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southerntrsw

One large mirror or two individual mirrors over double vanity?

12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
We're in the process of doing a master suite addition onto our 1928 house. We're going for a restoration hardware/traditional/comfortable theme. Most of the rest of the house is original and we want to stick with the lived in look.

We have the vanity, it's the shutter double in brown with honed carrera marble on top from restoration hardware, it's 72" wide and its counter top is 34" tall and has a 4" back splash.

We're looking at the weathered oak mirror from restoration hardware, also in brown. In either of these two sizes:
One large mirror - 66"w x 32"h
or
Two small mirrors - 24"w x 36"h

I did a quick cut and paste of the two options in the bathroom space (90" wide and ceilings are 9.5ft). Also have the space empty and just the vanity.

I'm worried that the one large will not be tall enough, but it would be more practical as the center of the vanity opposes our new walk-in closet and would be nice to be able to see ourselves in the mirror while in the closet (I was in the closet taking this picture, you can see the top of door frame).

The mirrors:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod20263&categoryId=cat1520039

The vanity:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?link=ShutterBrownOak&categoryId=cat2170010

Comments (41)

  • 12 years ago
    I like the look of two smaller mirrors.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Do you use the mirrors and how? If you sit and primp or glance at yourself, it changes. How many people use the mirror and for what? What does each person need for their grooming? Are you trying to just build a pretty bath or a working one?
  • 12 years ago
    I prefer the single mirror for this space.
  • 12 years ago
    If you want a lighter feel, go for the two smaller mirrors. The one large one makes the space feel dense and even a bit heavy.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I love large mirrors as I find they do a great job at reflecting light. Your explanation of it doing double duty from the walk-in also adds to its favour
  • 12 years ago
    We have a huge white framed mirror and the bathroom looks twice as big. Must be screwed into studs, though.
  • 12 years ago
    one large mirror, for all the reasons above.
  • 12 years ago
    Thank you for all of the input so far. We don't have a separate area to primp, so the bathroom will be used by the two of us for getting ready daily. We do want to stick to the framed mirror if possible.

    If we go with the large mirror, where do think we should position it? The top of the back splash will be at 36", if we hang it 4” above that the top if the mirror frame would be right at 6'. That would work for us but we're most likely going to out grow the house and have to sell in 4-5 years. Would that work for most potential buyers? Is 32" short for a mirror?

    Also, any help with how to place vanity lighting for the two options would be very helpful. Thanks!
  • 12 years ago
    You don't have vanity lights ? Whether you put a single mirror or two, is a matter of choice either answer is correct, Just a preference, but I believe you need a wide vanity light over the large mirror to balance the look or two vanity lights for two mirror (one above each mirror). It is needed for shaving and make up and for aesthetics also, good luck.
  • 12 years ago
    It's a new addition, so there are no existing vanity lights. Didn't know between over mirror or sconces on the side. If we go with the big mirror there will be a foot on each side between mirror and wall.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I would mirror the entire back wall and then place two smaller mirrors over it/ have holes cut in the mirror plate for sconces. I know this was not exactly what you asked but I think it is a nice look even for a period style house. It reflects alot of light and eliminates the height issue.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    You will get more visual space from one mirror but selecting the right frame around it is important so that it doesn't overwhelm the vanity.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    To me the two mirrors are more in keeping with a period style. That being said, I see no holes cut in your sheetrock for light fixtures....you need to verify what wiring has been run before you go any further. If it is just that ceiling light this room is going to be miserable.

    The best lighting is to have something at ceiling or wall above and a sconce on each side of your reflection in the mirror.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I agree, I think the deciding factor should be based on how much lighting you want in front of the mirror. For the single horizontal mirror, vanity lights above would most likely be a better option. Sconces flanking the 2 vertical mirrors. I personally prefer (2 mirrors) sconces because when I lean in closer to the mirror, I like the light to be directly highlighting my face. Over head lighting creates shadows when up close. Restoration Hardware has some great options that would be in keeping with the vanity and mirrors that you are showing.
  • 12 years ago
    The electricians coiled the lines in excess behind the sheet rock so they could punch in anywhere, grab the wire, pull it out and mount the sconces where we wanted them.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    2 mirrors 3 sconces would be my thought.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    John is correct! Lucky you have the wire there and the location is still flexible. Wall sconces are a must to see your face below your cheekbones. Select the sconces before install the fixture boxes. The portion of the fixture that produces the light should be installed at the same height as your face.
  • 12 years ago
    I would want a larger mirror .. more functional for me as I'm all over the place drying my hair!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    You will also need more wattage than ceiling fixture that will be behind your head to reduce shadows on your face....I think what we're telling you is: this isn't just select mirrors. You need to shop for light fixtures at the same time.
  • 12 years ago
    You don't want the extra storage of a medicine cabinet??
  • 12 years ago
    I prefer the look of two mirrors. I much rather have lighting at either side than from the top.
  • 12 years ago
    2 mirrors look nicer. I'd go for 2 round or oval mirrors :-)
  • 12 years ago
    one large mirror -- buy a really cool one like at Home Goods! It will look great!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    I like 2 smaller mirrors because you now have space for sconces on each side and one in the center. Sconces placed properly give you less shadows. Look at the bathrooms by phoebe Howard. Very nice vanity choice.
  • 11 years ago
    Southerntrsw, please go to your link and look at the top photo. The top of the top photo is cut off, but it does show two mirrors directly above each vanity bowl. It looks nice. Unfortunately, due to the photo editing, it is not possible to see the light fixtures that were used in the installation.

