16 design ideas for antique mirror panels
The transformative power of mirrors is a storied one, with interior designers employing them in houses for as long as the profession has existed. They bounce light around a room, brighten up the space, and create the illusion of width and depth. In windowless spaces, they offer faux-portals, preventing their stuffy feel.
Where small, decorative mirrors might not look right, consider hanging mirrored panels. Less invasive than framed pieces, panels melt into a scheme, becoming simply ‘shiny surfaces’ rather than focal points.
That said, if you were to line one wall in your house with mirrors, you might end up in a space that rather resembles a dance studio. Enter, instead, patinated and antique mirrors. These slightly ‘misty’ mirrors have all the same qualities as clear glass mirrors, but their patina means you don't have to catch sight of your face in HD at all hours of the day.
Below, we've compiled 16 design ideas for antique mirror panels.
Boz Gagovski1/16Stella Weatherall has employed antique mirror panels to excellent effect in her colourful Notting Hill townhouse. As the room is long and narrow, the mirror help to create an illusion of width.
Boz Gagovski2/16Instead of the oft seen built-in cabinetry and shelving either side of the mantle, Stella has chosen to use antique mirror panels. This helps the small space feel less cluttered.
Boz Gagovski3/16Downstairs, Stella has made the most of her under stairs nook with a bespoke bar made by Alfred Newall. The joinery is painted in Farrow and Ball's ‘Radicchio’ in gloss.
Paul Massey4/16In this mews house designed by Lucia Caballero, one wall of the kitchen is lined in antique mirror. This bounces light around the room, helping to brighten up the space.
Paul Massey5/16In the sitting room of the same mews house, Lucia has chosen to display another antique mirror panel about the fireplace.
Lucas Allen6/16In this grand Victorian house designed by D'erlanger and Sloan, antique mirror panels hang in the sitting room. Cleverly placed at a right angle to the garden doors, the panel almost looks like another window.
Lucas Allen7/16In the house's narrow hallway, another antique mirror panel is used to create a feeling of a brighter, wider space.
Chris Horwood8/16Designer Nina Campbell's Chelsea townhouse is a showcase for her brand of comfortable luxury. In her words, ‘the best thing I’ve done in the house is the lacquered ceiling because I couldn't make that room any higher. Then I've got that mirrored wall and you see how everything reflects.’
10/16In a Parisian apartment belonging to the founder of clothing brand Sézane, the layout of the compact eat-in kitchen was dictated by natural light. ‘In the winter, the light is less nice than the summer, so we positioned the table as close to the window as possible,' explains Sézalory. The antique mirror panels behind the table help to magnify that light, resulting in a bright and airy space.
Art: Henri De Waroquier © 2023 ADAGP, Paris/ ARS, New York11/16Whilst mirror might not be the most practical material for behind the hob, the panels are necessary to brighten up the small kitchen.
12/16In Neisha Crosland's Clapham mews house, she has created a stylish separation between bedroom and bathroom. The foxed glass doors were inspired by a glazed wall Neisha saw in a house in Andalusia, Spain. ‘I have put distressed mirrored glass by Gemma Cheney instead of clear glass. They were designed by Jim Howett, a Spitalfield designer working with Marianna Kenendy and made by Nick Hilliard of Redhouse Forge.’
Helen Cathcart13/16In a similar vein to Stella Weatherall, Isabella Worsley has placed antique mirror panels in the small under stairs nook of this mews house.
Simon Upton14/16Interior designer Hubert Zandberg commissioned Rupert Bevan to make an antiqued mirror panel for the ceiling of this hallway. Paired with the large framed mirror, the glass makes the most of the available light in the windowless space. Both mirror and ceiling panel reflect the warm glow of the crystal chandelier when illuminated.
Rachael Smith15/16Around the original chimneypiece, antiqued mirror panelling from Mirror Works brings light and depth to the scheme in this house, designed by Alice Leigh.
Jake Curtis16/16In this London flat by Adam Bray, the television room is lined with distressed mirror glass. It makes the perfect backdrop for the large banquette sofa designed by Nick Plant and upholstered in Adam's 'Greville' mohair velvet.
