Framing Mirrors

Custom framing of mirrors opens up a world of possibilities. If you do decide to go this route, the only caution is that if you’re unaccustomed to having frames for mirrors custom made, know that it takes a leap of faith. When you are buying mirrors that have already been made, you can decide whether or not you like it before you buy it.

Savannah Crown Molding

When designing a frame for mirrors, there are several features to consider:

1 – think about the overall size of the mirror in relation to the space that it will fill. Unless the mirror is square or circular, you need to consider whether a vertical or horizontal mirror would work better, whether it should be rectangular or oval.

Vertical mirrors are more usual, but given that many houses have low ceilings.

Horizontal mirrors might be just as effective by emphasizing the horizontal space of the room.

2 – consider how big your mirror should be. With a lot of space around the mirror, the mirror is more like an object. When mirrors are filling the wall, mirrors are more like an architectural feature of the area.

A piece of cardboard or paper cut to size and taped on the wall might give you a rough idea of the appropriate size.

3 – Once the overall mirror’s dimensions are determined, the material and dimensions of the frame for the mirror should be considered. There are endless kinds of frames that would be appropriate for mirrors – everything from carved and gilded to thin and angular.

The wonderful thing about using a frame shop is that you can build up the frame with different components. Besides the frame itself, there are linen liners and mats and brass fillets. There are rounded corners, mitered corners or corner blocks. The mirror itself can be beveled, creating yet another frame.

When you are buying mirrors, the question is which mirror. When you have a mirror made, it becomes a much more involved process with a lot of parts to put together. Think about the palette, textures, and style of furnishings in the rest of the room. Those things will help determine the style of the mirror, whether it’s traditional or modern, rustic, or sophisticated.

The size of the mirror will help determine the size of the frame. It is partly a practical decision: a tiny frame simply will not support a huge mirror. But rest assured that if it doesn’t work functionally, it probably won’t work aesthetically, either. But consider the reverse proportion. Sometimes a relatively small mirror looks excellent with a really broad frame – a deep, ornate molding profile with a velvet liner gives a more traditional look, a wide flat square-edged frame is more modern.

Once all the decisions are made, the final product will surely be a unique mirror that works perfectly for its context, and that will make it well worth all the time it took to create it.