Mirrors

Above a console, buffet or vanity, aim for a mirror roughly two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Wider than the piece looks top-heavy and unbalanced; much narrower looks like an afterthought floating on the wall. On an otherwise empty wall the constraint is different — a mirror should occupy enough of the space to read as deliberate, generally more than half the available width, or it will look lost. Full-length leaners want a wall of at least a metre so the frame is not jammed between a door and a wardrobe, and they need a straight run of skirting to sit against. Measure the wall, subtract what furniture and switches take up, and bring those numbers in. Our team measures this daily and will tell you honestly if the mirror you like is the wrong scale for the wall you have described.

Centre the glass at eye level — around 155cm to 160cm from the floor to the middle of the mirror suits most households, adjusted a little for the people who use it. Above a console or buffet, leave 20cm to 30cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame so the two read as a pair rather than a stack. The decision that matters more than height is what the mirror reflects. Opposite or on the wall adjacent to a window is the position that returns the most daylight into the room. At the end of a hallway, a mirror extends the run and lifts the whole corridor. Avoid pointing a mirror straight at a cluttered bench, an open doorway to a laundry or a blank patch of wall — a mirror doubles whatever it faces, which is exactly why the same mirror can transform one room and do nothing in another. Stand where you will normally stand and check the reflection before the hook goes in.

Shape does more than decoration here. Round and arched mirrors soften rooms dominated by rectangles — a bank of cabinetry, a square window, a boxy hallway — and are the easier choice above a straight-edged buffet. Rectangular framed mirrors suit vanities, entries and any wall where you want the eye pulled upward. Frameless and thin-metal-framed mirrors disappear into a room and are the right answer when the wall is already busy. On finish, take a lead from the metal and timber already in the room rather than introducing a new one: a warm brass frame sits with tan leather and oak, black metal with darker timbers and stone, natural timber frames with the lighter oak in our dining and bedroom ranges. In a bedroom, coordinating the mirror frame with a bedside table or dresser finish is the quickest way to make the room read as a suite rather than three unrelated purchases.

Mirrors are heavy, and glass on a poorly fixed hook is a genuine hazard. Anything substantial should be fixed into a stud or with rated masonry or plasterboard anchors suited to the weight — our delivery team can advise on the fixing type for the piece you have chosen and the wall you are hanging it on. Leaning floor mirrors are designed to rest against the wall, but in any home with children or pets we strongly recommend anchoring them with the supplied bracket or a strap; a leaner that is bumped does not fall gently. For cleaning, a microfibre cloth with a little diluted vinegar or a residue-free glass cleaner sprayed onto the cloth rather than the mirror avoids liquid seeping into the frame edge, which is what causes the dark spotting you sometimes see on older mirrors.

Mirrors are displayed above real consoles and buffets at Alphington, Preston, Essendon DFO, Springvale and Nunawading, which makes the proportion question far easier to settle in person. In-stock pieces dispatch quickly, Melbourne metro delivery includes careful placement of larger floor mirrors, Australia-wide freight is available, and Zip Pay can be used in store or online. Hanging a mirror above a new piece of storage?view buffets and sideboardsand size the pair together.