It's probably fair to say that the bathroom is one of the most important rooms in any home -- sadly, it can also be the least pleasant room to actually be in. The compact dimensions of the average bathroom, combined with limited natural light levels due to small frosted windows, can make a bathroom a dingy and depressing place to be while you go about your ablutions.

However, making your bathroom feel more airy and spacious doesn't necessarily mean knocking down walls or undertaking extensive remodelling work. With judicious use of bathroom mirrors you can make even the tiniest bathroom feel significantly more roomy, while specialised mirrors can be surprisingly effective at increasing ambient light levels in your smallest room. Here are just some of the ways mirrors can be used to beautify your bathroom:

Using large wall mirrors to brighten up a bathroom

The reflective qualities of a large, clear bathroom mirror can be useful for far more than staring at your bleary reflection every morning. By reflecting the light that comes from your bathroom lighting and the natural light that comes through any windows your bathroom has, a simple, large mirror can dramatically increase ambient light levels in almost any bathroom.

This approach is particularly effective if you have a bathroom with dark, oppressive wall coverings, as covering most or all of one wall with a large mirror (or mirrors) creates a start dark-light contrast that can make your bathroom feel brighter and more open.

Using storage mirrors to banish clutter

The various potions and lotions you use to clean yourself (and your bathroom) have to be stored somewhere, but the limited storage space in many bathrooms means that toiletries and other objects can quickly pile up on shelves, window ledges and the edges of your bath. As you can imagine, a cluttered bathroom has significantly less usable space, and the presence of numerous bulky, opaque objects (such as shampoo bottles and towels) can block out light from windows and light fittings.

Choosing a bathroom mirror with integrated storage is an excellent way to create more storage space without reducing the usable space in your bathroom -- traditional cabinet mirrors can be used to store various items that would otherwise clutter up your bathroom, and are wall-hung so they do not take up any floor space. Shadow box mirrors are also highly effective, and feature attached shelves at their bases to help you keep your various toiletries organised.

Using lighted mirrors to provide light where you need it most

Mirrors with integrated light fittings are also excellent for making your bathroom feel bigger and brighter, while providing valuable focused light for use while shaving or applying makeup. Since most bathrooms have limited power outlets, and most conventional light fittings (such as table lamps) cannot be used safely in a bathroom's moist environs, installing a lighted mirror is often the easiest, safest way to add some extra artificial light to your bathroom.

Using infinity mirrors for infinite space

To some, the unusual optical illusions produced by infinity mirrors may seem like little more than a showy gimmick -- however, the illusion of infinite space created by these mirrors can be surprisingly effective when it comes to making a bathroom feel larger. Even small infinity mirrors can 'open up' a particularly oppressive wall or built-in cabinet, and many infinity mirrors contained integrated lights to add extra brightness to your bathroom.