G-M011 Free-Standing Mirror: 140cm tall, and what it shows

A mirror on the floor is a different purchase from one on the wall. Nothing gets drilled, it can move rooms, and the decision is about floor space rather than fixings. The G-M011 Free-Standing Mirror is listed at 40 x 140cm with what the description calls a sleek, simple gold frame, and it is one of the free-standing options in the Wall Mirrors range.

140cm tall: how much of yourself you see

The listing describes the height as giving a full-length reflection, and in practice how much you see depends as much on where it stands as on the mirror. Optics are on your side here: because the reflection is folded, a mirror shorter than you can still show you head to foot, provided the glass is at the right height and you step far enough back. The thing that usually spoils it is the lean. Tilt a mirror back against a wall and the view runs towards the ceiling, so you lose your shoes. If you want a clean head-to-foot view, stand it as close to upright as it will safely sit and take a pace or two back.

At 40cm wide it is a mirror for one person at a time. That is normal for a free-standing piece and worth knowing if you expected to see an outfit from the side as well.

The floor it needs

The listing gives two figures, 40 x 140cm, and no footprint. That is the gap in this listing that matters most, because a free-standing mirror either leans or stands on a foot, and the two need different amounts of floor.

• Leaning, the base sits away from the skirting, so allow depth for the lean plus the skirting board itself.
• On a foot or a hinged back, the depth is whatever the stand is, which the listing does not state.
• Either way, keep it clear of a door swing and out of the walkway at the end of a bed.

Four photographs come with the listing, and they are the only guide to how it is supported. Ask us for the depth of the base before you plan a tight corner around it.

The frame, exactly as described

A simple gold frame, minimal in construction, described as suiting contemporary or transitional rooms. Not recorded anywhere: the frame material, the depth of the moulding, the glass thickness, the weight, and whether anything is supplied for securing it to a wall. If the mirror is going into a room a child or a dog uses, ask us about that last point specifically rather than assuming a strap is in the box.

What to check on arrival

• Unpack it against a wall, not flat, and check the glass before the packaging goes out.
• Stand it on the floor it will live on. A thick carpet changes the lean and can make a mirror unsteady.
• Look at how the back is made up before you decide where it lives, because that decides whether it can be leaned or must stand.

Ordering the G-M011

Photographs and the order page are on the G-M011 Free-Standing Mirror listing. If you want more glass, the 8008 Free-Standing Mirror is listed at 40 x 150cm with a bevelled edge, the F1710 Free-Standing Mirror is listed at 50 x 160cm in an aluminium frame, and the F1761 (LED) Free-Standing Mirror is listed at 55 x 160cm with a crushed diamond border and lighting in the frame. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond.