Oval Mirrors

Why an oval rather than a round

A round mirror is a full stop. It has no direction, sits equally well on any wall and draws the eye to a single point. An oval keeps that soft outline but adds an axis, and the axis is what makes it useful. Hung upright it pulls the eye up and makes a wall read taller, which is why an oval suits a narrow stretch beside a door or above a basin. Turned on its side it does the opposite and follows the line of a console or a chest. You get the gentleness of a curve and the usefulness of a direction, which is a combination neither a circle nor a rectangle offers.

Where the shape earns its place

Ovals work best where straight lines have become repetitive. A hallway of square doors, a bathroom of rectangular tiles, a bedroom wall of wardrobe fronts: in each the curve reads as relief rather than decoration. Hallways take most of this range, living rooms are close behind and a good number suit a bedroom. The shape is also forgiving about centring. A rectangle hung slightly off centre above furniture looks like a mistake; an oval, having no corners to line up, is much less unforgiving about it.

Frames and finishes

Black, gold and silver are the three largest finish groups here, with a useful number in bronze. Black gives the oval a drawn outline and is the choice when you want the shape itself to register. Gold warms the curve and suits a period room. Silver is the quiet option that agrees with most schemes. A little over a third of the range carries a slim modern profile, and a smaller group are frameless, where the glass is simply cut to the oval and the shape is all there is.

Sizes, and hanging one the right way up

Medium and large are almost evenly matched here, which makes this a good page for a smaller wall, with a handful of extra large pieces for a larger one. Most of these are wall mirrors rather than full length. Before hanging, decide the orientation deliberately: upright is the default and does the most for a wall that is short of height, while landscape suits a wide low wall above furniture. Check the fixings on the back, because not every oval is made to hang both ways.

What goes under an oval

Furniture with a strong horizontal line is the natural partner, because the curve and the straight edge set each other off. A console, a chest or a basin unit all work. The usual proportion rule holds, around two thirds the width of the piece below, though an oval can go a little narrower than a rectangle without looking mean, since the eye measures the widest point and forgives the taper. Leave a hand span of clear wall between the furniture and the bottom of the frame.

Living with the shape

Practically, an oval behaves like any other wall mirror. Glass and wood are the materials in most of them with metal in a smaller group, so cleaning is the usual routine: dust the frame dry, spray cleaner onto the cloth rather than the mirror so nothing runs into the frame. The one shape-specific point is hanging level. An oval has no straight edge to sight along, so use a spirit level against the fixing points rather than eyeing the frame, or a small tilt that would be invisible on a circle will be obvious.