Do you want a new vanity mirror over your bathroom vanity and are not sure how big it should be? You might get stuck in finding a new vanity mirror during your bathroom remodeling project. While doing this, you need to keep this right. Vanity mirrors are important in various ways.
It could be the final thing you look at before leaving the house and the most important thing for grooming activities such as shaving, putting on some makeup, or styling your hair. Whether you want to hang a single or a double mirror, the size of the mirror must be perfect for a balanced appearance.
The mirror is one of the key components for getting a balanced and consistent layout of the bathrooms. No bathroom vanity can be considered a complete piece of furniture without hanging the vanity mirror. Besides achieving the proper functionality, the vanity mirror could be served as a decorative feature. The mirror above the vanity is the focal point of any size bathroom. Additionally, mirrors can enhance the bathroom’s spaciousness with the right amount of light.
To achieve the balance of aesthetics and the right functionality, you need to decide how big or small your mirror should be. This article is a complete guide to getting the right size mirror to hang above the vanity for your bathrooms.
The standard rule for the bathroom mirror size
Like all other furniture and design components, the vanity mirror also has some standard rules to follow. But these are not compulsory and can be used as a guideline while buying a new mirror for your bathroom vanities. According to this rule, the mirror size should be slightly smaller, approximately 2-4 inches, than the width of your vanity.
For example, if your vanity is 30 inches wide, you can hang the mirror 26-28 inches wide. It would be the best size you can get from the market if there are no restrictions on available space. However, you can make changes in size according to your space but try to keep the size smaller than the vanity.
How wide should your vanity mirror be?
The mirror’s width is the basic measurement when deciding the mirror size for your bath areas or powder rooms. The general guide says it should be a few inches narrower than the vanity’s width. In addition, you can measure the width of a mirror while considering other factors. These could be the lightning fixtures besides the vanity size.
Vanity size
Considering the mirror’s width, the vanity’s width is the best point to start the measurements. First, measure the width of your vanity from the left to the right corner with the help of measuring tape. When you get an idea of the width of your bathroom vanity, it will be easy to get an idea about the mirror’s width. An effective way to hang a mirror is to ensure that its width is slightly less than that of the vanity it is being hung over.
If you want to hang the bigger mirror, then you can mount the mirror equal in width to the vanity’s width. If you are considering mounting the wider mirror, you should give up your idea as this will never go right. The mirror wider than the vanity will not give you an appropriate appearance. Besides, you might not get enough space to mount other things such as sconces or towel holders.
Sink size
The other important feature is the sink size. Whether you have a giant and luxurious sink or a medium size sink, the mirror should be wider than your sink. Hanging a smaller mirror than your sink is inappropriate as it will never give your area a balanced look. Plus, you will have difficulty achieving the right view while getting ready. When you mount the smaller mirror that is not fitting correctly above your bathroom vanity, you may lose the aesthetics of your lovely vanity.
Sconces
The other important feature is the sconces. As we all know, lighting fixtures could be above or at the side of the mirror to get the right luminance. Hanging the lights on either side of the mirror is the better way to get the perfect brightness and the right view. If you want to hang the scones, you must leave the place for them. It might lead to a minus a few more inches from the standard mirror size. According to the rule, you must leave two to four inches of space between the mirror and the vanity corner. In case of mounting the sconces, you can leave the gap up to 6 inches.
Other features
In addition to basic features, there are different things that you need to take into account. These are not compulsory for all bath areas. While designing the specific bath area according to user demands, there is always a need to leave space for their important components, which we will discuss below.
Towel holder
Sometimes you may need to leave the space for mounting the towel holder. This holder could be on the same wall where you want to mount the mirror or on the adjacent vanity wall. If you have a congested area and want to hang the towel holder near your vanity and the mirror, then make sure your towel holder does not come between you and the mirror. It will cause disturbance while achieving the right view in the mirror.
Shelves
Sometimes, if you have open shelves or cabinets near the vanity, you need to consider these while deciding on the mirror size. You can subtract a few inches by keeping these in mind while maintaining the mirror at the center of your vanity.
Adjacent Walls
The width of your mirror may vary depending on the style of your vanity. If you have a recessed or alcove vanity, then the width of your mirror can differ from the standard rule. Similarly, consider the adjacent wall for a corner vanity while centrally aligning the mirror above the sink faucet. A few inches should be between the vanity mirror and the surrounding walls.
How high should your vanity mirror be?
The mirror height is the second important measurement when deciding the exact size of a mirror above any size bathroom vanity. It majorly depends on the different factors. Due to these factors, there are no specific rules for the height of the vanity mirror. You only need to focus on preventing the mirror from touching anything. The factors you need to focus on while deciding the height of the mirror are:
User’s height
The user’s height is the most important factor in deciding the bathroom mirror’s height. The mirror height should be flexible for the person who will utilize it daily. For this, you can account for the user’s height and keep it aligned with their eye level. Therefore, the mirror height for adult and children’s bathrooms can differ. All you need to focus on is getting the right functionality and comfort with the height of your mirror.
Overall space
The general bathroom area is the second important factor for hanging the mirror above the vanity. It could be different for large and wide and small bath areas. In the small and congested bathrooms, you can hang the single and long mirror that provides a spacious feel and appearance in tiny bath areas. But avoid the mirror touching the ceiling and other lighting fixtures.
If you have a large bathroom, the height and the options for mounting the mirror could differ. In large areas, you can mount double mirrors instead of single mirrors.
