DOUBLE THE PLEASURE An arched window with mirrors for panes adds romance and depth to a courtyard garden in Surrey, England, designed by Nic Howard.
Photo: GAP Photos/Leigh ClappNO ONE hesitates to deploy mirrors inside a house—lengthening a cramped entryway or bouncing light around a dim dining room.
Why not in the garden, then, where a mirror could multiply lush hydrangeas, reflect cloud-dotted skies and make sunshine dance?
Garden designer Toby Musgrave, the Copenhagen-based author of “The Garden: Elements & Styles” (Phaidon Press) considers looking glasses a fantastic way to play with your patch of green: “I like the idea of optical illusions—a bit of fun, drama and theater.” Besides, an open-air mirror yields the same benefits as one indoors.
A garden becomes more cozy and warm, said Karen Rogers, a London landscape designer, and the reflection “makes it actually look bigger.”
Persons:
Nic Howard, Leigh Clapp, Toby Musgrave, ”, Karen Rogers
Organizations:
Phaidon Press
Locations:
Surrey, England, Copenhagen, London