Easy and Fun Mantel with Mirror Decorating Ideas
Looking for fun and pretty ideas for decorating your fireplace mantel with a mirror? Here are so many mantel with mirror decorating ideas to inspire you. Find a helpful guide for how to decorate above your mantel with a mirror and lots of inspiration and ideas for you to copy.
I have always loved decorating my mantel in every season. A fireplace mantel is a wonderful focal point for your home decor. Alas, no house of mine has featured a fireplace, so I have resorted to using shelves, radiator covers, and sideboards as my mantel decor.
Maybe you are lucky and have a beautiful fireplace with a mantel to decorate, and – like me – you like to bring as much light into your home as possible. Then decorating your mantel with a mirror is the best idea ever because it bounces around all that delicious natural light.
A fireplace mantel with mirror not only adds depth and interest to your room but also brings in an extra source of light, and it helps make your room appear larger and more open.
How to Decorate a Mantel with a Mirror
A fireplace is usually the focal point of a room. Add a mirror above your fireplace mantel, and you’ll have an instant focal point on your mantel, too.
Decorating with an oversized mirror is my favorite way to start adding home decor to my fireplace mantle. It always looks good immediately.
But there are some things to consider when decorating with a mirror to get the look right. Let me share some tips and examples of my many mantel decorations featuring a mirror (or two).
Step 1. Figuring Out How to Make Your Mantel and Mirror Work Together
When planning your mantel decor with a mirror, it’s crucial to consider the size and style of both your mantel and the mirror you want to use to achieve a good-looking mantel.
Understanding Mantel Proportions
Your mantel serves as a focal point, and its dimensions should guide your mirror selection. Consider the mantel’s length and height when choosing your mirror to ensure the mirror complements rather than overwhelms the mantel. Here are some things to consider:
- Will the mirror be the main focus of the mantel design or merely a pretty background for other accessories?
- Can or will you hang the mirror above the mantel, or are you planning to lean the mirror on the mantel?
- Aim to use a mirror whose longest side is about 2/3 thirds of the length of the mantel.
Thinking about these considerations before you start will help create a balanced look.
Choosing the Right Mirror Size and Shape For Your Mantel
Selecting a mirror with the appropriate size and shape is essential in enhancing your mantel’s appearance:
- Size: After measuring your mantel, choose a mirror that’s proportionate to its size. Use the guidelines from the previous subsection to avoid selecting a mirror that’s too large or too small.
- Shape: The shape of the mirror should complement the style of the mantel and the room. For a traditional look, consider an oval mirror or a rectangular mirror with a soft frame. For a more modern appeal, a geometric or round mirror with a sleek frame could be ideal.
I have used mirrors with and without a mirror frame, modern and antique mirrors and both large and small mirrors on my mantel. Any shape mirror that you already own can work, you just have to work with what you have got and adjust the choice and placement of additional accessories on your mantel.
Step 2. Selecting a Style and Theme for Your Mirror Mantel
I have always had so much fun adding seasonal decor to my mantel. And in the process I have experimented with many mantel decor styles like my fall farmhouse mantel, my pallet wood mantel that moved with me through the seasons, or my summer mantel in nautical style with a twist.
I have always found it easiest to start with a mirror as the focal point because there is always a mirror that alligns with the home decor style I was going for.
Selecting a Mirror that Fits Your Room’s Decor
To get a cohesive look in your home, choosing a mirror that fits your overall decorating style is easiest.
- Modern: Opt for a mirror with a sleek, frameless design or one with a simple metal frame.
- Traditional: A wooden-framed mirror with intricate carvings can enhance classic aesthetics.
- Eclectic: Bold frames with unique textures or colors can amplify a whimsical vibe.
Of course, this is just a guideline. There are no rules when it comes to decorating your own home. If you like to use an antique mirror in a modern home, a macrame mirror in a beach house, or a round metal framed mirror in a farmhouse living room, please do! If you like it, it is, per definition, great, and if anybody has the heart to comment on your choices, do as I do, and say it is ‘eclectic.’
Size and Shape of your mirror
Mirrors come in many styles, shapes and sizes. I have a soft spot for the oval ornate mirrors that I sometimes score at flea markets (they look awesome grouped together in my bedroom). And the antique french mirror you see featured in many of the examples in this post was my go-to mantel decor for many years.
If you want the mirror to be the focal point of your mantel decor, choosing a large (ornate) mirror makes sense. But if you are not the lucky owner of such a precious find then any old mirror can work.
You can work around the ‘wrong’ proportions of your mirror by layering it with another mirror, with empty frames or with paintings.
Step 3. Arranging Decorative Elements Around Your Mirror on Your Mantel
When you place a mirror on your mantel, it becomes the focal point of your arrangement. Your choice in decorative items ideally complements the mirror and reflects your personal style.
Use the Reflection in the Mirror
The great thing about a mirror is that it reflects. Use the reflection in the mirror to your advantage! One simple grocery store bouquet of flowers instantly has a double impact when you place it in front of a mirror.
Candlelight, or lanterns filled with fairy lights, have double the effect when their light catches and bounces off a mirror.
Of course there is downside to this too. Try to make sure that something nice is reflected in the mirror from different angles. Let’s face it, you don’t want a clear view of the garbage can in the kitchen, reflected in your mirror, when you are sitting on your couch.
Balancing Asymmetry with Symmetry
Most of the time, you will place the mirror in the center of your mantel, and it thus becomes the anchor for symmetry. Then, strategically place items of varying heights and sizes on either side to create a visually pleasing arrangement.
You can make it a truly symmetrical arrangement with same sized candlesticks, vases or lanterns. Or you can ‘fake’ symmetry by placing different but similar groupings on either side that have the same weight. For instance, on one side, you might place a tall vase, and on the other, a stack of small, decorative books topped with a smaller ornament.
Remember, the goal is to create a conversation between the items. They should feel connected without mirroring each other exactly.
And don’t forget to put something in front of the mirror too. You can keep it low like a row of candle holders, or go tall and bold by placing your flower bouquet dead center in front of the mirror.
Don’t forget to save these mantel decor ideas with mirrors to your home decor Pinterest board.
