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linnea56chgo5b

Hanging a wood framed mirror over a wall to wall bathroom mirror

I posted in bathrooms but thought IÂd ask here too, to get more exposure/opinions. ItÂs more of a design issue. The Bathrooms forum often seems absorbed in technical issues much more complex than mine. This is abbreviated:

My newly renovated Craftsman style powder room still has its original, large glued-on wall mirror that fills up the whole wall horizontally over the vanity and toilet. The wall and the mirror are about 6 feet wide.

Before the renovation I had bought a Craftsman style wood framed mirror to use. There is no place else in that small room where it will fit. It is NOT an option to still remove the wall mirror. The Craftsman mirror is 35.5" H x 23" W, and can hang either vertically or horizontally.

What would it look like if I hung it over the wall mirror, centered over the vanity? The vanity is on the left side of the wall. The toilet is to the right of the vanity. The big wall attached mirror is over both of those. I think it might actually help to balance or ground the visual weight of the dark wood vanity with its black granite top. It can be hung vertically or horizontally. Horizontally it is the exact same width as the vanity. I know it would NOT look good centered over the whole mirror.

Can anyone show me how this looks, if you have done it? Thanks! And how would I do it? I assume some kind of cable, but what? What would be strong enough and unobtrusive as well? I doubt if I would be lucky enough to find 2 studs in the right place.

Visualize thisÂwith a big wall mirror behindÂand stretching 3 feet more to the right! Plus filling all the vertical space from vanity top up to the light fixture. Even with that picture IÂm having hard time imagining it myself. I guess I really need to see it done elsewhere.

Thanks for the help!

Comments (33)

  • graywings123
    14 years ago

    My first reaction to that mirror is that it tilts more Asian design than craftsman.

  • straitlover
    14 years ago

    I've seen it done on some of those HGTV Sell My House type shows. One in particular I remember was a bathroom that had a double vanity and a huge mirror. They took 2 smaller oval mirrors in pretty frames and hung one over each sink. They were lightweight, and thery were able to use those Command type hooks to hang them.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks. The straight lines could make it blend into asian, prairie, craftman, or any of those. It was sold as part of the Craftsman collection, and I already have the mirror, and the vanity, so IÂm sticking with calling it craftsman, LOL!

    How did it look,straitlover ? I went through the whole HGTV website last night looking for pics. Unfortunately that site is not easily searchable. I found one picture, but it was of 2 oval mirrors over the big one, each over a sink. That would be symmetrical so I could imagine that better. This would not be. And this mirror is pretty heavy, it needs a secure hanger.

  • artlover13060
    14 years ago

    I know you said the wall to wall mirror can't be removed, but if you don't mind me asking, would you mind telling why? You know that old saying, "Where there is a will, there is a way."

  • emagineer
    14 years ago

    Me too, why can't you remove the wall to wall mirror?

    Removing it may take some work in refinishing the walls afterwards, but certainly solve the dilema. Usually they cross tape a large mirror and break it up. If this is an original mirror to the room, you might be surprised that the old glue could easily pull away. Large mirrors are scarey, but a good contractor could do this.

    I volunteer at Habitat/Restore and it amazes me the size of mirrors which come in from bathrooms in one piece.

    I had a 70s mirror on a wall with gold streaks through it. We spray painted a primer on it and then rolled standard wall paint over that. It looked great and didn't have a problem with any peeling.

  • graywings123
    14 years ago

    Linnea - how much does your mirror weigh? I would hang it horizontally and centered over the vanity. There should be a header (horizontal stud) on the wall where it meets the ceiling. Take two pieces of chain (you buy it by the inch at Home Depot) and attach to the sides of the mirror and hook the chains to screws drilled into the header.

  • nicole__
    14 years ago

    mustangs....that a COOL look!!!! Why NOT hang a mirror over a mirror? It's a GREAT idea for a NEW look!

  • cooperbailey
    14 years ago

    To continue on graywings idea- you could buy the chain in to match or paint it to pickup the color of the wood frame- and it could even be hung about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in front of the mirror for added depth and drama(but not so you can see the back of the mirror.)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I tried posting to WednesdayÂs posts but that was when the site was down. Better late than neverÂ!

    artlover13060 et.al.Âthey said it was because it could not be removed without ripping up the drywall. I believe it. Before the contractors even came, my husband and I had spent dozens of hours repairing the torn drywall from taking the wallpaper off the 3 walls that were NOT covered by this mirror. I knew if they did take it down, the strong glue that had been used would make it even worse, necessitating removal of all the drywall on that wall. Having them replace the drywall was not in the budget, or in the time frame. Ours was a small job squeezed between other peopleÂs jobs. This is an area where competition for contractors is fierce.

    mustangsÂthat looks BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for showing it. That helps. How is the picture attached?

