Full Length Mirrors

Nothing changes a bedroom faster than a full length mirror. Suddenly there's more light, more floor, and somewhere to check the whole outfit before you leave.

Decide first whether it leans or hangs. A leaner tilts back a few degrees, which is quietly flattering, and it can move house with you; give it a solid wall and use the anti-tip strap in the box. A wall-mounted mirror gives a truer view and keeps the floor clear, and many of ours have hangers on the back so you can do either. No spare wall at all? A cheval mirror on its own stand tilts to suit you.

Size is simple. A slim 500 to 600mm mirror beside the wardrobe is a dressing mirror. An 800 x 1800 leaner opposite a window changes the room. The oversized pieces are for a big bedroom or the end of a hallway.

Then the frame, which is where the mirror joins the room. Slim black metal is the modern default. Gold and brass warm a bedroom and pair with brass lamps. A natural timber frame suits a Scandi or coastal scheme and sits beautifully on oak floors. White and the ornate French Provincial frames belong in a classic or Hamptons room; silver suits cool greys. If you're torn on shape, the arched full length mirror is the current favourite for the way it softens a room, and the rectangle is the timeless workhorse. Every one is flat, distortion-free glass.