The trend for contemporary mirrors has all but eliminated the use of bevelled glass in mirror design. Plain glass is easier to fit and can be cut to many sizes quite easily, whereas bevelled glass has to be manufactured in the exact size to fit the mirror- consequentially it is often more expensive. Because of this you’ll often find that bevelled glass mirrors are a little more expensive than their plain glass counterparts, so what do you get for this difference in price?

Bevelled glass mirrors highlight both the mirror and the frame and are generally better quality than plain glass mirrors. Because the mirror features a bevel you’ll often find that the glass used in a bevelled glass mirror is also thicker, adding to the weight of the mirror.

Mirror choice is a personal preference, but if you want something which highlights the mirror surround and harks of true quality, why not take a look at bevelled mirrors, you might be surprised at what you find.

Not the most exciting topic ever, but if you’ve ever tried to clean a mirror you will understand how frustrating it can be. From one angle it looks clean, only for you to move across the room to see unsightly streaks or smears.

Searching the Internet can produce all sorts of weird and wonderful answers for getting the glass of your mirror to sparkle. From using scrunched up newspaper, mixing white vinegar with concoctions of chemicals, through to using coffee filters as cloths. I am sure that all of these solutions hold merit, but in actual fact achieving that desired shine is so simple…

The biggest culprit for ‘dirt’ on mirrors is dust, especially around the edges next to the frame. My first piece of advice is therefore to start from the middle of the mirror and work outwards. Starting at the edges is the most natural way to start your cleaning, but by doing so with a mirror you are more likely to spread the condensed dirt right across the face of the glass, making the task at hand much more difficult.

Step 1: Dust!
Using a clean dry cloth, start in the middle of the mirror and move the surface dust on the mirror to the edges. You can then go around the frame edge to clean away any loose dirt.

Step 2: Wash!
Put a tiny drop of washing up liquid in a bowl of warm water. The amount of liquid should be so minute that you simply get a couple of surface bubbles on the top of the water and nothing more, it should almost be as though there is nothing in the water. Rinse a new cloth in this water and ring it out so that it is just damp (not dripping water) and wash the surface of your mirror, again from the middle outwards.

Step 3: Dry!
This stage is vital if you want that perfect shine. Use a dry, lint-free cloth and literally dry your mirror and you’ve guessed it, start in the middle and work outwards.

Working in the industry that I do, cleaning mirrors is a regular occurrence for me and it was actually my window cleaner that recommended this technique to me, because after all a mirror is just glass at the end of the day.

So when you are following these simple steps think like a window cleaner: Middle then edges. Dust! Wash! Dry!

Foot note:
Despite what my window cleaner may have suggested, mirrors are not ‘just glass’! If cared for and hung in the right places, mirrors can create the illusion of space, reflect light and can even be used as works of art in their own right. As well as their obvious functional uses, decorative mirrors can form a focal point in a room. Follow this blog for more ‘How to’ tips and ideas for using mirrors in your home or place of work.

Choosing the right mirror can make all the difference to how your room looks, whether it is a stylish art deco mirror, which perfectly reflects the feeling of your stylish room, or a modern mirror which is simplistic in design yet harks of a contemporary finish.

Mirrors can turn your room from a dark and drab place into a room which is filled with reflections of natural and artificial light which seamlessly cascade throughout the room. In fact, many people choose to have a mirror, not for its looks or for the purpose of seeing their own reflection, but just to bring more light into the room.

If you are choosing a mirror for a living room, one of the first things to think about is the position in the room in where the mirror will be fitted. One of the classic places is the chimney breast. The chimney breast is the perfect place to hang a mirror. And if you have a fireplace, a mirror hanging above a fireplace can be the perfect way to finish off a room.

Wooden mirrors can either highlight the natural beauty of the wood itself or can come in beautifully painted and stylised designs, where wood is used as a substrate material but unless you stripped the mirror bare you would never know it had been used in the manufacture of the frame.

Wooden mirrors come in every shape and size and make beautiful additions to any home. An extra large gold wreath mirror made of wood, for example, can add a stylish focal point to any room. The carved wooden surround finished in a warming gold colour sparks of opulence and austerity. And with mirrors like this being over two metres in height, they look superb when they are sited over a fireplace in a room with high ceilings or when they are situated in a hallway.

