How to use mirrors in the garden
Mirror, mirror on the garden wall, who has the best garden of them all? If you've been blessed with even a bit of green space, mirrors are the unsung decorative hero for your garden, helping to make a small garden appear larger (and to show off all the best angles of your planting). They also help to fill a blank garden wall or fence where climbers would be impractical (though if you do have climbers, why not try putting a mirror behind them to increase the impact during summer and fill the space during winter?) We've gathered our favourite ways of using mirrors in the garden from the House & Garden archive, and have given you some helpful hints in how to make a mirror work in the backyard.
What kinds of mirrors work best in a garden?
Not all mirrors are created equal – especially those to be used as more a decorative element rather than a tool for seeing yourself. Mirrors generally help to make any space seem larger, and this is true of mirrors used outdoors. We particularly love large and antique mirrors set in larger-than-life frames, as they add a certain elegance in your outdoor space. Salvage yards are the perfect spot to select an inexpensive mirror that can hold its own unprotected against the elements. Also excellent are large mirrors with a trompe l'œil effect, as seen in the gardens of artist Phoebe Dickinson and fashion designer Morgane Sélazory. Outdoor antique experts Travis and Katie Nettleton, too, have amassed an impressive collection of decorative mirrors perfect for gardens, as well as an array of other outdoor antiques and special pieces, for their Wiltshire-based company, Garden Art Plus – another excellent resource for those hoping to zhuzh up their garden.
Get inspired (and ready to mirror) our favourite uses of mirrors in gardens from the House & Garden archive
Benjamin Edwards1/14This sunken terrace garden at a 19th-century terraced house designed by Bryan O’Sullivan has a living wall of plants designed by the landscape artist Elizabeth Staveley of LandARC. Surrounding it is mirror-backed trellis, creating the illusion of more space.
Christopher Horwood2/14Designed by Marian Boswall Studio, the tiny garden of this Chelsea townhouse is a place for relaxing and entertaining. An antique mirror at the end of the outdoor dining table adds visual interest to the large expanse of wall.
Chris Horwood3/14At Nina Campbell's house in Chelsea, there are mirrors throughout and they work wonderfully to bring the outside in and vice versa. In the tiny courtyard garden lined with greenery in planters, Nina added a mirror at the back to extend the space. The garden originally had a low wall on to the street which Nina extended to make the space private. There is a bin store hidden behind the wall of roses, and the space is a haven for birds.
Lucas Allen4/14When two architects bought one of the smallest houses in New York, they transformed the interior, creating a bijou interior with a sense of spaciousness that belies its exterior appearance. Leading out from the kitchen is a small enclosed garden with ivy topiary. A decorative mirror makes a statement on one wall, drawing the eye and reflecting the space so that diners aren't staring at a blank wall.
Paul Massey5/14Annabel Bevan added mirrors to the courtyard garden of her London house to create a sense of space, making them look like archways to another part of the garden. Annabel and her family moved to London from Bahrain, and the garden reflects the middle Eastern style of the area. The 18th-century patisserie table was bought at Violet Grey Antiques.
6/14The vintage-inspired Paris home of French fashion designer, Morgane Sézalory, is a perfect example of Parisian design with a certain je ne sais quoi attitude. According to Morgane, every inch of the garden was conceived from scratch. “Nothing you see was here,” she says. The total makeover included laying grass, planting flower beds and trees, constructing terraces and paths, stringing fairy lights, and even installing a small shed and an arched, mirrored trompe l’oeil doorway “that makes you feel as if it leads to somewhere else beyond,” Sézalory notes.
Paul Massey7/14At the home of artist Phoebe Dickinson, the antique metal table was found in Tetbury. A window-style mirror on the back wall reflects the light and makes the space feel larger.
Jason Ingram8/14In this clever design for the garden of a Chelsea townhouse, Butter Wakefield has used them on the lower terrace behind trellis from The Garden Trellis Co, painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Downpipe’, for a subtle effect.
Mimi Connolly9/14Tabi Jackson Gee’s Blue Garden, designed for a client in London with limited space, features two trompe l'œil window-style mirrors on the right hand wall, which helps the small garden to appear larger.
Mimi Connolly10/14A close-up of one of the mirrors seen in the small London garden designed by Tabi Jackson Gee.
Paul Massey11/14This part of Fiona Golfar's garden at her Cornish house is full of helpful ideas for small gardens. Antique mirrors reflect light around the space, which is filled with plants in containers, a rustic table and benches, and cosy sheepskin coverings.
Simon Brown12/14At the far end of designer Butter Wakefield's west London garden sits her workstation, where Butter does most of her potting. Butter installed a small, circular and wood-framed mirror which helps to give depth to the space which could otherwise feel cramped – especially as she's working.
Rachael Smith13/14This collection of pots arranged in front of an outdoor mirror in the west London garden of interior designer Louise Jones brings a touch of the countryside to her city space. They are planted with a combination of white geraniums, cosmos and lobelia.
14/14This chic Belgravia townhouse features a compact paved area with a large mirror to visually enlarge the space. Modern furniture is balanced by an abundance of climbing plants softening the walls.
