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Does mirror frame need to match vanity?

nhbaskets
11 years ago

We are starting on a low budget reno of our small hallway bath. Plan to tile floor, replace vanity, mirror, lighting and fixtures. Shower/tub combo will remain as will toilet that was replaced a few years ago. We are considering a Strasser shaker 36" vanity with Cambria Buckingham countertop, Daltile Brancacci 12"x12" floor tile in Fresco Caffe and walls painted in BM Jamesboro Gold. Our house trim is BM China White. Fixtures would be polished chrome.

I love the look of this mirror with the light mounted directly on it.


Would it look weird for the mirror frame to be painted in white with a vanity in a dark alder?

These are the items we're considering.

Vanity-Strasser shaker in dark alder

Counter and Walls-Cambria Buckingham and BM Jamesqboro Gold

Floor-Daltile Brancacci in Fresco Caffe

We are not married to any of thses items, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Carole

Comments (13)

  • lascatx
    11 years ago

    Your mirror doesn't have to match, but it does need to blend. Painted white would stick out like a sore thumb in that mix. You could do the same kind of look with the light fixture mounted into the frame, just make the frame stained wood or metallic instead of white.

  • nhbaskets
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Lascatx--I was thinking it would stick out too much. Just didn't know if staining it would add to what might become a dark bathroom.

  • treasuretheday
    11 years ago

    Very nice choices. The short answer is no, the mirror doesn't have to match the vanity. Sometimes not matching is a good thing and makes for a more interesting room but they should blend or relate to one another. Most importantly though, if you like it, you are the one that matters.

    Looking at your particular elements, here are my (non-professional!) thoughts...

    The mirror shown works especially well in the room pictured because of the beadboard wainscoting. Have you visualized it and liked it as well as just the mirror on its own? Or perhaps you are considering wainscoting(?)

    Your other choices are warm earthy tones. The stark white would look out of place ... unless your current toilet and tub/shower combo are white as well. Your BM china white trim could help pull it together.

    If it were me, I'd probably look around for a similar mirror in wood and if I didn't find one I liked, I'd go for it. It would be easy enough to paint if needed.

    I hope you'll post pictures of your room when you're done. It's amazing the changes that can be accomplished with even a "low budget reno."

  • lascatx
    11 years ago

    Since you plan on using chrome fixtures and hardware, look for a soft, brushed or aged silver paint finish on the mirror frame. For my taste, you already have a lot of beige going on. Stained wood could get dark and and I wouldn't add any more beige/gold tones.

    One thing to look at in your choices -- other than the darker wood, they are all beige midtones. That is going to produce a rather flat look. Is that what you want?

  • nhbaskets
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I've been playing with an sketch app on my iPad and have mocked up the bath with a painted mirror and a stained mirror. Any thoughts? Couldn't resist adding my dog in the mirror.

  • Gracie
    11 years ago

    We're doing our guest bath and replacing the same things you are. I bought a Kraftmaid 36" vanity so I could chose wood, stain, and door style. I started this process in January, and it seems like it's taking a month to select each individual item! Mirror will be my next worry!

    Be careful how much pattern you put into a room that size. The quartz is very busy so you should go with a quiet floor. That Daltile pattern has a lot of movement and the variance is a 3. You've also selected 12" tile, so the grout lines will create more pattern. We tiled our kitchen with a V4 Daltile and have an almost monochromatic quartz counter.

  • rjr220
    11 years ago

    We made the rounds of the local Parade of homes yesterday, specifically looking at bathrooms. None of the mirrors had frames that matched the vanities!

  • dekeoboe
    11 years ago

    We made the rounds of the local Parade of homes yesterday, specifically looking at bathrooms. None of the mirrors had frames that matched the vanities!

    What did they have? Did you take any pictures?

  • rjr220
    11 years ago

    I took pictures! : ) But not of mirrors! : (

    But this is what I remember. We went to the higher end homes, b/c I wanted to see what they were putting in their BR's. Last time I did the rounds it was when I was doing my kitchen. Interesting observation -- three years ago even the master baths had laminate counters, but this year all of the baths: master, guest, and powder, had granite. I only saw laminate IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE house in the laundry room!

    Many Many unframed, unbeveled mirrors that went the full length of the vanity, started at top of backsplash and were about ~36 inches high. Which is what I currently have in my 35 year old bathrooms. So I guess that is still in style or back in style.

    Mirrors that were framed by . . . . a mirrored frame

    One house had a 60" dark brown double vanity with smallish (17W x 22 inch tall) oval mirrors framed with dark faux plastickly wood

    One of the few painted cabinets had a matching mirror frame -- again, that mirror ran the full length of the cabinet and was at least 36" tall.

    Very interesting that most of the fixtures were brushed, except for again, the two most expensive homes, that had chrome.

    I also made an interesting observation to my husband that of the 14 houses we went to, only two had name brand toilets, the rest were builder grade. Same for sinks. I didn't recognize some of the most often seen sinks on this website (some of the kohlers). Only one vessel sink. Most of them had the same exact towel bars and TP holders. Niches. Lots and Lots of niches. Shower and Tub-Shower tiling jobs that went all the way up to the ceiling. And walk in showers that only someone with a BMI of None of them held a candle to what has been posted here!

  • dekeoboe
    11 years ago

    rjr220 - Thanks for the information.

  • Erin
    11 years ago

    I am currently remodeling 2 bathrooms so I have been doing a lot of research myself!!! So, here's my $0.02.

    No, mirror does not have to match...but that mirror style you show really would have to. It is basically tied to the vanity so it would look best stained to match the vanity. If the mirror doesnt match the vanity it still has to tie into something and I can't see the white tieing in well to anything.

    I'm also not into the floor tile. Your counter top has a lot of movement. I think the floor tile will compete too much. I would choose a floor tile with a much more subdued pattern with a grout color that matches so it is very monochromatic. I think it will look more high end too.

  • lillo
    10 years ago

    I would go with the stained mirror too. I am choosing dark cabinets and wanted to add a white medicine cabinet on top of the toilet . Asked a designer and she said no , it will not blend although I have white toilet , tub and white marble floors.