Because wood can be painted quite easily you’ll find wooden mirrors in a plethora of colours and designs, all you have to do is choose a mirror which fits in with your home décor.

• Putting on make-up
• Shaving
• Washing
• Brushing teeth
• Checking skin complexion
• Styling hair
• Styling eyebrows

Most of us don’t even appreciate how often we use a mirror and will often look in a mirror many times over the course of a day without even realising it.

A bathroom mirror can do much more than simply showing you a reflection of yourself. Some bathroom mirrors also feature something which many people crave in a bathroom – that much needed storage space.

Bathroom cabinets can feature a mirror but also have all the space you need for your bathroom condiments. And when the bathroom cabinet door is closed everything can be stored out of sight making your bathroom a chic place to be.

Some of the latest bathroom mirrors also feature built-in lighting so that you don’t have to rely on the conventional lighting in the room and can hence get a clearer, more accurate, view of your reflection.

Leaner mirrors are the new vogue and are a great way to spice up your interior decor. A leaner mirror is basically an oversized mirror which is leant against a wall and is usually large enough to provide a full length reflection of the user.

Most leaner mirrors are used in a bedroom and their primary function is as a dressing mirror. Their large frames and their stunning looks make them the perfect way to accessorize the room and add that je ne sais quoi that a simple mirror would struggle to replicate.

If you are looking for a new type of mirror why not try a leaner mirror for size.

Many people choose to hang a mirror over their mantelpiece. And because of this you will find that there are a large variety of overmantle mirrors currently available. The traditionalist in you might prefer a classic styled gold antique mirror which will suit period homes perfectly. For the more modern home a large funky modern mirror which also acts as a piece of artwork might be right up your street. The important thing here is to look at the furniture and decoration you already have in your room before making a choice.

If you have an Edwardian home with high ceilings and your decoration and furniture reflects this, a classically styled mirror is of course a good choice. Whereas if you have a modern home with a modern fire surround a mirror which can also act as a piece of art will work well.

It’s also important to look at the wall where the mirror will be situated before making your choice. Overmantle mirrors traditionally fit over a fireplace, so the wall where it may be situated will naturally be a chimney breast. If this is the case make sure you measure the width of the chimney breast and also the width of your mantlepiece and then choose something which doesn’t overwhelm the wall but is also not too small that the wall and mantle dwarf the mirror. A mirror which is as wide as the mantle usually works well in situations like this.

Today, almost all mirrors use glass in their design, with the majority coated with a fine leaf of metallic foil, which provides the reflection.

Plane mirrors are flat mirrors, which reflect the light without changing the image, but there are also other types of mirrors such as convex and concave mirrors, which distort the light and hence the reflection we see.

Mirrors are now available in many different designs and their use has spread from solely being there to see a reflection, to being one of interesting design and modern art. From contemporary to traditional, you’ll now be able to find a type of mirror which suits your home and tastes perfectly.

There are many options to consider when you are choosing a new mirror. There are many different styles to choose from including traditional as well as more modern designs. If you want to create a focal point or a real ‘wow’ factor in the room there are mirrors which will do this also.

The only real way to get an idea of what mirror would look right in your room is to choose the wall where the mirror will be situated and then take some measurements to see how it will fit. You can then look at the various mirror designs online and glancing between the computer screen and the wall envisage what the mirror would look like when mounted in your room.

Getting the look you want is easy when you have a wide range of different options available at the click of a mouse.

Many people actually choose to have more than one mirror in the bathroom, one for storage purposes, and one so they can get a close up when checking their face for blemishes. Some people also choose to have a large mirror positioned above the bath or on the longest wall to give the feeling of more space.

Mirror cabinets

If you are looking for storage as well as style, a bathroom mirror cabinet might be a good idea. Your bathroom products can be kept out of sight in the cabinet, which also serves as a mirror and attractive feature too.

Some additional features of bathroom mirror cabinets include demisters, LED lighting, internal shaver sockets and mirror overlighting – the choice of options is amazing.

Whether you choose a simple stainless steel mirror cabinet with a simple mirror door or a soft-close double door mirror cabinet with integral LED lighting, you’ll be delighted with the results.

When mounted over your washbasin or on a currently unused wall, a mirror cabinet can give you everything you want from a mirror in the bathroom and so much more.