    I would love a picture of the bathroom one, mirror on mirror, if you ever get the chanceÂI know I will have to explain this to my husband, who does not have a visual imagination. He will have to help me with this project so I need "ammunition".

    Also, is yours centered? ThatÂs one of the things that has me concernedÂbecause my installation would be asymmetrical.

    For hanging I was thinking about used a nylon coated wire. I have seen something similar used by frame shops on the back of paintings I have had framed. It is silvery, like nylon over braided steel cable. I was thinking that would fade into the mirror more. Assuming I could find some. The mirror weighs 13 pounds, I just checked on the website. Considering how big it is, thatÂs not much.

  • straitlover
    14 years ago

    Linnea56, the ones I saw on HGTV were 2 ovals just like what you saw on their website.

  • sweeby
    14 years ago

    Can you just prop up the mirror for a few minutes to see what it looks like? It won't be exactly in the right spot, but you should be able to get an idea if it works or not...

  • mustangs81
    14 years ago

    Linnea, the mirror on a mirror is a 36" round beveled edge that I attached myself. I was challenging to do it myself but DH is no help. When I picked up the mirror from the glass company, I asked for guidance. They gave me some glass on glass adhesive. I filled the tub with lots of bed pillows and down comforters (in case it fell it might be cushioned), applied the adhesive, wedged mops between the tub and the mirror for the suggested time. Voila! It's be there for a number of years.

    The picture was hung on the mirror using the same adhesive on hooks that the glass company gave me. They told me that I could remove with a razor blade.

    Good luck!

  • shaun
    14 years ago

    Looks great Cathy!

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    sweeby...good idea! (so WHY didnÂt I think of it?)

    The picture was hung on the mirror using the same adhesive on hooks that the glass company gave me. They told me that I could remove with a razor blade.

    Wow, mustangs. That could be the answer to the "unobtrusive hanging" issue! I would so love to not have to hang it from wires. The base mounting of the light is in the way, among other problems. IÂll bet my mirror, at 13 lbs., is no heavier than your framed picture. IÂm trying to imagine what those hooks are like. I would never have known such a thing existed. Must have a flat surface to put the adhesive on?

  • mustangs81
    14 years ago

    Linnea, I just took the picture down to look at the hook so I could tell you. It is a metal "L" shaped bracket. The adhesive was applied to the long side of the L and after letting it set for a day, I hung the wire on the short part of the bracket. Yes, the flat bracket applied to the flat surface of the mirror.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you so much for all your help! I'll be calling the mirror shops tomorrow for the adhesive and hooks. I appreciate all your efforts...and the inspirational photo (which I will show to my husband so he doesn't think this concept is "off the wall," so to speak)!

    I can DO this! I'm so excited. (Now I have to find out where I stashed the mirror when I coudln't use it at the time...)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    OK! Found the camera cable! I propped the mirror up today on soem boxes and took some shots. So tell me what looks goodÂor IF it looks good. It will be hard to get a good perspective, though, sorry! The room is so small itÂs impossible to get back far enough to get both the wood framed mirror and the whole big wall mirror in the same shot. So I had to take a couple trying to squeeze it all in.

    The mirror is not the same as the picture I posted earlier from the website. ItÂs been boxed up so long I forgot it was a different style.

    I was assuming horizontal would be best, because that way the mirror is the same width as the vanity, but now IÂm not sure.

    Oh...and ignore that woman, and her annoying flash, in the mirror! She just would NOT get out of the way.

    First shots horizontal:

    Now the vertical:

    Thanks!

  • greenthumbfish
    14 years ago

    Aesthetically, I actually like it both ways (the horizontal, a little bit more), but for functionality, I'm leaning toward the vertical.

    Gorgeous mirror, BTW. I've been eyeballing your thread here and knew the border of the frame was going to be mirrored because of the stock photos and your description of what you were planning, and I knew it would be fabulous! Love the cab back there! And the other mirror, but I know what you mean about the lady in the mirror ;-)

  • greenthumbfish
    14 years ago

    OOPS!

    I meant to add, yours (lady in the mirror) is prettier than mine! ;-)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I should have told "her" to put some makeup on first! Funny how we are invisible...until we see the pictures!

