How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger with Wall Mirrors
Mirrors are the oldest trick in interior design for making a room feel larger, but the trick only works if the mirror is placed with intent. Hung in the wrong spot, a mirror simply reflects a wall and adds nothing. Here is how to place one properly.
The core principle: reflect something worth reflecting
A mirror doubles whatever sits opposite it. Placed facing a window, it doubles the daylight and the view. Placed facing a blank wall, it doubles a blank wall. Before choosing a spot, stand where the mirror will hang and look straight ahead — whatever you see is what the room will get twice.
1. Opposite or adjacent to a window
This is the highest-impact placement in any small room. Natural light bounces off the mirror and pushes into the darker corners, which is exactly what makes a space read as larger. In rooms with only one window, this single move makes a visible difference.
2. At the end of a narrow hallway
A narrow corridor feels like a tunnel. A mirror on the end wall visually extends it and stops the eye from hitting a dead end. Arch-shaped mirrors work particularly well here because the curve softens the corridor's hard lines.
3. Above a console in the entryway
Entryways in Pakistani homes are often tight. A round or arch mirror above a slim console adds depth immediately, and doubles as the last-look mirror before leaving the house.
4. Behind a light source
Placing a mirror behind a table lamp or near a wall light multiplies the light in the evening, when small rooms feel smallest. This is an underused trick and costs nothing extra.
Placements that do not work
- Facing a blank wall — no depth gained
- Facing clutter — the room will feel twice as busy, not twice as big
- Too high — a mirror above eye level reflects ceiling, which adds nothing useful
- Directly facing the bed, which many people simply find uncomfortable
Size and height
In a small room, one larger mirror beats several small ones — multiple small mirrors chop up the wall and have the opposite effect. Hang with the centre around 150 to 160cm from the floor, or 15 to 20cm above a console.
Shape changes the feel
Round mirrors soften rooms full of straight lines and rectangular furniture. Arch mirrors add height and suit entryways. Rectangular mirrors hung vertically make ceilings feel taller, which is often the real problem in a small room.
You can see our round, arch and modern designs in the Decorative Wall Mirrors collection.