors white but you can go with any color you wish. This is a project where you can truly get creative. Instead of stacking the mirrors side-by-side as we did, arrange them in a fun collage or shape.
Click here to see video of building this project
Tools
| Drill |
Supplies
| Mirrors |
| Drywall Screws |
| Spackling |
| Level |
| Paint (optional) |
Project Steps
If your mirrors have frames that are unfinished, sand and paint them according to your preference.
Visualize how you'd like the wall to look when you're all finished. Centered? Butted up against each other? A diagram is a good idea, because you only want to mount the mirrors once. Once you know where the mirrors should go, measure and make your marks on the wall.
Jane Tip: If you are mounting the mirrors close to the ceiling as we did, make your top-most line sit 1/4" to a 1/2" below the ceiling. The reason behind this is that most ceilings are not perfectly level. Attaching a mirror against a non-level ceiling would mean that the mirror wouldn't be level, either!
Find the studs in the wall and mark the wall. If the placement of your studs doesn't match your desired design, you'll want to use wall anchors to secure the mirror to the wall. Next, think of how you'll line up the mounting holes you're going to drill into the frames with the studs and anchor locations you located on the wall.
Next, drill some pilot holes in the corresponding spots on the mirror frames themselves. Pre-drilling holes into the frames will keep them from cracking as we screw them into the wall. Be very careful when doing this; you need to locate pilot holes for the screws that go through enough of the mirror frame, but won't crack the glass. A slip of the hand could mean seven years of bad luck (or more!)
Double check that your line of mirrors is level; use a laser level to ensure a straight even line, mark the wall, and then attach the mirrors accordingly. We used drywall screws for extra holding power.
After you have all of your mirrors up, cover the screw heads with spackle or wood filler to conceal the evidence.
Jen wanted to keep her office and guest room to function as one without sacrificing too much space. While we managed to maximize square footage, we also wanted to make it feel like this spare room had room to spare! Mirrors are the perfect solution. Not only do they allow for endless artistic possibilities, they are also inexpensive and easy-to-install. If you want to max out your space, do it with the illusion of mirrors.
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