A console table with a mirror above it has quiet magic. The mirror capture the light. The mirror makes the space seem doubled.
And the mirror makes a hallway or a living room wall worth looking at. If a person walks into a home on a gray afternoon, the mirror’s reflection can brighten the person who enters the home. Adding a few well-chosen objects to a console table transforms it into an intentional arrangement.
The best console table arrangements with mirrors dont look crowded. The best such arrangements feature the image of the person who decorated the table taking a moment to consider there space and to add each of the decorative objects with care. Getting the balance of the objects right on a console table that features a mirror above it is more difficult than it looks to a person who considers the arrangement from a distance.
Using too many picture frames on a console table can make the mirror look awkward and large for the space. Placing objects on a console table without any element of texture can make the table look flat, even if an expensive lamp sit on the console table. The secret to creating the best arrangement on a console table features layers of objects of different heights, shine, softness, and the unexpected.
Once a person learns the art of balancing objects on a console table, decorating for this type of space becomes an editing process of a stage. The right mirror must be purchased first.
Ways To Decorate Your Console Table And Mirror
1. Oversized Round Mirrors
An oversized round mirror will soften the look of a rectangular console table.
An oversized round mirror will also reflect the room in a way that is visually forgiving of any issue in that space.
2. Arched Mirrors
An arched mirror that is tall will add visual interest to a living room wall or hallway. However, an arched mirror will not require a single nail to be placed against that wall.
3. Slim Rectangular Mirrors
Slim rectangular mirrors work well for those who would like the mirror to feature the same look as a window in the home. Whatever the shape and size of the mirror that a person purchases, there should be at least three inch of the wall visible between the console table and the mirror. Adding layers of objects of different heights to a console table allows a person to create a sense of rhythm to the decorative objects.
A person can add a tall, slender ceramic vase that contains a branch to one end of the console table. A lower lamp or a stack of books can be added to the center of the table. Adding a small number of objects, like a brass bowl with two candles or a small framed photo to the negative space between the lamp and console table end will allow a person to feature an interesting design without making the console table look cluttered.
The tallest object on the table should be below the lowest edge of the mirror. This keeps the arrangement looking intentional rather than forced. After darkness falls on a console table arrangement, lighting can be added.
4. Layering Objects of Different Heights
Using a table lamp with a pale linen shade will highlight the mirror. Placing a table lamp and a small sconce against the wall on the opposite side of the room from the console table will double the light without glaring into the eyes of those who are admiring the décor. Using battery-operated taper candles in brass holders will allow the flicker of the candles to be reflected in the mirror, transforming the hallway into a featured area of the home.
5. Table Lamps and Lighting
Ensuring that the lighting within an arrangement looks good in the mirror means that ugly lights should not be used in such an arrangement. Adding texture to a console table allows a person to avoid the look of a design that is too stiff. Using a rough woven runner to add texture to a console table will contrast with the reflective materials commonly used to design a console table.
6. Texture and Natural Elements
Adding ceramic vessels of different textures will provide visual interest to the arrangement. Including flowers or a small potted plant introduces the element of life into the space. There is no substitute for the element of life provided by live plants.
Using a small stem of eucalyptus in a bud vase adds visual and scented interest to the console table and its mirror reflection.
7. Hardcover Books
Books often belong to a console table. A person can add three hardcover books to a console table so that their spines face out towards the guests who come to the home.
A person can add an unexpected object to the books, such a geode, a magnifying glass, or a small wooden bowl of matches. The books add a sense of curiosity to the console table arrangement. Choosing books with interesting covers or jackets that feature colors that echo those of other objects in the home will create visual interest.
Avoid using paperbacks for the books on a console table arrangement because the paperbacks will slump on the table, and there look will appear temporary to the guests of the home.
8. Metallic Accents
Using metals in the decoration of a console table that features a mirror above the table allows the mirror to reflect the same materials that are arranged around it. Using metals of the same color as the mirror will ensure that the reflection of the metals echoes in the mirror.