Lighting
When deciding the height of the mirror, the lighting fixtures are the most important thing if you want to hang them above the mirror. Hanging the lighting bars above the mirror is the traditional way to get the required brightness. These could be lighting bars with single or multiple bulbs and chandeliers. If you are hanging the mirror below the lighting bars, you must leave the ideal gap of 2-3 inches. It will give a balanced appearance and keep your mirror away from the lighting bars. In case of hanging the chandeliers above the mirror, keep them high so you can get a comfortable vision in the mirror.
Ceiling
The other vital factors are the height of the bathroom ceiling. You can mount the large mirrors according to available space for large areas such as main rooms with a great distance between bathroom floors and ceiling. In the case of small and compact size bathrooms, you need to decide carefully how much height of mirror you are allowed. No matter what size bath area you have, you can leave a gap of 4-5 inches between the upper edge of the mirror and the ceiling.
Vanity height
To decide the mirror’s height, you need to focus on the height of the vanity. The freestanding vanity has the same height for small and large bathroom vanities, but for the floating vanity, you can change the height according to your needs. Similarly, the height of your mirror also varies depending on the style and height of your vanity.
Regardless of the vanity style, the ideal height of the mirror can be achieved by leaving a distance of 2-10 inches between the vanity top and the mirror’s bottom edge. While hanging the mirror, you must align the mirror’s center and the sink and faucet’s center.
Other features
Besides all these major factors, your mirror height depends on the other factors. These factors might not apply to all cases but are important in specific bathroom vanities and areas.
Backsplash
Some bath areas have a backsplash above the bathroom vanity, and even some bath vanities have their backsplash as the necessary unit of the set. When hanging the mirror above the backsplash, you need to count the height of the backsplash while measuring the mirror’s height. Ideally, there should be a 1-inch gap between the mirror edge and the backsplash. If you mount the mirror flushing against the backsplash, there is a chance of damaging the mirror with water splashes. So it is necessary to keep the gap between these two fixtures.
Faucet
When measuring the mirror’s height, you must count the sink faucet. Make sure it should not extend below the faucet line. Hanging the mirror below the faucet line is not functionally appropriate. It will also create an unsymmetrical appearance for your bath area and vanity. The important thing you need to focus on is that your mirror should be centrally aligned to the faucet line. But the height of the mirror should be high to avoid encountering the user view by hanging the mirror below the faucet line.
What if you want double vanity mirrors?
You can go for double bathroom mirrors for the large areas and bathroom vanities. Similarly, if you have a double-sink bathroom vanity, you can hang two separate mirrors above each sink. Hanging the two identical mirrors above each double vanity sink is important to get the unique and timeless appeal. While doing this, you must again follow the standard guidelines for measuring the mirror size.
For hanging the double mirror, there should be 4 inches gap between the mirrors and the 2 inches gap between the outer side of each mirror and the countertop. It will allow you to hang the mirrors wider than each sink but not extend out the vanity’s width.
Shapes and styles of mirrors
When deciding the mirror size for bathroom vanities, the styles and shapes of the mirror play an important role. You can get various mirror shapes, from basic rectangular to unusual pentagonal shapes.
Until now, the guidelines and the factors we are discussing can be applied to square and rectangular shape mirrors. However, while selecting the height of the mirror for square mirrors, count each side of the mirror, and it could be specific according to the shape of the mirror.
If you want to hang the round or oval mirrors, you don’t need to worry about sizing the mirror. All you need to do is maintain the mirror’s diameter wider than the sink and hang it joining the centers of the mirror and the sinks. The diameter of these mirrors would be the same as the width of rectangular and square mirrors.
Moreover, you can get a geometrical shape mirror of the hexagonal or pentagonal shape and artistic style mirrors. All you need to do is to follow the rules and consider the factors while deciding the mirror size.
You can get all shape mirrors with or without frames. When hanging the famed mirror, you need to count the few inches for the mirror’s frame to avoid any difficulty in hanging the mirror above the vanity. In contrast, a frameless mirror can easily measure according to the basic guidelines. However, a wider frameless mirror provides a spacious look even to small-size bathrooms.
Today you can get the mirror with the latest technology, such as LED, defog, and steam-free mirrors. You can upgrade the style of your bathroom and home with these mirrors. The sizing guidelines for this mirror will be the same as we described above.
For upgrading the storage, you can mount the medicine cabinets instead of hanging the simple mirrors. A medicine cabinet can be a mirror and storage cabinet above the bathroom vanity. There will be some standard sizes for medicine cabinets for each size of bathroom vanity. However, while hanging these cabinets, you will again need to focus on the lighting fixtures, vanity height, faucet height, and many other factors.
FAQs
Is it necessary to hang the mirror above the basin?
No, you can hang the mirror in whatever place you want or have. The best spot for mounting the mirror is above the basin and the vanity, where you can see yourself easily, but in this case, if you don’t have enough area to hang the mirror, then you can change the location and mount the mirror where you can easily access it.
Summing it up
Follow the standard guidelines when deciding how big your bathroom mirror should be. These will allow you to get a mirror that will not encounter the other bathroom fixtures. In addition to these basic guidelines, you can consider other factors to hang a bigger or smaller mirror of your choice. While deciding on the mirror size, all you need to do is to achieve the proper functionality. Make sure to hang them by keeping the gaps between the mirror and lighting fixtures, vanity, sink, backsplash, and faucet.