The Best Decorative Wall Mirrors to Add Light and Depth

A mirror is the only piece of decor that actively changes how big and how bright a room feels, but only if you hang it in the right spot. Placement does most of the work:

• Opposite or beside a window. This is the classic move — the mirror catches daylight and bounces it back into the room, effectively doubling your natural light.
• At the end of a hallway. A mirror on the far wall gives a narrow corridor depth and stops it feeling like a tunnel.
• Reflecting something worth seeing. A mirror doubles whatever is in front of it, so aim it at a plant, a light, or a view, never at clutter.
• In a dim entry. An entry mirror adds light, gives you a last look on the way out, and makes a small space breathe.

Get the placement right and one mirror does the work of a window. For more on styling that first impression, see our entryway decor guide.

The shape sets the style and the size sets the impact. A few guidelines keep a mirror from looking wrong on the wall:

1. Over furniture. A mirror above a console or a dresser should be roughly two-thirds the width of the piece below it, so the two read as a balanced pair.
2. Height. Center a decorative mirror around fifty-seven inches to the middle of the glass, or six to eight inches above the furniture it hangs over.
3. Shape to the room. Round and arched soften a room full of hard lines; a full-length rectangle suits a bedroom or a dressing corner.
4. Go bigger for impact. An undersized mirror looks stranded. When in doubt between two sizes, choose the larger.

Match the shape to the room and the size to the wall, and the mirror looks intentional. For hanging technique that applies to mirrors and art alike, see our how to hang wall art guide.

A mirror is glass, and a big one is heavy, so how you mount it matters as much as where. This is the part I never cut corners on:

• Find the weight rating. Match your hardware to the mirror's weight, then add a margin. Undersized hooks are how mirrors end up on the floor.
• Hit a stud or use proper anchors. For anything heavy, screw into a stud or use rated toggle anchors, not a plain nail in drywall.
• Anchor tall leaners to the wall. A full-length floor mirror must be strapped or bracketed so it cannot tip, especially around children and pets.
• Use two points for wide mirrors. Two hooks keep a wide mirror level and spread the load so it stays put.

Spend the extra five minutes on the hardware; it is the difference between a mirror that lasts and a very expensive mess. For more foundational pieces worth doing right, see our home decor must-haves.