    The second photo shows what happens when mirrors are not placed directly above the vanities. Imagine the difficulty that a man would encounter while trying to shave above an off-center vanity bowl! Based on photo #2, it appears that if you go with two mirrors and three lights, you will need to keep all of them relatively narrow to fit into the space. If space is a problem, you might need to consider lights over the mirrors.
  • 10 years ago

    I like idea of huge mirror and mounting wall sconces directly to the mirror--clean, streamlined, less busy look. One mirror will also make the room feel much larger. The only time I would do two single mirrors would be if those were medicine cabinets. If you don't need the extra storage, go with one large mirror to the ceiling. You can have a glass place do this and can even have a nice beveled edge if you want.

  • 9 years ago

    Can I ask how you were able to get a photo with your space and insert your different options?


  • 8 years ago

    I have 10 ft tall ceilings, and want to do 2 tall mirrors with sconces on both sides and in the middle. The vanity is 72 inch with double rectangular sinks. Will this work... and what width mirrors including the frames. My cabinet man will build the fames to match the vanity, so I can take the frames to the glass company to have the mirrors placed. Please help.

  • 6 years ago

    I have same issue. What did you do?

  • 5 years ago

    I went with two big framed mirrors. It looks great and I am so happy. I found mirrors on wayfair


  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Kim Isaacson, Love this! do you mind sharing the name/sku of these mirrors on Wayfair?

  • 5 years ago

    Kim Isaacson, also where are the sconces from?

  • 5 years ago

    Here is the sku woo3337027. Torrence tall arch accent mirror

  • 5 years ago

    Ylighting.com the only ones I could find that did not protrude too far out where I could still open medicine cabinet doors. I think these only protrude like 4 inches. They are great if you don’t want something too big.

  • 4 years ago

    Kim can You please share pics of your bathroom and bigger pic of
    The mirror plZ. I’m in the process of remodeling

  • 4 years ago

    Kim, looks nice. Is this a 72 inch space or is it narrower? Getting ready to redo a similar space, ours is 72 inches


  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I am going through the same decision and it feels a bit clunky visually to see two sinks and two mirrors. One mirror it is. Your pictures helped me decide, so thanks!

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    I put in two full size inset medicine cabinets to gain the additional storage space. My wife and I each filled our easily with items that do not store well in a vanity drawer and anything there is very hard to identify looking down at the top.


    We took out a large mirror during the bath remodel to be able to install the two medicine cabinets. In addition to overhead par lights I put wiring in for a scone on the left side of the left medicine cabinet and for a second sconce on the right side of the right cabinet and left wiring behind the wall between the two cabinets to be able to later install a third sconce if I wished to do so.


    The custom built vanity has drawers below the sink access areas and in the center is a pull-out laundry hamper that is 14 inches wide. The new vanity was 2 feet shorter than the old one but it has more than double the storage space with my design.




  • 3 years ago

    Love the medicine cabinets. They look wide-ish. Do you have to step back from the counter to get into them? I'm considering 24" medicine cabinets for the mirror size but am worried about the width of the door making opening it a pain when standing at the sink.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Nadine, your vanity cabinet is at least 22" front to back (deep) and may even be as much as 24-25inches deep. These look to be similar in width to the sinks, and those are often in the 18-22inches wide range. In short - there is plenty of room to swing a med.cab. door. There are also cabinets that have bi-pass doors. The biggest concern should be whether you can recess the cabinets or not (plumbing typically runs behind the sink). Or if you have to buy the kind that mount on the face of the sheetrock.

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