Mirrors can perform decorating magic. They add light, expand space and can add a sparkle to any room. And, lucky for frugal decorators, they’re inexpensive and easy to find.

Traditionally, mirrors have distinct locations in our homes: over a dresser, above the mantel, on a closet door or over a bathroom vanity. But don’t let convention hamper your creativity. Mirrors can work in any room and on almost any surface. Experiment with a few ideas:

IN THE BEDROOM
• Instead of hanging a large mirror on the wall, sit it on the floor and lean it. Yes, just lean it! If you read any home decorating magazines you’ll notice that leaning, rather than hanging, is in these days.
• Place a handheld mirror on your nightstand or dresser.

IN THE BATHROOM
• Double the apparent size of a small bathroom by installing a countertop-to-ceiling, wall-to wall mirror above the vanity. Your local glass company can cut out openings for the light fixture and outlets.
• Replace a boring mirror in a guest bath with a unique antique-carved or oval-shaped mirror.

IN THE LIVING ROOM
• Add sparkle to a grouping of artwork by throwing in a mirror or two. Make sure the mirror frames are similar to the artwork frames.
• Improve on the traditional mirror over the mantel by tilting it slightly down. You’ll get a more interesting reflection that way.
• Use circular, mirrored drink coasters on your coffee table.

IN THE OFFICE
• If your desk or work area faces a wall, hang a mirror above your work surface to capture the view behind you and increase the room’s depth.

• If you have built-in bookcases, install cut-to-fit glass panels on the back of one or two shelves.
• Group a collection of stand-up mirrors on an end table or one shelf of a bookcase. Cascade your grouping: Hang a few on the wall, stand several on plate stands, and lay the smaller ones flat towards the front of the arrangement.

EVERYWHERE ELSE
• Hang a mirror at the end of a short, dark hall to increase light and space.
• Start a collection. My clever neighbor Jean has a collection of antique celluloid hand mirrors, which she has artfully arranged and hung in her front hall.
• Mirrors don’t have to stay indoors. Hang a few on an ivy-covered garden wall or fence.

DIY IDEAS
• Create a window in a windowless room. Buy a ready-made “window mirror” or make your own. A friend of mine often removes old wooden windows in his remodeling business. He carefully cleans the window and has a mirror cut to fit the window. He then mounts it on the back of the window frame and adds hanging hooks so that the window can be hung easily.
• Do you have a mirror with an ugly frame? Don’t toss it! Modify it. Spray paint it gold, or one of the colors in the room where it will be hung. Decoupage it with pages from an old dictionary or newspaper. Or, give it to your children to decorate.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST
• Hang a head-sized mirror at eye level next to the door you exit most often. You can check your makeup and hair on the way out