Harrington Classic Arch Wall Mirror with Decorative Crest and Beaded Frame

The arch, the beading and the ledge are three separate decisions, and all three are doing work.

An arched top softens a wall in a way a rectangle cannot. Rooms are full of straight lines — door frames, skirting, window reveals, the edges of furniture — and a curve introduced above eye level relieves all of them. It is the single most effective thing a mirror can do to a square room.

The beaded frame is what stops it looking mass-produced. A run of small carved beads around the edge catches light along its whole length, giving the frame a shadow line and a rhythm. Plain-framed arch mirrors are everywhere; a beaded one reads as considered.

The sculpted crest at the top is the traditional detail, and it is why this sits comfortably in a period house as well as a new one.

Then the ledge along the bottom, which is the genuinely unusual part. It gives the frame visual weight at its base so the arch does not look top-heavy, and it gives you a narrow shelf for a candle, a small vase or a few stems. Most arch mirrors stop at the frame.

The finish is a lightly distressed soft grey, and it is deliberately restrained. Heavy distressing looks like a costume. A light hand reads as age rather than effect, and it means the mirror sits with painted furniture, natural timber and warm neutrals without matching any of them exactly.

• Arched silhouette that softens the straight lines every room is full of
• Beaded frame with a shadow line that reads as detail from across a room
• Sculpted crest, the traditional detail that plain arch mirrors lack
• A ledge along the bottom, so it holds a candle or a few stems
• Lightly distressed soft grey, aged rather than costumed
• Paulownia wood, which is why an 84cm mirror weighs only 5.4kg
• Light enough for plasterboard with the correct fixings
• Bounces daylight into a room that does not get enough of it

Centre it at about 155cm from the floor, or 20cm above whatever it sits over.

Above a console or a sideboard, leave 20cm to 25cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the mirror. Closer and it looks stuck on; further and the two stop reading as one arrangement.

On an empty wall, the centre of the mirror wants to be around 145cm to 155cm from the floor, which is standard gallery eye level and works for most people.

Above a mantel, the same 20cm rule applies, and the mirror should be narrower than the mantel itself. At 70cm it suits a standard fireplace comfortably.

Get the width right. A mirror over furniture should be roughly two thirds to three quarters the width of the piece below it. At 70cm this suits a console of about 95cm to 105cm.

Remember the 8cm depth. This projects further from the wall than a flat mirror because of the ledge, so allow for it in a narrow hallway where people pass close to the wall.

5.4kg is manageable, but it is not a picture. It needs a proper fixing, not a nail.

Into masonry or brick, a wall plug and screw rated well above 5.4kg is straightforward and secure.

Into plasterboard, find a stud if you can and screw directly into it, which is always the strongest option. Where there is no stud in the right place, use proper plasterboard anchors rated for the weight with a good margin. Standard push-in plugs are not adequate for a hanging mirror.

Two fixings beat one. Two points spread the load and stop the mirror shifting out of level over time, which single-point hanging always does eventually.

Check for pipes and cables with a detector before you drill, particularly above a fireplace and anywhere near a socket or a switch.

If you are unsure, get someone in. A mirror coming off a wall is a serious thing, and an hour of a handyman's time is cheap insurance. Please check the fittings supplied with the product before you buy anything, or ask us and we will confirm what is included.

This is the whole point of a mirror and most people get it wrong. Facing a window it doubles the daylight in a room. Facing a blank wall it doubles a blank wall.

One or two small things. A candle, a tiny vase, a stem of greenery. The ledge is a detail rather than a shelf, and cluttering it undoes the elegance of the arch above.

An arched mirror above a console table is the most reliable entryway arrangement there is. Lamp to one side, bowl for keys, mirror centred above.

On a wide dresser or a low chest, a mirror this size can lean rather than hang, which suits a dressing room. Secure it to the wall behind regardless, especially with children or animals in the house.

A soft distressed grey works because it sits near other tones rather than matching them. Against warm timber, cream walls and natural linen it looks considered. Against an identical grey it looks flat.

A table lamp beside a mirror rather than in front of it rakes light across the beaded frame and shows the detail. Straight-on light flattens it.

Spray the cloth, not the mirror. Glass cleaner running down into the frame will mark a distressed painted finish and can work into the joint between glass and wood. This is the mistake that ruins framed mirrors.

Use a microfibre cloth on the glass and buff dry. For the frame, a dry cloth or a soft brush is enough. The beading collects dust, and a dry paintbrush clears it faster than anything else.

Nothing wet on the frame, and nothing abrasive. A distressed finish is a surface treatment, and scrubbing will take it off.

Keep it out of a steamy room. Paulownia is a natural timber and a painted finish on wood does not enjoy a bathroom. Interior rooms only.

Check the fixings once a year. Thirty seconds, and it is the difference between a secure mirror and a broken one.

What to expect. A distressed finish is applied so that no two pieces are identical, and variation in the grey, the wear at the edges and the grain of the paulownia is the character you are buying rather than a fault.

Your mirror ships packed for glass. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Send us the width of the console or mantel you have in mind and we will tell you whether 70cm is the right proportion for it. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is on the wall, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Furnishing a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.