Typical Tuesday: Mirror Magic

Wow...DH and I had a fantastic, super productive weekend at the "Love Shack" and I wanted to share with you on this "Typical Tuesday" the wonderful magic of mirrors in small places!

Most people realize that mirrors are a great tool for expanding a space...right?  However, in order to be effective, mirrors also need to be put in the right place so that they,

1. reflect as much light as possible to "open" up the room,
2. are the right size for the space and,
3. reflect objects that you want reflected...as when mirrors are placed on fireplace mantels and reflect the room's ceiling fixtures...not very pretty :}

To demonstrate further what I am trying to say, let's take a look at the bathroom in our "Love Shack"...please note that this photo was taken by the Realtor with a special lens and it is showing the "opposite" view of the layout of our actual bathroom, but...you get the picture:

The large mirror above the sink was put in by the original contractors and it was an attempt to make this bathroom look larger.  BUT, actually it makes the bathroom look smaller because it overpowers the sink/vanity and the light fixture.  Also, this large mirror is "reflecting" the wall and door and then makes the room seem smaller and actually claustrophobic.  Needless to say...we removed the mirror...and replaced it with an actual medicine cabinet because there are no drawers for storing toiletries in the vanity.

This narrow medicine cabinet offers two mirrored doors...one small one on the right for those frequently used items that can be grasped while the larger left one remains closed and in full use.  The size of the cabinet is centered over the pedestal sink and under the existing light fixture...which we were going to replace but the depth of the cabinet cuts down now on the glaring bulbs and we do not feel so rushed to find a new fixture...gives us time to find ther perfect one :}

Next up...was the side wall which the contractor chose to hang a "single towel bar holder" in the middle of this large wall, which only made the wall look barren and sparse and was only emphasized in the old, large mirror.  So we bought two more cabinets to place on this wall:

These cabinets offer loads of much-needed storage...the cute white baskets are large enough to stow away rolls of spare toilet paper!  Now here is a great shot of the "watch what your mirrors are reflecting" tip...because right now you are seeing the top of my shower curtain and the blank wall above the curtain.  I could choose to "raise my shower curtain rod"...which is a technique I always love...but where this is a small room and I'm worried about ventilation....I think "not" a good treatment for here.  SO...what I am going to do is install some artwork above the shower wall and they will be reflected in these mirrors.  AND don't worry...I've got the perfect pieces that are moisture resistant!

Below this wall of cabinets is a "vanity/storage" area that the contractor created.  Really wish they had just left the whole thing empty so that we could have bought a floor to ceiling cabinet to maximize the storage space...but not happening now!

So, my solution for maximizing this space, was to add some small plastic drawers for those items that we do not use often...like travel cases and linens.  Then I put a curtain up with a tension rod to cover up the ugly plastic bins and to "soften" this space.

Sorry...this photo is a little blurry...and it doesn't show the bottom of the curtain where I added a black/cream gingham edge...cool beans:}  Next I'll be hanging my magnifying mirror that I got from IKEA on the wall between the medicine and the storage cabinets.  Also at IKEA...I found this great "hotel towel rack" and thought it would be a great solution for my tiny bathroom...

Now I didn't purchase any of the hooks...because I don't want my bath to look like a "laundry"...but I was inspired by the "rails/bars" because I'm going to hang this over my bathroom window and use the last bar to actually hang my bathroom curtains on...

 
The size for my window was perfect...with room for the curtains to "stack-back" (which means the space beside the windows where the curtains will hang when open) and the price was unbelievable (only $19.99)...good luck in trying to find a curtain rod for that price!  In lieu of putting baskets on top of the rails/bars...I'm opting for towel storage...just like in the hotels...neatly folded on top!  Okay...I didn't man to stray from the "Magic of Mirrors"...but I just had to share this with you :}

So...remember the really large, ugly contractor's mirror...

oops....sorry blurry photo again...any-hoot...from the bathroom, there is a pocket door which leads directly into the walk-in closet...

So we decided to recycle the bathroom mirror by putting in on the end wall of the closet...see me trying to not be in the photo...lol   Here, you can see the pocket-doorway that leads into the closet that I was talking about previously.  This wall was the perfect size for holding this mirror and because the attic stairs come down here and they have to "clear" this wall...we cannot put anything here that the stairs will get caught up on.  Not even a coat hook will fit here...so this mirror is just perfect for the walk-in closet because it reflects the light from the bathroom as well as the bedroom windows.  Also, once we've finished moving in, it will showcase our bedroom linens...also the obvious bonus...that it makes a perfect, full-length, dressing mirror...woo hoo!

A few weeks ago while shopping with my Sis (see her in the mirror) at IKEA...yes, one of many trips to IKEA...I found these great mirrors on sale...

With a light over the top they make a great entryway or foyer statement...but what I saw was "decorative dressing mirrors"...that are perfect for holding ties, belts, jewelry and/or scarves...and when they are only $19.99 a piece...why not get two...one for him and one for her...

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

--designer-- William Morris

So true...just love this quote!  So, we moved the towel bars that were previously hung here on the side wall of the closet and placed them on the back of the bedroom door...mainly...because I don't want to be looking at bath towels every time I walk in my closet.  We chose to NOT hang them on the bathroom door because we have hooks there already for hanging your clothes, towel, etc. while trying to get dressed in the bathroom after showering.  AND...having something permanently on the back of the door causes the bathroom door to always be "ajar" and I just don't like that look (remember my OCD tendencies).  So now our decorative mirrors are hung and ready to hold my husbands ties and my silk scarves, which, will look neat and pretty hanging here.

Hope you all enjoyed my "Typical Tuesday", the Magic of Mirrors post and next week I'll be showing you how to "Ride the Rails"...so much fun...enjoy your week!

Comments

[Joannie]

Thank you for this post! Great tips! I absolutely loooove the 2 wall cabinets with the 3 baskets...where did you get them? I want them for my bathroom. :)

[Mary]

Your large medicine cabinet is adorable. Do you remember where you got it? Thanks!

[Susan]

Wow...turned out great...plus, you gained soooo much storage! Love the curtain hiding the additional storage. Great transformation! Thanks for your visit to my Mirror Ideabook! :-)
Susan

[Flory Mariñas-Simbulan]

I love this post... you've made a lot of points here...we really need a lot of storage space in the bathroom...I'd like to share some of the bathrooms I've designed (http://flo-ry.blogspot.com/2008/10/bahthroom.html) full-height mirrors usually didn't work out so well. =)