In modern home design, light, space and openness are some of the most desirable traits in a contemporary home. Most newly built homes are designed with these objectives in mind but if you have an older style home, then it may be lacking in these departments.

Knocking out internal walls or installing extra windows may not be an option for you for either practical or financial reasons. However, it's possible to use mirrors to help to give your home a lighter, brighter and more spacious feel. Here are three ways that mirrors can be effectively used in different rooms of the home.

1. In the kitchen

If your kitchen has limited natural light or no windows at all then you can add mirrored splashbacks instead of traditional splashback materials. The glass will amplify the available light in the room as well as creating the visual illusion of more space if your kitchen is small and cramped.

You can increase the effectiveness of the mirrored splashbacks with clever design. A timber frame around the edge of the splashbacks will make them look like a window. You can also heighten the light reflection by adding a discreet strip light under your wall cabinets to illuminate the mirrors at night.

2. In the bathroom

Bathrooms are another room in the home where the right choice of mirror can make a big difference. Instead of a small, framed vanity mirror, opt for a large, frameless mirror panel that takes up more wall space. This increases the amount of light and makes the room visually double in size.

If you want to take the mirror concept even further, you can also add mirrored tiles to the shower recess. They will give you the light reflecting properties of a mirror, while still providing the watertight and functional role of tiles in this wet area of the bathroom.

3. In the bedroom

Mirrors can also be used strategically in the bedroom to make a small, dark space feel bigger and brighter. Adding mirrors to your wardrobe doors is a clever way to do this. You'll get a full-length mirror that's helpful when choosing an outfit without using up precious floor space with an independent full-length mirror.

You can opt for specially designed sliding mirrored doors if you have a modern, built-in wardrobe. If you have an old-fashioned, free-standing wardrobe, then you can have mirrored panels custom made to fit the size and shape of the wardrobe doors.