Are you thinking of putting mirrors in your dining area? For many homeowners, it’s one way to make their dining room look and feel more elegant and inviting. But some people have reservations about placing mirrors in the dining room. So, the question is: ‘should you put mirrors in the dining room?”
Including mirrors in the dining room or not depends on your preferences. However, consider its benefits of making the dining room look bigger and Feng Shui experts believe that adding a mirror to your dining room can help attract wealth and good fortune into your life.
Read on to find out a detailed answer to this burning question.
Should You Put Mirrors in the Dining Room?
Mirrors are a great way to make your bedroom appear bigger than it is. It can make your bedroom look more inviting and aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, it’s acceptable to place a mirror or two in the dining room. It can brighten your room and make it appear grander than its size.
You may also be interested to know that even Feng Shui experts agree that it’s alright to put mirrors in the dining room. Sure, not all interior designers practice or believe in the said ancient Chinese art, but there’s a reason why feng shui is popular.
Its principles are based on common sense and promote a natural, clutter-free flow in a house. Thus, you can’t help but listen to Feng Shui experts when they share tips for designing any space.
According to Feng Shui principles, hanging a mirror in the dining room is directly connected with the homeowner’s capacity to hold wealth. This means that if you want a good fortune to come into your life, then consider placing a mirror in the dining room!
Guide for Placing Mirrors in the Dining Room
Now that we’ve answered the pressing question, “should you put mirrors in the dining room?” the next concern you may have in mind is how to do it.
You might be wondering about design rules or rules of thumb that can guide you in adding a mirror to the area in your home where you eat and how to decorate with a mirror for the best aesthetic looks.
Put the mirror in front of a window
This is a classic way to place the mirror in the dining room. The main benefit of this placement is that the mirror reflects natural light into the dining room, which then makes the latter look more spacious. Also, this can make the dining room a lot more inviting because the natural light brightens the space.
Ideally, you’d want to put a large mirror in a small dining room. Doing so creates an illusion of depth, which makes the dining room look larger than it is.
But you may have to be deliberate in placing the mirror. You don’t want to reflect the sun’s rays into the eyes of the people who are eating.
Reflect light fixture
It is common for homeowners to put statement light fixtures such as chandeliers in the dining room. Now, how would you place a mirror if there are chandeliers in the dining room?
The key is the mirror itself. It should be tall enough so that it would reflect the lower edge of the chandelier or any light fixture installed in the dining room. This way, the mirror won’t reflect the light coming from the chandelier or a light fixture but only the attractive part or element of the fixture itself.
Group the mirror with candles
Another way to place the mirror is to group it with candles. Maybe you have a shelf or a mantle in your dining area. You can use this to create a nice display in your dining room together with the mirror. You can start by placing the mirror on the shelf and then propping it against the wall.
Then you can place a group of candles right in front of the mirror. It’s even better if the candles are of different heights. You’ll be amazed to see the mirror doubling the light emitted by the candles.
Prop the mirror opposite the end of the dining table
Here’s another way to place a mirror on the dining table: prop it opposite the end of the dining table. Choose a full-length mirror and then place it against the wall at one end of the dining table. Ideally, the mirror complements the rest of the décor in the ding room.
You should also not be afraid to go larger than proportionate so that your mirror would feel larger than it is. Also, you’d want to place the mirror in a way that guests won’t see embarrassing views reflected at them.
Provide a focal point
Ask any interior designer, and you’ll surely be told that providing a focal point is important in designing any room. A mirror can do this for you in the dining room. Choose one with a bold frame or one that’s eye-catching, then hang it on a wide wall.
The ideal place to hang is one where it can frame whatever it reflects, like art pieces, a painting, or other bits of architecture.
Hang a set of mirrors
You don’t have to limit yourself to one mirror in the dining room. Although some homeowners would prefer to hang only one large mirror in the dining room, you can explore or experiment by hanging a set of mirrors in this part of the house.
The mirrors could be identical or sharing a similar element, like having the same color of the frame.
To decide on the arrangement of the mirrors, place them first next to each other on the ground. Shift them around until you find an attractive arrangement. Hang each mirror up once you’ve found the right combination or arrangement.
Flank a mirror by a piece of art
We can all agree that dining rooms are considered a formal area of the house. It is where we sit down with our guests for a sumptuous dinner. Because of this nature, you can further highlight the ambiance by creating a gallery. A mirror would look good in that as well.
Place the mirror right in the middle of the wall and then flank it with a painting or any artwork. You may also dial down the formality of the dining room by opting for an asymmetrical grouping or arrangement.
Obscure the mirror with another décor object
There’s no need to place an object far away from a mirror so that it would be reflected stylishly. You can simply hang a mirror above a console. Then put a décor object with an interesting figure or shape in front of the mirror. The mirror would stretch outside the edges, in a way making it look like the backdrop.
Hang a set of round mirrors
Finally, you should consider hanging round wall mirrors. Rounded mirrors can work well with any home interior style. These mirrors can bring harmony and elegance to your dining area. Moreover, round shapes also give homeowners more options in as far as decorating their dining area.
Imagine putting a set of round mirrors (five or six mirrors) but of different sizes. You can then achieve an attractive glass mural. In short, rounded mirrors can bring a touch of elegance to a dining room regardless of the theme of your home.
Things to Avoid When Putting Mirrors in the Dining Room
Now that we’ve established that it’s acceptable to put mirrors in the dining room, let’s look at some of the things you should avoid when placing mirrors in this part of the house.
For instance, homeowners like you might be tempted to hang up a mirror simply to cover an empty spot on the wall. But most interior designers would tell you never to place mirrors without any intention or design for it. When you hang a mirror on the wall, make sure that it’s for something valuable. Don’t hang a mirror to reflect random things in your dining area.
You should also avoid hanging mirrors in the kitchen. It’s a common mistake that some homeowners tend to commit just because they put a mirror in the dining area. One reason you’d want to avoid doing this is that the mirror can have watermarks when placed in the kitchen. This would need constant maintenance.
Feng shui experts also frown on hanging mirrors in the kitchen because it is believed that placing a mirror, particularly in front of a stove, can host negative energy. And while we’re at it, limit the use of mirrors in other parts of the house like the bedroom because it’s believed that they can attract the energy of sorrow.
Conclusion
To sum things up, it is acceptable to put mirrors in the dining room. It is one effective way of making your dining area look bigger than it is. The dining room also looks more inviting if mirrors are strategically placed around it.
There are several ways to place mirrors in the dining room. It is hoped that you seriously consider placing mirrors in the dining area given the numerous benefits it can provide to this part of your house.