Using metals of different colors will also work for a console table and mirror arrangement, but one color should dominate the console and mirror table decoration. Adding silver to a console table that features wood and flowers will create a design that is both bright and visually interesting to the guests of the home. Black iron in an arrangement with a smoked glass mirror will create visual interest to the console table and its surroundings.
9. Seasonal Decorating
During the different seasons of the year, console tables can be changed to reflect the features of those seasons. In the spring, for instance, a person can replace wool rugs with linen rugs and pinecones with tulips. During the winter months, a person can add darker rugs, a plaid book collection, walnuts, or an evergreen plant in a mercury glass vase to the features of a console table.
The mirror will reflect each of these changes to the living room or hallway. A person should follow the rule of three and not change more than three objects on a console table during one change of the season. Doing so may impact the visual interest that the console table create for the guests of the home.
10. Scale and Proportion
Many people often get scale wrong when adding features to a console table that includes a mirror above the table. Using a tiny mirror above a long console table will look awkward and out of place. Using a giant mirror over a delicate console table will overwhelm the table’s features.
A person should ensure that the size of the mirror is roughly two-thirds the width of the console table. If the console table is sixty inches in width, for example, the mirror should be around forty inches in width. The height of the mirror should also be considered.
The bottom of the mirror should not be more than six to eight inch above the tallest object on the table. If the tallest object on the table is a lamp, for instance, a person should ensure that the height of the mirror does not make the object look too small. Negative space within a console table and mirror arrangement can be a useful design element.
When a person has added a lamp, a tall object, and a horizontal object, such as a tray or a collection of books, the person should stop adding to the table. The mirror needs negative space. The vignette on the console table should not compete with the art or architecture that is on each side of the table.
When a person walks across the room and squints at the console table, the arrangement should be readable. If it is not, a person has left enough space to the objects within the console table.
11. Personal Objects
Using personal objects on a console table will allow the person to create a feature of their own life and home on the console table.
Such objects may include a small silver cup that was purchased during a trip to Mexico, a rock that a child painted during summer camp, or a matchbook from a favorite restaurant. These objects will allow the hostess of the home to create a feature within the mirror that reflects their own lives. The guests will notice these items.
They will begin to ask questions about them. These objects will act as a conversation starter in the home. The best console table and mirror arrangements will include at least one object that will make a visitor to that home smile.
The shape of the console table should be chosen with care. Using a round console table with an oval or a sunburst mirror will create an arrangement that features softness in a busy home. Using a narrow rectangular table with a tall vertical mirror will elongate a short hallway.
Demilune tables will hug the wall and leave space for people to move through the home. The depth of the table should allow for at least eighteen inches of space for the decorative objects on the table. The table should also allow for the mirror to reflect the opposite side of the room.
Shallow tables may require more editing of the decorative objects on the table, which may be a good idea in a cluttered home. Scent and sound are two features of a console table and mirror that most people will forget to include when designing such an arrangement. Adding a small dish of dried lavender or adding a reed diffuser will add scent to the decorative console table features.
Though the mirror will not reflect the scent of the lavender or reed diffuser, it will add visual interest to the table. Adding a ceramic bowl that holds keys at the console table will allow the inclusion of sound to the features of the home. Such small features will separate a person’s home that appears to be decorated from one that appears to be a home to the people who live there.
When each element of a console table and mirror is added with care and attention, the two elements will become a feature of the home that reflects the person who designed the arrangement. The mirror will reflect the world that a person chooses to feature in their home. Guests will pause when they arrive at the home.
A person will pause to adjust the object on the table. The real pleasure in arranging a console table and mirror feature correctly is in the fact that the objects dont have to be purchased for large amounts of money. The objects should merely be chosen with intention and care and allowed to have space in the home to breathe.
The mirror will do its job of reflecting the best parts of the home.
