How to choose a mirror for your bathroom

2013 is nearly over and – once the small matter of Christmas is out of the way – you’re probably looking ahead to 2014. A new year of new beginnings (in theory, at least).

Home renovations are always popular in the new year, with homeowners overhauling the look of their abode in the pursuit of ‘something different’. Bathroom renovations are particularly popular, being one of the easier and quicker (if not necessarily cheaper) home overhauls.

Any renovation is full of important choices to be made, but bathroom renovations require you to make a choice you might not even realise is important until it’s been made – your mirror.

There are many considerations to make when choosing a bathroom, beyond the obvious style choices. In the post, we’re going to run through the decisions you’ll need to make when choosing a mirror, and hopefully provide you with some inspiration for your own bathroom.

Size matters

Size is important when it comes to choosing a bathroom mirror. The accepted standards of bathroom design dictate that the mirror you choose should be as wide as the sink or vanity unit you’re fitting it above. If your sink is 400mm wide, then your mirror should be the approximately the same size.

As any designer will tell you, however, rules are there to be broken. In some cases, a mirror can be much wider than the sink below and still look stunning. This is usually the case in bathrooms with longer walls; putting a wide mirror in a room where it nearly touches the wall on either side is not a good look.

Placement

The placement of a mirror is another important factor to think about before choosing and fitting a mirror. To determine an ideal placement, you’ll need to make a number of considerations.

The first is who is going to be using the mirror. It’s no use placing a mirror at the height of a tall male if women and children are going to be using the mirror too. Most bathrooms will be used by people of different heights, so the best bet is to try and cater for everyone and opt for a ‘mean’ height.

Your mirror shouldn’t be positioned too close to the sink or too close to the ceiling. Generally, mirrors are placed a few inches from the ceiling with a bigger gap between the sink and mirror but this can be reversed if you see fit.

Mirrors can serve a second function as a reflector of light so you should think about how your mirror is positioned in relation to any windows. The best-case scenario would be to position your mirror directly opposite a window, but this isn’t always possible. If you can at least capture some of a window in your mirror, you should be fine.

Finally, you’ll need to check what exactly your mirror is reflecting. Positioning your mirror opposite a toilet, or so that you can see the toilet while looking in the mirror straight-on is usually a bad idea!

Style and sophistication

The mirror you choose will need to fit in with the overall theme of your bathroom. For example, a modern illuminated mirror would stick out like a sore thumb in a bathroom otherwise decorated in a vintage style. On the other hand, a framed oval mirror would look odd in a minimalist modern bathroom. Only you know what style you have in mind for your bathroom, but its worth getting a second pair of eyes to give you an opinion on whether a certain mirror would suit your bathroom.

Extra features

Like most household fixtures, bathroom mirrors in the 21st century are capable of much more than just creating a reflection and looking pretty. Have a good think about any extra features that might benefit your lifestyle; if you do particularly elaborate makeup, for example, you might benefit from an illuminated mirror. Listen to a lot of music in the bathroom? Try an audio mirrored cabinet.

If you stick to the general rules outlined above, and think long and hard about what it is exactly you need from your bathroom mirror, picking the perfect mirror for your bathroom is easy.

For more information on picking a mirror for your bathroom, and our range of illuminated mirrors, tweet us @Bathroom_Mirror or get in touch on Facebook.