Mirrors Work as Budget Decorating Tools
Brighten Your Interiors Inexpensively with Mirrors
Mar 11, 2009
When temperatures start to rise and daylight savings time has arrived, thoughts turn to easy and quick ways to make a room sparkle, without spending a lot of money. Mirrors can be the fastest and simplest way to make a room look different. Even with a tight budget, mirrors can be purchased at dollar stores, thrift shops and yard sales for only a few dollars or less.
Change a Plain Frame for Pennies
Plain frames can be given a quick coat of water-based paint, stenciled with a fun phrase, or decorated with decals and stickers for a child's room, a sunny breakfast area, a family room or teen's bedroom.
More formal frames might take a bit of elbow grease if purchased from a yard sale or thrift shop. Minor repairs and a bit of gild or silver paint will restore them to elegance. Don't bother to purchase a mirror with cracked glass or chipped edges, as it will be more expensive to repair or replace the glass than it's worth, unless the item is a vintage or antique piece whose value might be restored if repaired by an expert.
Bring More Light into a Room with Mirrors
Shiny surfaces like mirrors and glass will multiply the light in a room. Hang the mirror opposite a window or at a slight angle to it, to bounce light into areas that are in shadow. Mirrors will make a space seem larger than it is, so are particularly effective in small spaces like foyers, bathrooms, and hallways. The presence of a mirror can act as both a focal point in a room and as a changing work of art.
Other Ways to Use Mirrors on a Budget
In spaces with a shortage of storage or which lack room for a table, mount an inexpensive shelf under the mirror. Place interesting collectibles, small pictures, a lightweight vase or a scattering of sea shells on the shelf for a simple accent in a foyer. In the bathroom or baby's room, store lotions, Q-tips, or cotton balls in clean glass jars (baby food jars are fine, with the labels removed) on the shelf.
Enhance a table setting of tea lights, scented candles, tapers or silver candlesticks by using a mirror as a base underneath. Beveled mirrors are especially useful for this purpose, and often can be found in estate sales or at flea markets. This is a good use for mirrors whose backing is scratched or chipped. Sticking adhesive-backed felt pads on the back of the mirror will prevent it from scratching the tabletop.
A small bedroom will look substantially bigger and brighter by replacing the sliding closet doors with mirrored doors. These are not much more expensive than plain doors, but if the cost is an issue, mount inexpensive dollar-store full-length mirrors to the closet doors with mirror hangers. Be sure there is enough clearance between doors for the added thickness of mirror and hangers.
Well-placed mirrors can transform a home, adding light and the illusion of space. The best mirrors function as practical pieces of art as well. Stretch a slim budget with a mirror or two this Spring, and appreciate the impact they make.
