My 'Brooch' Theory Is the Secret to Expensive-Looking, Fashionable Rooms in 2025 — I Swear by It

In the Victorian era, fashion brooches were at their apex. A well-styled outfit would never be complete without a jeweled brooch pinned to the lapel of a waistcoat or collar of a dress. This continued throughout the 20th century, through the roaring twenties' flapper style and the exaggerated details of the 80s. However, in post-Y2K culture, boasting a brooch came to a startling halt, and suddenly read more 80s cosplay than refined elegance. Until now.

You may have noticed the return of the brooch to runways in late 2024, and if it's trending in fashion, it's sure to cross over into interior design trends, too. And though you may not be able to literally lift the brooch trend into your home, a statement mirror hung on the wall can create a similar effect.

"A statement mirror sets the mood of a room and can steal the show in the best way possible," Los Angeles-based interior designer Lucie Ayres tells me. "It is, by all means, the perfect way to reimagine brooches for interior design."

So, how do you do it? Let's dive in.

First off, it's worth establishing the fact that 2025's brooch is much more avant-garde than the last time the style was considered 'of the moment'. For example, Schiaparelli's brooch designs adopt a surrealist quality, while many of the fashion elite have been seen taking an experimental approach to the trend — pinning over-sized feathers to their lapels or trimming a whole dress in brooches. So, when it comes to our interiors, we must abide by these same creative principles: maximalist extravagance.

Decorating with mirrors is all about demonstrating the thought you've put into designing your interior. It says you have taken time to source this one-of-a-kind embellishment, and positioned it on your walls in a way that transforms the entire room.

And much like a brooch, which can be used both as pure ornamentation or for practical garment manipulation, dressing your room with a statement mirror has a twofold effect. "It's the easiest way to make any space feel not only more interesting, but also bigger," says Lucie Ayres, principal at 22 Interiors.

Lucie Ayres

Lucie Ayres is a New York City and Los Angeles-based designer who describes her style as soulful European meets playful Californian. Lucie studied Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University and worked in the commercial real estate business before founding her own design company in 2009.

All it requires is finding a piece that speaks to you and an open wall space that feels lacking in aesthetics. "We look at scale first and foremost, and if we can get away with an oversized statement mirror, we do it," says Lucie. "Then we look at new versus antique, modern versus ornate, and finally the mirror glass itself —would distressed or smokey look better?"

The takeaway is to trust your gut. You might even discover places you didn't know you needed a mirror; after all, the new wave of decorating is grabbing that one unique item and using it in unexpected and unconventional ways.

A word to the wise, though: you do not have to save your artisanal statement mirror for a finishing touch. Although brooches have a certain way of pulling a look together, sometimes you find one you love so much that you want to build a whole outfit around it. The same goes for a mirror.

As for where to start. Lucie says her favorite place to style statement mirrors is "over an entry console with a gorgeous vase and flowers, a stack of stylish coffee table books, a tray or bowl for your doodads, and a scented candle or diffuser as the cherry on top."

There is no wrong way to pin a statement mirror if you have the confidence your walls will wear it well. To help your search, I've shared a few of my favorite frames, below.

For years I watched my grandmother proudly don her beloved brooch collection, and to be honest, I didn't really get it. But as the trends of the past find their way back again, I have come to realize it's all about the little details — full of artistry and personal style — that bring an outfit, or room, to life.