Illusions of Grandeur: Reflect Your Garden in a Magical Mirror
Handy tips for cleverly locating your mirror so it adds light – and delight – to your outdoor area
Janet Dunn
6 August 2017
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid interior design enthusiast. Ex-restaurateur and caterer, with a Professional Certificate in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid... More
Mirrors are one of the most effective design tools in interiors, but have you ever wondered how they might work their magic in the garden? There are a few factors to consider when putting one in an outdoor environment, so for maximum impact and safety, reflect on these handy tips.
Choose a view
Location, location… it applies to outdoor mirrors too. Where you place a mirror, what faces it and what surrounds it are key factors. Decide which features and views you’d most like to emphasise. Then walk the area with a house mirror, propping it up here and there and checking what you see. You don’t want to duplicate a concrete wall, garbage bin or garden equipment after all. Playing with angles will deliver some delightful surprises.
Location, location… it applies to outdoor mirrors too. Where you place a mirror, what faces it and what surrounds it are key factors. Decide which features and views you’d most like to emphasise. Then walk the area with a house mirror, propping it up here and there and checking what you see. You don’t want to duplicate a concrete wall, garbage bin or garden equipment after all. Playing with angles will deliver some delightful surprises.
Flat, mirrored glass gives a crisp, high-definition image – great if you’re after realism. Other materials and surfaces, however, also produce stunning effects. Acrylic and polished metal (try steel, copper or aluminium), convex or concave profiles, and hammered, etched or corrugated forms offer endless scope for fanciful and unusual reflections.
This pretty Japanese maple deserves to be seen – twice. Against a wall of polished steel panels, the effect of its slightly misty reflection is magical.
This pretty Japanese maple deserves to be seen – twice. Against a wall of polished steel panels, the effect of its slightly misty reflection is magical.
Be true to your style
If your garden style tends toward the rambling and tangly, with rusted found objects and quirky bits and pieces in unexpected places, a couple of vintage mismatched mirrors attached to a wall or fence would fit right in. Search secondhand shops and markets for unique pieces.
Tip: Keep proportion in mind. Don’t overwhelm a small garden with a large mirror or let a small mirror get lost in a large garden.
If your garden style tends toward the rambling and tangly, with rusted found objects and quirky bits and pieces in unexpected places, a couple of vintage mismatched mirrors attached to a wall or fence would fit right in. Search secondhand shops and markets for unique pieces.
Tip: Keep proportion in mind. Don’t overwhelm a small garden with a large mirror or let a small mirror get lost in a large garden.
On the other hand, if you favour an elegant garden with a simple colour palette, complement the clean shapes and angles with something more contemporary. This tall mirrored door with horizontal panels echoes the lines of the batten fence and contrasts with the natural timber.
For those with a leaning towards the theatrical, this mirrored water feature on an ivy-clad wall is illuminated with coloured LED lighting and reflects the flames from a gas fire pit.
Read about LED strip lighting
Read about LED strip lighting
Diffuse glare
The last thing you want from a garden mirror is a blinding flash of light when the sun hits it. Never locate a glass mirror, especially a large one, in full sun. A partially-covered or shady spot in the garden is ideal. And be sure to angle reflections away from shade plants.
This is a good example of using a mirror to visually expand a space. Glare is muted by the foliage, allowing just a glimpse of reflections.
The last thing you want from a garden mirror is a blinding flash of light when the sun hits it. Never locate a glass mirror, especially a large one, in full sun. A partially-covered or shady spot in the garden is ideal. And be sure to angle reflections away from shade plants.
This is a good example of using a mirror to visually expand a space. Glare is muted by the foliage, allowing just a glimpse of reflections.
To disperse harsh reflections, just add water. A cascade of water creates lovely effects on a reflective background, and the gentle trickle of water is a soothing accompaniment to alfresco dining.
Tip: We hear occasional suggestions that garden mirrors are fire risks. No statistics are available and evidence is anecdotal. The risk appears extremely small and would need a ‘perfect storm’ of a focus of light on a very flammable material. Placing glass mirrors in indirect sunlight and diffusing the reflected glare is a sensible precaution.
Tip: We hear occasional suggestions that garden mirrors are fire risks. No statistics are available and evidence is anecdotal. The risk appears extremely small and would need a ‘perfect storm’ of a focus of light on a very flammable material. Placing glass mirrors in indirect sunlight and diffusing the reflected glare is a sensible precaution.
Create an illusion
A ceiling-height mirrored splashback looks fantastic behind this poolside eating area. The large horizontal mirror is unobtrusively framed to reflect the garden, forming a giant natural artwork in this Melbourne home.
A ceiling-height mirrored splashback looks fantastic behind this poolside eating area. The large horizontal mirror is unobtrusively framed to reflect the garden, forming a giant natural artwork in this Melbourne home.
Boost light
A mirror can do wonders in a small garden. This one is simply propped against a wall under a canopy of bougainvillea, bringing light into the under-lit space without direct glare.
Tip: Unsecured mirrors could be hazardous in windy conditions. Ensure they are properly fastened to a fence or wall.
10 things to love about small gardens
A mirror can do wonders in a small garden. This one is simply propped against a wall under a canopy of bougainvillea, bringing light into the under-lit space without direct glare.
Tip: Unsecured mirrors could be hazardous in windy conditions. Ensure they are properly fastened to a fence or wall.
10 things to love about small gardens
Kindle a little mystique and enchantment for after-dark entertaining. Light up the night by doubling the flicker of candles grouped in front a mirror, and add in subtle uplighting on the trees.
