Silver Mirrors

Why silver is the safe metallic

Gold commits a room to warmth and black commits it to contrast. Silver does neither, which is why it is the metallic that suits the widest range of schemes. It sits comfortably beside cool greys and equally beside warm timbers, because it takes its temperature from the light around it rather than imposing one. If you are furnishing a room that is still changing, or buying for a wall whose neighbours might move, silver is the finish least likely to be wrong in a year.

Warm silver and cool silver

Not all silver is the same temperature. A bright, almost white silver reads cool and crisp, and suits a room with a lot of white or pale grey in it. A softer pewter or champagne-leaning silver reads warmer and sits better against cream, oak or brass fittings elsewhere in the room. The difference is easy to miss on a screen, so the product photographs are worth looking at side by side if you are matching something you already own.

Frames, slim to traditional

Most of the frames here are slim modern profiles, where the silver is a narrow border and the glass does the work. A smaller but useful group are traditional mouldings with a stepped or rounded edge that catches light along its length, which gives a mirror more presence in a room with cornicing or panelled doors. The frames themselves are made in timber, metal and moulded resin, and resin is worth knowing about: it takes a fine silver finish and keeps the weight down on a large piece.

Sizes and placement

This range sits mostly in the large band with a solid group of extra large pieces and a smaller number of medium ones. Over a console or a chest, aim for about two thirds the width of the furniture and centre the mirror on the piece rather than the wall. On a bare wall, a larger piece almost always looks more deliberate than a modest one. Full length options are here too, which is the size to choose for a bedroom or a dressing corner.

Where silver works best

Living rooms and hallways take most of these, and the reason is the same in both: silver reflects whatever light is available without adding a colour cast to the room. Opposite a window it returns daylight cleanly. In a hallway it brightens a space that rarely has a window of its own. Bedrooms come next, usually for the full length pieces. Silver also sits well with the chrome and brushed steel already present in most kitchens and bathrooms, though check the frame finish before choosing one for a damp room.

Looking after a silver finish

Silver frames are low maintenance and the main thing to avoid is water sitting on them. Dust with a dry cloth, and spray glass cleaner onto the cloth rather than onto the mirror so nothing runs down and dries on the frame. A leaf or foil silver finish is more delicate than a painted or lacquered one, so treat a traditional moulding more gently than a modern metal profile.