Mirrors are a great way to brighten a space and make it appear larger. It’s one decor accessory I absolutely love incorporating into any home!
Whether it’s for decorative purposes or you need to take a glance at yourself before you head out the door, hanging a mirror correctly can make a big impact on how the room appears.
From the dining room to your living space, this guide on how high to hang a mirror will help you get it right, every single time.
Where to Hang a Mirror
A mirror adds a chic touch to your home, and there are several spaces that can benefit from this stylish wall accent. The dining room is a great place to add a mirror since it can make the standard small size of most dining rooms look much larger.
Bedrooms, living rooms and entryways are also popular places to hang a mirror. Tabletop mirrors are the perfect accent to add to a fireplace mantel or a bookshelf, too.
Mirrors can be used as a form of artwork, so you can mix and match them with your other wall décor. You can enhance a gallery wall by integrating a few small mirrors in between your favorite pieces.
Today’s mirrors come in an incredible range of designs with decorative frames to give them an artful touch. Look for mirrors with beveled edges for a glam, luxe aesthetic. Or, try a thin-rimmed mirror for a more minimalist feel.
You may also like: Our Favorite Sunburst Mirrors
Dining Room Mirror Hanging Tips
Image: Wayfair
Hang your dining room mirror on the wall nearest to your table to give the room a brighter, more open look and feel.
Like all mirrors in the house, you should hang it at eye level. For a rough idea, count on hanging your mirror approximately 57 to 65 inches off the floor.
If you’re hanging the mirror over a buffet console, you may need to go a tad lower or higher, depending on your console’s height. Leave a gap of around four inches between the console and the mirror to create a visual break.
How High to Hang a Mirror Over the Couch
image: Wayfair
One of the most popular places to hang a mirror is directly over your living room couch. If you need to know how high to hang a mirror over the couch, around eight to 12 inches directly over the top of your couch is a good rule of thumb for standard sofas.
If you have a larger sectional sofa or a couch with thick cushioning, consider hanging it slightly higher at approximately 10-12 inches above the top of sofa if you have tall ceilings.
You may also like: Why We Love Verr Elgomise Mirrors
How High to Hang Full-Length Mirrors
Mirror: Anthropologie
Full-length mirrors are perfect for the bedroom, closet, or bathroom to give you a full view of yourself when getting ready. But full-length mirrors aren’t just for vanity purposes! In fact, they’re a popular choice for décor since they can make small corners look brighter and bigger. So, how high should you hang your full-length mirror? Well, that depends on both the mirror and space.
Many full-length mirrors are leaners, so they aren’t meant to be hung at all. These mirrors look great in cozy living room corners and really help brighten a space.
For full-length mirrors that need to be hung, make sure you can see your entire body (whether you want to or not :>), shoes included, when hung. It shouldn’t be too high either; just make sure you can comfortably see yourself from a reasonable distance of a a few feet.
Mirror Hanging Don’ts
Once you’ve decided on the perfect mirror and know exactly where you want to hang it, there are a few important things to keep in mind. These “don’ts” will ensure that your mirror not only looks great but that it’s also hung correctly and stays in place.
- Don’t use small nails or tacks to hang a mirror. Most mirrors are heavy and require quality mounting hardware to keep them secure.
- Avoid hanging a mirror near your bed since the morning sunlight can reflect back, causing you to have interrupted sleep.
- Try not to hang mirrors too high; they should be at eye-level like artwork
- Don’t overdo it when it comes to mirrors. Choose a few that you really love and use them as accents rather than covering an entire wall with mirrors.
- Don’t hang mirrors on the ceiling or in kid’s rooms where they may fall or break.
Other Places to Hang Mirrors
Mirror: Anthropologie
Another popular place to place a mirror is above an entryway or hallway console table.
This mirror should be hung around six to eight inches higher than the table itself to create a small gap between your table decor and the mirror.
Round mirrors, square mirrors and rectangular mirrors work best for above a console table.
If you choose a smaller mirror, you could also hang it with artwork to create a mini gallery wall. Just be careful not to create something that’s overly crowded and cluttered looking as entryway consoles can already be quite busy with decor.
