i'm so glad you asked about not having a mirror over the sink! I've been thinking about doing that and wasn't sure my mind was working correctly - lol!

There's a HUGE mirror over the sink now and I hate it and planned to replace it anyway. Some time back I bought a rather small mirror (maybe a foot or so high and less than a foot wide) in a frame that is painted in the colors of my 'new' bathroom. I want to use it but it is too small to be on that huge wall over the sink - and it would be too far for me to see much of me anyway @ 22 or so inches away from it. I was thinking about putting it on the wall along the right side of the sink.

not sure what I would put over the sink then - artwork maybe or a poster. Something I'd rather look at and could enjoy from the hall outside of the room and from the tub edge when I'm soaking my feet.

When I thought back over the past 13 yrs I realized I hadn't used a mirror over the sink in all of these yrs anyway. The mirror where I am now is too high for me to see in (I'm short) and it's configured in with the electrical over it so there was no way I was gonna lower it. I put a lovely marble shelf under it and have found that very handy! I love my little shelf and would like it over the sink in the new place.

I'll have a huge mirror on my dressing table in the bedroom and I've been thinking of using 20" or so of my 66" vanity for a lower 'make up' type area. I don't use much make up anymore but it'd also be a good place to sit to sort my pills out, work on my nails, put lotion on my legs, etc. There's a skinny window over that area. It's to the left of my sink.

Good to know I'm not the only one thinking about doing this!

Well, desertsteph, it seems like you and I might be the only GWer's ready to "step away from the mirror"! Lol.

DH doesn't have an opinion either way although the contractor thinks we should put (squish) the mirror in between two existing windows. I'd rather just have a whole wall of windows and maybe put a mirror on the left side (like the pic in the link) w/ a smaller make up/shaving mirror & a full length one on another wall. Plenty of grooming space but I'd still be able to look out over the backyard. No close neighbors to worry about either... :)

You are not the only ones! In our 79 year-old house, the sink in the front bathroom has the original jalousie window over it. Since jalousies are not that pretty I have a simple curtain over it. Usually we keep the window open, to ensure good air flow. The original mirrored set-in medicine cabinet is to the side and down about 2 feet, with a very cute ceramic shelf next to it. We have been in this house for 24 years and are very happy with this arrangement. When you walk into this very narrow BR, you see a pedestal sink ahead, with curtains sometimes blowing softly in the breeze. You do not have to look at your gorgeous self at 7 a.m., lol.

A friend of mine found an old window frame, used it to frame a pretty garden'flower picture, with glass of course, and attached a very narrow shelf to the frame bottom. Frame and shelf were painted a glossy dark green. She hung it opposite the mirror-over-the-sink in her bathroom. It was thus reflected into the mirror and was adorable. No reason why it couldn't have been placed over the sink for a looking-out-the-window effect.

Bumble,

In another house I have a setup very much like the one in your first photo.

The entire wall is glass, from left-to-right and floor-to-ceiling. The countertop floats.

On the return walls on the far left and the far right, there are medicine cabinets. When the medicine cabinet is closed, there is artwork on the outside, it looks like a picture in a frame hanging on the wall. When the medicine cabinet door is open, there is a mirror. I fashioned a somewhat unconventional hinging/sliding mechanism for the medicine cabinet door so when open, the mirror slides out and extends well behind the sink.

My wife was 100% against the idea when I proposed it. I understood, because it was pretty unconventional back when I did it, back in the mid-90s. But she loves it now.

Wish there were some pix of this. I have a 95 year old home, with a decent size bathroom I'll be renovating in the next year of so. I hate the current layout and was seriously considering switching the sink position to under one of the windows which is where the tub currently resides (we have a separate tub and shower currently). Actually, was thinking of having 2 sinks, with the window in the middle of them - no medicine cabinets on the wall. I hate them, didn't have one in my old home; had a large flat mirror and lots of drawers to put things in instead (and, a wall of cabinets but that bathroom was huge).

If anyone finds photos to show this please post them!

"No close neighbors to worry about either"

I don't have any either. my skinny little window is on the left side of my vanity - it has a frosted type window in it. I'm going to have a new one put in (so it'll open) but not frosted. I want to be able to look out at the puppy and talk to her during the night.

I had thought about framing the big mirror - maybe even double framing it. still don't think I'd even like that very much. would rather have something I like to look at there. it's what I see every time i walk in there or by there.

I'd have my little mirror, the make up mirror, dressing table mirror and a full length 3 fold mirror in the back room. I have another full length mirror I can put on the back of my closet door also. That's more'n I wanna see of me anyway!

There's a mirror in the other bath too (it's big and will go next yr or so), each bath has a medicine cab with mirror on a wall to the side of each sink and I have a mirror with hooks along the bottom of it's frame to hang by the back door (hooks for leash and my jacket). gee, I think that's a lot of mirrors - too many.

"You do not have to look at your gorgeous self at 7 a.m., lol."

Too funny, sable_ca...and I agree 100%!

mongoct, your bathroom sounds incredible! I love the mirror behind the artwork idea. Do you have any pictures you'd be willing to share?

Gosh, desertsteph, now you got me thinking about how many mirrors we have in our house. :)

sivyaleah, in addition to the pics in the link above I found these for my inspiration folder:

I see very little reason that one needs a mirror directly over a sink in a bathroom. Personally, I need a mirror over a countertop of some sort, preferably near the sink, but it could easily be something that swings out or is between windows or next to windows or something similar. About the only time I'm closely using a mirror and a sink is when I put contacts in and need my contact solution to go down the sink and may want the mirror to aid in putting the contacts in (or taking them out) of my eyes.

I found this recent [Window Above the Bathroom Sink Houzz.com Feature[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/a-window-above-the-bathroom-sink-feature-or-flaw-stsetivw-vs~1196083).

I googled "bathroom window above sink" and found this wonderful thread. We are in the planning stages of a master bath remodel and are stuck with an impossible layout. The perfect place for us to put the vanity and maximize storage is under the window, but I have never seen this before. Thanks for the pics and links--it gives us something to strongly consider!

I would think it would be most useful to a man shaving.

Maybe ask your husband? If he doesn't care, then go for it.

We have two powder rooms and neither has a mirror over the sink. I think it can feel rather formulaic to put a mirror over a sink. I like windows over the sink, and would have done it in my bath but I wanted my tub in front of the window even more.

Some people make a mess brushing their teeth if they can't see what they're doing. If you don't have that problem in your household, put the mirror elsewhere for sure!

When we ever get around to building I want to place my sink under a window with a mirror mounted somewhere on the window.
My current bathroom set up is so dark that I think I look pretty good til I get in the car and look in the mirror. Daylight shows everything,like makeup that isn't adequately applied and those eyebrow and chin hairs I missed. ugh!

you could have the window over the sink with a side mirror like this that you can pull out/up close and then push it away when not needed.

[traditional bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by san francisco general contractor Mueller Nicholls Cabinets and Construction

I like that!

I also love lots of light in the bathroom. It as always been my dream to have a vanity with a window directly over a mirror. This way, I would have tons of natural light while I am getting ready. This vanity could easily fit between two sinks or it could go elsewhere in the room.