Reflected glory: the endless versatility of wall mirrors and the best ones to buy now

We recently posted a video of Benedict Foley and Daniel Slowik's Hackney flat on Instagram, in which they detail three clever, space enhancing tricks employed in their house. Of the techniques shown, the one which elicited the largest response in our office, involved a mirrored shutter. Concealed in the day, the shutter is designed to be drawn across the window at night, transforming the room on dark evenings, when lamp and candlelight can twinkle in its reflection.

The example in Benedict and Daniel's flat may be one of the cleverest uses of mirrored glass we've seen in a long time, but even the most basic slip of unframed mirror can have a transformative effect. Hallways, small bathrooms, spare bedrooms, can all be enhanced with the use of mirrors. They bounce, reflect and refract light around a room, creating the illusion of a bigger and brighter space.

It's a trick that Rita Konig, who won interior designer of the year at our 2024 Top100 party, knows well. Above the opening that leads from the sitting room to the entrance hall in her recently renovated west London flat, Rita added mirrors, almost resembling a clerestory, high up above the door. "Gil Schafer suggested I did that and it works so brilliantly and gives the illusion that the hall has higher ceilings than it does," says Rita, who often collaborates with the American architect on projects.