Hang a gallery wall
This towering wall in a London garden holds a harlequin set of mismatched frames that breaks up the large expanse of greenery. Some are glassless and frame the greenery behind, while others reflect the adjacent garden. An eye-catching effect.
This towering wall in a London garden holds a harlequin set of mismatched frames that breaks up the large expanse of greenery. Some are glassless and frame the greenery behind, while others reflect the adjacent garden. An eye-catching effect.
Roll with it
Reflective glass orbs, also known as ‘gazing balls’ or ‘yard globes’, have a long history in gardens dating back to the 13th century. Sometimes made from metal, occasionally decorated or illuminated, they are found in many modern gardens. Similar decorations known as ‘witch balls’ – generally made from glass – can even be tucked among greenery, hung from trees or along pathways.
Tip: You can make your own gazing balls from old bowling balls or concrete, timber or sturdy plastic spheres – simply spray-paint with metallic paint.
Reflective glass orbs, also known as ‘gazing balls’ or ‘yard globes’, have a long history in gardens dating back to the 13th century. Sometimes made from metal, occasionally decorated or illuminated, they are found in many modern gardens. Similar decorations known as ‘witch balls’ – generally made from glass – can even be tucked among greenery, hung from trees or along pathways.
Tip: You can make your own gazing balls from old bowling balls or concrete, timber or sturdy plastic spheres – simply spray-paint with metallic paint.
Metal garden sculptures come in a variety of finishes, including high shine and a soft, polished lustre that creates subtle reflections.
This enormous polished steel donut shows a distorted and intriguing image of greenery and surrounding urban buildings in a New York rooftop courtyard. Note how the striking convex form of the sculpture echoes the spiral curves of the table.
This enormous polished steel donut shows a distorted and intriguing image of greenery and surrounding urban buildings in a New York rooftop courtyard. Note how the striking convex form of the sculpture echoes the spiral curves of the table.
Fashion a frame
Make a feature of a timber frame with a paint colour that complements your outdoor decor. It will naturally fade and weather – just right for a shabby, weathered look. To keep it in mint condition, paint the frame with a durable epoxy or all-weather paint. For a softer appearance, let climbing and trailing plants encroach on the frame to hide it completely and enhance the ‘through the looking glass’ effect.
Tip: Mirrors on walls should be attached firmly by four corners with rust-proof fasteners. A wire-hung mirror will tilt and reflect the ground.
Make a feature of a timber frame with a paint colour that complements your outdoor decor. It will naturally fade and weather – just right for a shabby, weathered look. To keep it in mint condition, paint the frame with a durable epoxy or all-weather paint. For a softer appearance, let climbing and trailing plants encroach on the frame to hide it completely and enhance the ‘through the looking glass’ effect.
Tip: Mirrors on walls should be attached firmly by four corners with rust-proof fasteners. A wire-hung mirror will tilt and reflect the ground.
Look down
You can get up to all sorts of tricks with mirrors by thinking laterally. In this Perth courtyard, a channel is filled with pebbles and a strip of mirror is placed at a right angle to it. A nearby water feature splashes the pebbles and the mirror reflects their earthy tones and wet shine.
You can get up to all sorts of tricks with mirrors by thinking laterally. In this Perth courtyard, a channel is filled with pebbles and a strip of mirror is placed at a right angle to it. A nearby water feature splashes the pebbles and the mirror reflects their earthy tones and wet shine.
Water is nature’s mirror and its presence in gardens brings beauty and a sense of calm. A common strategy to enhance reflections in still water is to mirror the base, sharpening the reflected image of sky, trees and flowers.
Browse more stunning gardens
Browse more stunning gardens
Prevent damage
A mirror designed for indoors will degrade as moisture penetrates the layers between the glass and backing material, which is no problem if you like an antiqued look. Silicone sealant or metallic tape around the frame helps keep moisture out, however, and you can soften edges with greenery. Waterproof the back with a flexible spray sealant (available at paint stores).
Garden suppliers sell acrylic and polycarbonate mirrors that are relatively unaffected by moisture and safer for kids’ play areas. Acrylic can be cut into interesting shapes and effects. Polished metal is another option, but comes with a higher price tag.
A mirror designed for indoors will degrade as moisture penetrates the layers between the glass and backing material, which is no problem if you like an antiqued look. Silicone sealant or metallic tape around the frame helps keep moisture out, however, and you can soften edges with greenery. Waterproof the back with a flexible spray sealant (available at paint stores).
Garden suppliers sell acrylic and polycarbonate mirrors that are relatively unaffected by moisture and safer for kids’ play areas. Acrylic can be cut into interesting shapes and effects. Polished metal is another option, but comes with a higher price tag.
A word for the birds
Some people worry about the danger of outdoor mirrors to birds. Take precautions by observing the flight paths of visiting birds and avoid putting mirrors at the end of long narrow spaces. Limit mirror height and break up well-defined reflections with an etched surface, decorative grid, or filter the view with plantings.
Tell us
Have you used a mirror in your garden or outdoor area? How has it improved the space? Tell us about it in the Comments below.
More
Read more garden stories
Some people worry about the danger of outdoor mirrors to birds. Take precautions by observing the flight paths of visiting birds and avoid putting mirrors at the end of long narrow spaces. Limit mirror height and break up well-defined reflections with an etched surface, decorative grid, or filter the view with plantings.
Tell us
Have you used a mirror in your garden or outdoor area? How has it improved the space? Tell us about it in the Comments below.
More
Read more garden stories
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S
Thanks for including 'A word on the birds'. I will add that if you have a house where birds have been known to fly into and hit the windows, then using mirrors in the garden will probably exasperate the problem.