  • olychic
    14 years ago

    I love your bathroom and the mirror, but I don't think it works over the plate glass mirror, with the light fixture where it is. If the sink were centered under the bigger mirror and there was plate glass around the frame equally, it would fade into the background and look great. But the way it is, it looks like you have 2 different styles going on - above the vanity and then over the toilet. Any chance you could get a 2nd one over the toilet to match? Or just frame the whole plate glass mirror and use the wood one elsewhere?

  • annemouse
    14 years ago

    I agree with olychic. It is both, a great bathroom and a nice mirror, but to me it does not really go together. The mirror looks not in place on just one side under the lighting fixture. Plus, the wood frame on the left side and the wood frame of the mirror are "too close" to each other so the room looks unbalanced. But, that is just my opinion and the mirror is beautiful.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    ThatÂs what I was afraid of. I didnÂt want to put ideas in peopleÂs headsÂbut that is the reservation I have. I think having to use it on one side of the wall, asymmetrically, doesnÂt work. I was SO sure it would look great, and be really like the finishing touch in this room. Darn! The thickness, bulkiness, of it bothers me too, in that place. Too much mass. I thought, before I tried it, that it would balance the weight of the solid looking vanity. Instead it just makes it look like too much weight on the left side of the room and nothing on the right. Having to one side bothers me with the light fixture too, and I love that light. It doesnÂt show well in the photos, but is a stained glass repro I ordered from a craftsman lighting company, in a custom size.

    The mirror is discontinued, so I canÂt get another to balance it better. It doesnÂt look right centered on the big mirror either. Too odd when you are standing in front of the vanity. Sigh. I love this mirror. Buying this one when it went on clearance was what made me decide to have a craftsman bathroom in the first place! (Well, that and it opens off a craftsman family room.)

    I have one open wall on that room, where I used to have a framed picture. IÂll try propping it up there. The craftsman family room already has a mirror.

  • beache
    14 years ago

    I agree that with the lights and the small wood cabinet on the left there is just too much going on over the vanity if you put the mirror there.

    I'm just throwing this out there....

    Have you tried it vertically over the toilet? It seems to me it would balance all the stuff going on over on the left of the wall and that beautiful wood frame wouldn't be fighting your lights for attention.

    beache

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    OKÂtry thisÂ.how about on the empty wall, between the full wall mirror and the attached wall cabinet? In this position it would be the first thing you saw when you walked into the room. That wall is completely empty except for the toilet paper holder. The toilet is to the lower left, under the wall mirror.

    This time ignore the man standing in the way holding it up. There isnÂt a whole lot of room. Visualize him as transparent. There are times when heÂd like to be. (like when he asks, "Are you ready to hang that mirror?" And I say, "No, I want to take pictures first and think about it." )

    Vertical:

    Horizontal:

    Last picture shows the reflection of it in the wall mirror, which is the only way I could shoot it to show the view with the wall cabinet in the frame. This way maybe you get more of a view of the room and what else is there.

  • greenthumbfish
    14 years ago

    Yes, it was a bit busy on the wall-2-wall, I'd obviously had too much wine last nite, LOL! I just love that mirror and wanted it to work for you.

    I like it vertical on the wall best. Does it still look busy in there that way?

  • vampiressrn
    14 years ago

    I like the vertical invisible man view. I think it helps to pull your entire bathroom together and evens out the various elements. It is a beautiful mirror and deserves its own wall.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Bumping, for more feedback.

    One concern I have (I almost hate to mention this): if placed on the "blank" wall, is if it is too close to the toilet. If you would find yourself looking in the mirror while standing in front of, or sitting on, the toilet.

  • annemouse
    14 years ago

    I like the horizontal mirror on the plain wall, too. This place makes it stand out and balance the whole room. I would not put it vertically because it seems squeezed in.
    Would you really see yourself sitting on the toilet? Standing up, I would not mind at all, but sitting, hmm.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I thought it looked more squeezed in horizontally! That way there is less than a foot on either side. Hung vertically there would be a more even amount of wall on all sides.

    I could hang it high enough so you wouldnÂt see yourself sitting down. Most of it is frame, after all. The mirror portion is much smaller. Standing, seeing yourself would be unavoidable. To avoid a "line" from the top of the wall mirror to the top of the wood mirror I could even raise it higher.

  • annemouse
    14 years ago

    Uuups, sorry , I mixed it up. I absolutely agree - vertically looks MUCH better.

  • vampiressrn
    14 years ago

    Looking at it again a second time and I have to change my vote to vertical...think linnea is right. I still like it on that wall.