Mirrors Make an Unexpected Appearance in the Kitchen
A reflective surface can lighten up and open up your cooking and dining area
Mirrors are a popular accessory for nearly every room of the house, so why not the kitchen as well? Thoughtful and strategic placement of mirrors is an easy way to reflect available light, visually opening up a room to make it look more spacious. For kitchens that are compact, have a worthy view to reflect or simply need a little something extra, a mirror can be just the thing.
According to feng shui principles, mirrors symbolize water, which clashes with fire, and therefore should hang above a stove only to allow cooks to see what’s behind them. Aside from this concern, lining an expanse behind the stove can be extremely effective in giving the illusion of a much larger space. In this example, the mirror’s antiqued appearance was achieved by distressing.
Tip: Avoid installing regular mirrored glass as a kitchen backsplash. It can easily crack from heat exposure or an accidental strike with a heavy pan or object. Look for tempered glass instead.
Tip: Avoid installing regular mirrored glass as a kitchen backsplash. It can easily crack from heat exposure or an accidental strike with a heavy pan or object. Look for tempered glass instead.
On a shelf. In this kitchen, the mirror hangs so it can rest on an open shelf. The tilt permits it to reflect the room’s more attractive design elements, such as the light fixture and cabinetry, as opposed to the plain ceiling.
Tip: Place mirrors so that they reflect the best aspects of a room.
Tip: Place mirrors so that they reflect the best aspects of a room.
Above the sink. A popular kitchen layout locates the sink beneath a window, but if that isn’t possible, why not create the illusion of a window by hanging a mirror above the sink instead? The placement here certainly tops the list for most charming uses of a mirror in the kitchen. The mirror was crafted from a window frame fitted with reclaimed antique windowpanes.
This kitchen takes a similar approach, with “book match” mirror panels mounted effectively on a narrow slice of wall space over the small sink.
Here, a mirror above the kitchen sink beautifully reflects a sunburst mirror on the fireplace chimney in the adjoining eating area.
On cabinetry. In addition to the option of hanging a framed mirror, there’s the option of adding mirrors to cabinetry. Here, antiqued mirrors line the fronts of twin upper cabinets flanking the stove hood. This design choice adds character to the space while lending a sense of openness and light to a back area of the room.
On walls. Mirrors lining paneled walls give a closed-off, compact kitchen the illusion of expanding space.
A single mirror at the entrance of a small kitchen helps create a feeling of openness — reflecting flowers, a chandelier and beautiful cabinetry.
Tip: Another feng shui guideline suggests that before you hang any mirror in the home, you should ask yourself what it will reflect, since whatever a mirror reflects will be doubled — good or bad.
Tip: Another feng shui guideline suggests that before you hang any mirror in the home, you should ask yourself what it will reflect, since whatever a mirror reflects will be doubled — good or bad.
In a homey island home in Washington state, a mirror in a tight corner reflects a utilitarian pine plate rack, adding subtle dimension to this area of the kitchen.
Finally, a tall mirror whose frame echoes the finish of a stove hood fills a wall dividing the kitchen from adjacent rooms, giving the illusion that the kitchen extends into those areas of the home. This mirror hits the right note on many levels, reflecting a line of pendants, flowers on the island and light streaming in from windows at the far end of the kitchen.
Tell us: Is there a corner of your kitchen that would be brightened by a mirror?
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Tell us: Is there a corner of your kitchen that would be brightened by a mirror?
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Tip: Strategically hang mirrors so that they reflect an appealing view.