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Interior Design with Julia Luttrell

Creating the Illusion of Space

Recently a friend of mine enthused, �Oh Julia, I love your place. It must be great to have such a spacious home with all that squandered space to stretch out in.� It was a gratifying moment, I admit. �Aha,� I replied, �So the illusion is working. My place is no larger than yours is! Yet once again devious design works it�s delightful magic.�

Astounded, she said, �That can�t possibly be true. With your living room, home office and dining area all in that one L-shaped area, it still looks huge, it must be larger than mine.� I rose to the challenge. �All right, I�ll bet you. I may live in a house, but I�ll bet I have even LESS floor space than you have in your one-bedroom high-rise apartment.�

So out came the measuring tape, the bet was on and I�m happy to report she now owes me a fine bottle of wine. Hmmm, I must remember to thank her for inspiring the subject for this week�s column.

Yes, just as magic is all about illusion, so too desirable design is all in the planning.
A combination of careful space planning of furnishings and the expert use of strategically placed mirrors, can create an expansive airy effect that tricks the eye into believing a space is much larger than it actually is.

Mirrors are a key element to an expanded illusion of space. Still, there are a few useful design guidelines to the successful use of mirrors. Have no fear of size - large mirrors have maximum impact. And if expansion of space is your goal, allowing them to do their primary job, which is merely to reflect space, means you should not allow the mirror�s frame to have so much importance that it steals the show.

For this reason, I like to use unframed mirrors. They do not restrict you to a particular �look� and you maintain that ever-important ability in design, the ability to change your mind!

Using a three by five-foot mirror (with polished edges) and vertically installing it with discreet chrome clips, for example, can influence the entire room�s design direction, merely by changing the frame detail of the mirror.

Among the many creative ways to create a frame detail for a mirror, one of my personal favourites involves applying an interesting carved wooden moulding directly onto the wall, at the top and bottom opposite corners of the mirror.

Large mirrors placed on opposite walls will double the size of a room, however, it is important to avoid having them reflect one another. This only confuses the eye and defeats your purpose. Instead, try installing one mirror vertically, toward the right hand corner of a wall. Then on the opposite wall, install the another large mirror horizontally and place it toward its right hand corner.

You�ll find this design technique has an understated elegance. Without dominating the room, the mirrors expand your space to twice its size, yet create a relaxing atmosphere which envelops you in a comfortably enhanced reflection of your surroundings. Try it, you�ll like it. And who knows how many wagers you may win!

 

 

 

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