Q. What do you think of using mirrors or mirrored tiles to make a room look bigger?

A. Mirrors or mirroring walls are a great way to enlarge a space.

Be careful to check out the view the mirror will reflect; you want it to be a pleasant view.

I have placed furniture in front of a mirrored wall and an oil painting on top of a mirrored space. Both softened the impact of the mirror and created a great look.

Q.I see a lot of rooms with borders, about 1 foot wide, around the top of the wall. All kinds of designs - even Cleveland Indians!

This seems fine for a child's room to me, but is it appropriate in other rooms?

A. At Reflections we practice interior design emanating from the architecture. That means that decoration is a choice.

Borders are decoration and a substitute for wood or plaster at the ceiling. When they become busy, and contain strong with themes they lose me. Maybe I see it as using slang instead of good English.

There are other materials that can be used that are more appropriate and even less costly than wood.

I used bamboo in my home. It is easy to install and cost $150 for six rooms. Because it supports the oriental influence of our architecture it was a prudent choice from a design standpoint as well as the financial consideration.

Other styles have equally exciting and cost effective alternatives.

Q. Do you have any opinion on the new fluorescent light bulbs? They are supposed to save energy but look ugly to me.

A. I assume that you are referring to the fluorescent bulbs that are used in lamps.

They do seem a little shocking compared to what we have been used to seeing. That's probably something that we will overcome in time.

Hopefully, once the fluorescent is installed within the shade, out of our sight, we can grow to accept its other qualities.