Mirror by Design: Using Reflection to Transform Space

By Pamela Heyne

Mirror by Design Ever since glaziers first developed techniques for producing glass mirror panels nearly 300 years ago, people have been experimenting with ways to use mirror to transform living and work spaces. While its popularity as a design element was in decline for the better part of this century, mirror has recently made a resounding comeback, and architects and designers are once again finding innovative ways to use mirror to solve some of today's most difficult design problems. Thanks to recent improvements in materials and manufacturing processes, mirror is proving to be one of the most cost-effective ways of transforming a room without knocking down walls or installing new fixtures. Through the tasteful and intelligent deployment of mirrors, designers can flood dark rooms with light, make small spaces appear many times larger, and bring healthful natural light and appealing views into otherwise drab, even depressing, spaces. Now, in the first book to treat mirror as a key element in the design process, architect Pamela Heyne takes you on a fascinating and instructive journey through the "looking glass." She begins with an intriguing tour through the history of the mirror, from its origins in prehistory right up to the present. With the help of 200 spectacular photographs, she demonstrates the many remarkable ways in which mirror has been used over the past three centuries to transform spaces of every size and shape. Using dozens of examples, ranging from the Palace at Versailles to a modern shoe store in New York City, she describes techniques developed by architects and designers to alter perspectives and change the way people respond to both private and public spaces. Ms. Heyne explores the use of mirror in a variety of settings--from bedrooms, living rooms, exercise rooms, and nurseries, to restaurants, lobbies, clothing stores, and hospitals. She offers valuable tech-nical advice on the uses and misuses of mirror in a wide variety of settings and summarizes what is known about the psychological impact of mirror in each setting. She also provides a wealth of practical information on various installa-tion methods and maintenance techniques. An engaging read and a one-of-a-kind technical reference, Mirror by Design is an indispensable tool for interior designers, architects, home builders and remodelers, real estate agents, and anyone interested in the art and science of design for living. "The mirror is seen in nature in the surfaces of lakes, in the hollows of mountains, and in the pools deep in the shadow of the trees; in winding ribbons of the rivers that catch and give back the flying birds, clouds and blue sky. A dreary thing to have that element leave the landscape. It may be as refreshing and beautifying in architecture, if architecturally used." --Frank Lloyd Wright

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471118338
• ISBN13: 9780471118336
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Creative, Fascinating Use of the Mirror

To paraphrase 'Art Times', 'this is far more than an interior decorator's book, but a definitive analysis of the creative, and practical uses of the mirror.' 'Mirror By Design' won Honorable Mention for the Polsky Award from the American Society of Interior Designers.Ms. Heyne, an architect herself, shows how architects and designers use mirrors to dematerialize heavy, bulky design elements, such as mirroring supporting columns; to create illusions, such as installing an 'infinity chamber' in a low restaurant ceiling to provide the feeling of height; or even to create views where there are none, such as through Ms. Heyne's own 'periscope window', which reflects a view from ground level into a basement area.Experiments in underground space, in light tubes which can provide sunlight in lower story rooms, and numerous other fascinating products, make this a wonderful resource for the architect or designer.