Where Not to Hang a Mirror
It would seem like a mirror can be hung just about anywhere, but there are plenty of places you shouldn’t hang a mirror.
A mirror facing the front door is considered bad feng shui. You should also avoid having mirrors that face other mirrors!
We hope you found these mirror hanging tips helpful!
Where are some of your favorite places to hang a mirror in your home?
Photo credits: People Magazine, absentlandlord.co
Hello I am not sure which way I should go? I need help? Lol I want to hang a round mirror above my vanity in the bathroom? My vanity is 48 inches, the mirror is 42 inches , should I do round or rectangle? Which is a better option?
Hi Nuray,
The round will look nice with your vanity. Thanks for reading Hadley Court!
All the best,
Leslie
hi
Great info here!
I would like to hang a wide mirror over my 3 seater sofa (sofa length 78″). I am thinking of buying a mirror of about 60″ length (including frame). I am confused what should be the width of the mirror, dont want it to be too narrow, and not too wide either.
thanks
Kity
Hi Kity,
It depends on how high your ceiling is. You can take it up to a few inches below the ceiling or center it on the wall between the sofa and ceiling.
Good luck!
All the best,
Leslie
I want to hang a 7’ mirror in a hallway. Should it be aligned with doorway into the hall or centered on the hall wall? The door is one foot off center of the hall so if centered on hall wall the mirror is off center of the doorway view.
Hi Ann,
Center the mirror on the doorway. Thanks for reading Hadley Court!
All the best,
Leslie
Hi, Is it okay for a mirror to be wider than a console table?
I have a 51inch wide table at the entrance of my house, and I found a large rectangular mirror that is 58inches wide. I’m not sure if it looks right.
Hi Vanessa,
The mirror should be even or a little less than the console. Thanks for reading Hadley Court.
All the best,
Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Thank you for so much helpful information. I came to Hadley Court hoping to find out how high above my triple dresser to hand the mirror that goes with it. My ceilings are 10-ft. I recently purchased a lovely lamp for the dresser top, but when I set it up, noticed that it seems too tall for the dresser because the shade is above center. It made me wonder if I hung the mirror too low and need to raise it. I was hoping to find the answer from you here.
Hi Allison,
Do you mean that the top of the lamp is even with the middle of the mirror?
All the best,
Leslie
Question: one part of the article said to hang the mirror 4” above the console and in another part 6”-8” above a console in an entryway. Which is it or is it how you feel comfortable? What about if you are hanging a sconce above the mirror? How many inches should that be?
Thank you for your help. I was told to put painters tape above the console to outline the size of the mirror to see where I’d like it to go. In the past, I’ve made paper templates so I didn’t screw up the placement of pictures especially a grouping .
Hi Barbara,
A sconce should go on each side of mirror. Sconces on side and above mirror should be 4 inches to the side and 4-6 inches above! Thanks for reading Hadley Court.
All the best,
Leslie
Great info! Is there a general rule for keeping tops or bottoms of mirrors and other art in the room at level height?
Hi Violet,
Do you mean keeping them all the same height in the same room?
Leslie
I hung an ornate mirror over my fireplace. My ceiling is 9′ the only thing that can be seen in it is my chandelier. It is centered perfectly. I didnt realize until after hanging it that zI couldn’t see in it. I like it there but should I move it?
Hi Effie,
If it bothers you then I would move it and put a piece of art above your fireplace to avoid the distraction! Thanks for reading Hadley Court!
All the best,
Leslie
Thank you for your very useful information
Hi Yra,
Thanks for reading Hadley Court!
All the best,
Leslie
Incredibly helpful information. I really appreciate the detail! (Inches above console, buffet, etc.) So often I visit many sites of designers or decorators that show beautiful work but describe how to execute it in a rather vague way. Certain things about pulling rooms together need to be precise. Like hanging mirrors and how tall lamps should be. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! By the way, I’m shopping for a couch, and I really like the one in the picture. Any chance you may reply with where I might find It?
Hi Leah,
Which couch do you like, the blue or gray?
Leslie
Great info!