Bathroom Mirror Design Tips You Need To Know

One of the most important features of the bathroom is the bathroom mirror. Today there is such a wide range of styles, sizes, shapes and functions to choose from, the choices can be overwhelming. Yet, installing the right mirror for your particular bathroom can add dramatically to the overall design finish of the room. While the wrong mirror will minimize or flatten the bathroom's design potential. So, how should one shop for a mirror to get just the right look that insures not only function but beauty as well? Follow these insider's design secrets.

Avoid the costly "discover as you go" trial and error methods of deciding on the best mirror for your bathroom. Spend some time researching the design styles available. Grab a cup of coffee at your local book store and browse through the current trend magazines and books. Another gas saving option is to window shop from the wonderful world of web sites.

By determining style you will then be able to decide specific characteristics of the mirror that you like and want to include in your bathroom. As you browse through the different sizes and styles, you will be seeing variations of use and applications so be sure to jot down notes or even better, tear out that perfect picture once you find it, for easy reference when shopping.

Mirrors can serve many functions in the bathroom.  You can create the illusion of larger spaces through strategic placement.  Bathroom mirror cabinets or precisely bathroom mirrored cabinets can provide extra storage and organizational space.  Illuminated bathroom mirrors can give the room not only ambient light but greater clarity for the finer details of personal hygiene such as make up application and shaving.

By clarifying the functional specifics of what you need the mirror to provide will aid in giving you more power from your dollar by not wasting space, damaging walls, or having to return the mirror that "just didn't work".

There are 3 main types of mirrors to choose from: Fixed, Hanging and Adjustable.

The Fixed bathroom wall mirror is the mirror that is permanently installed flat to the wall. It can be the inset type of medicine cabinet mirror that has been a standard in homes and may have some variation of mirror flexibility, such as a 3 panel door providing greater visual angels.

Today, however, many builders are choosing to install a simple flat panel mirror directly to the wall. Etched, bevelled, illuminated, gilded, framed bathroom mirrors - this are the most commonly used in newer homes today. They are either glued directly to the wall or attached by using some sort of small anchoring system or framed out moulding.

The Hanging Mirror is hung like a photo by using picture framing hardware or a complimentary system that is provided with the mirror. These are most often found in designer bathrooms and depending upon the style of the bathroom these styles can range from contemporary stainless steel hardware to ethnically themed or traditional gold leafed. Think of a picture frames and the variations of style and you most likely will find a hanging mirror with similar characteristics.

The adjustable mirror could have been the inspiration for the new flexible wall mounted TV stands on the market today. These bathroom vanity mirrors are most often illuminated and have the ability to be manipulated in any direction or height. With the base being attached to the wall the mirror can be folded back to save space while not in use. Many have magnifying ability as well as the additional focused light.

The final step in installing your mirror is to understand some simple design principles.

The mirror should not be wider than the furniture piece below it, and no less than 2/3rds the width. If you "love" a bathroom mirror that is smaller than these guidelines, add additional accent art or smaller mirrors to spread the visual weight on the wall to meet this guideline.

The shape of the mirror should match the overall shapes in the bathroom. If your room has dominated soft or round edges an oval or round bathroom mirror is the safe choice. The more contemporary squared and boxed bathrooms need squares or rectangles.

Plain edged mirrors are more contemporary. Bevelled or etched are most often used in the Traditional settings.

So there you have it. No bathroom is complete without a mirror. Now you have the design tools to choose the best mirror to make your bathroom sparkle!