If you think that broken mirrors bring bad luck, then think again! That broken mirror is an excellent opportunity to make something new and get creative. Of course, these ideas aren’t just for broken mirrors – if your mirror no longer fits your style or you’ve picked up a piece from a charity shop, you can flex your creativity on those too for something you’ll love.
There are loads of techniques for this, allowing you to let your personality shine. If the glass in your mirror is OK, then decorating the frame can bring a new lease of life to your mirror. Try spray painting it outside in a bright, bold, contemporary colour or something metallic for a sophisticated look – just make sure you cover the mirrored portion and don’t remove it until dry to prevent the paint from feathering. If you want more precision, hand-paint your frame with patterns and cool designs you’ve drawn yourself or use a stencil.
You could even glue fake flowers around the frame, old jewellery, shells, rope, wood slices, or tiles to create gorgeous 3D effects and a dramatic centrepiece for your wall, no matter the theme of your space. If you have a small mirror, you could add handles to the front of the frame to create a mirrored tray for perfumes, decorative candles, or a breakfast tray.
If the glass is broken, you can save the pieces for later and repurpose the frame. You can give this a go, too, if the glass is intact, but you love the frame and think it would work better for something else.
A simple and attractive way to repurpose the frame is to turn it into a whiteboard or chalkboard. Simply remove the glass, find a panel of the material you want, and mount it to the frame.
However, you might prefer to turn the frame into a collage frame by printing and cutting out your favourite photographs or magazine pictures to create a mood board or a unique photo display. Alternatively, use it for posters or wall art you’d like to add some style to.
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can add chicken wire or a peg board to the frame to create a jewellery storage unit, somewhere stylish to store your keys, or as storage for your home office. Large statement mirror frames are also perfect for dramatic transformations into objects like headboards by upholstering with sumptuous materials or a table by replacing the glass with wood and adding sturdy legs.
Remember that busted glass we told you to keep earlier? Well, there are more uses for this than you might think.
Broken glass is perfect for creating beautiful mosaics around your home. You can reset them in your frame in a creative design, stick them to lamp bases, create mirrorballs, and decorate planters and pots. For a bigger project, lay them down on tables and cover them with resin or add cement/mortar for a beautiful upgrade to that side table that might need a little love and care. Alternatively, you can create a kitchen splashback or make a mosaic on a serving tray.
When working with broken glass, wear cut-resistant gloves and use tongs or tweezers where appropriate. Keep glass away from children, and ensure you wear suitable shoes whilst crafting. Fill any gaps between glass or sand glass so there are no sharp edges you or someone else might cut themselves on.
Create your own vanity mirror by drilling holes into your frame and feeding through vanity bulbs or fairy lights.
If you don’t feel comfortable drilling into the mirror, you can try backlighting the mirror with fairy lights or strip lighting at the back, which will produce a beautiful glow around the mirror and wall when switched on.
Of course, you could also add the lights to the front of the frame to help give you a better view when doing your makeup.
If you'd like further mirror or upcycling inspiration, you can browse the articles below or check out our Mirror and Decorating/DIY departments.
