Many of our customers find that choosing the right bathroom mirror really can make the design come together - as it bounces light around the room, can illuminate and relax your space, or can give your bathroom an extra pop of light or colour you were looking for.
The best bathroom mirror can finish off a fresh bathroom beautifully, or can be an affordable way to breathe new life into a pokey or tired space. Read our guide below on style, shape, colour and even in-built product features to help you decide what mirror will work best in your bathroom or en suite.
Choosing a shape
Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes. For the best bathroom mirror to suit your room, we recommend you use the wall space you’ve been given wisely – make the most of the bathroom wall height, and opt for a mirror at least 700mm in height if you have high ceilings. Your sink and toilet furniture can also help guide what shape may suit your bathroom. Rounded furniture can often be better suited to round or oval mirrors, whilst angular furniture works well with a rectangular mirror. For more guidance on style, visit How to choose the right shape mirror for your bathroom.
Colour and finish
For a timeless finish, opt for a matte frame if you’re looking for a framed bathroom mirror. This will make those bathroom splashes easier to hide (as well as clean!). Our LED mirrors come in a variety of styles, most of which are frameless. Our black bathroom mirrors have a wide range of illuminated and non-illuminated designs to choose from. Don’t be afraid to go bold with colour – especially if the rest of the room is fairly muted, you have plenty of storage space, and/or wall space is ample.
For a contemporary bathroom, we recommend our black-framed illuminated mirrors, which give off dazzling light output, and contrasts beautifully against the industrial feel of a black frame. White, chrome or brass frames also help draw the eye and allow you to pair with other accents of the same colour, to create cohesion in your bathroom.
Picking a mirror style to suit your bathroom
Contemporary, traditional, rounded corners or sharp angular lines? Dark and mysterious or airy and light? All these styles will impact what mirror may suit your space best. If your wall features wall lights or sconces already, a non-illuminated mirror may be an easy way to refresh your bathroom with minimal disruption.
Not a lot of space to work with? Try a touch sensor mirror like the ultra slim Nano mirror or the Belt hanging mirror – these mirrors are turned off and on with the switch on the front of the mirror, instead of managed by a motion sensor, which requires an additional 15cm radius of space around the sensor to allow it to detect the wave of your hand to turn it on and off.
Splurging on something to make your bathroom pop? Try the Luka smart mirror with Alexa built-in, which can do everything your Alexa can do (don’t worry – it can’t drop in on you unannounced!!) just in the bathroom – meaning it’s IP44 rated and splashproof, but still provides brilliant sound output.
Bathroom mirror lighting
The LEDs in our bathroom mirrors are designed to last over 50,000 hours. We also offer a free 10 year guarantee when you shop with us – simply register your product here to extend your warranty for that extra piece of mind.
Backlit mirrors
Backlit bathroom mirrors provide a soft halo of lighting around the mirror, as the LEDs are concealed behind the unit. Although mirrors with backlighting can at first glance appear less bright than mirrors with diffused or dot LEDs on the front of the mirror, the light is superbly even, making it great for visibility as well as atmosphere. Many of our backlit mirrors feature cool and warm LEDs too, which provide even more choice when it comes to light output – they even feature a memory setting, which remembers your last chosen colour setting.
Many backlit mirrors have LEDs that sit behind the mirror, which means the individual LEDs can illuminate and reflect off the wall. For this reason, some particularly shiny mirror tiles can reflect these individual LED dots. Please be aware when deciding on your bathroom tiles of their reflective capabilities – try before you buy if possible!
Ambient lighting
Ambient lighting is what we refer to when illuminated mirrors can change from cool white (6400-6000 kelvins) to daylight white (5000k) to warm white (4000k) with the touch on a button (if touch senso) or wave of a hand (if infra-red motion switch). These mirrors illuminate the bathroom beautifully, and give you complete control of the light colour that fills your bathroom.
Nothing beats a bath full of bubbles – next time you’re in the mood to wind down simply switch your ambient mirror lighting to warm white and feel yourself immersed in a relaxing yellow light that resembles candlelight. When switched on, your LED mirror will also wick away any steam that is created, with its practical built-in demister pad.
Diffused lighting
The best bathroom mirrors allow you to control your bathroom lighting with ease. Many of our diffused LED mirrors reflect light beautifully around the room. Combine a diffused LED mirror with a natural light source from a window, and you can bounce light around the room to create a clean, airy space perfect for the bathroom.
Colour changing lights
When we refer to “colour changing” we refer to a product that can be lit up in cool white, daylight and warm white, and the user can choose between these three settings with ease. The ability to tune the colour to suit your mood is perfect for the bathroom, where tasks can range from a quick nip in the shower, an at-home hair dyeing session, tweezing and plucking, or simply a long hot soak – all these can be done surrounded by brilliant daylight lighting or a relaxing warm candlelight yellow, and you can switch between colours with ease.
Smart mirrors
Smart mirrors are becoming more and more popular as more households adopt IoT technology in their homes, like managing their heating, kitchen appliances, doorbells and more! Our Luka mirror was designed to provide a seamless experience that extends into the bathroom – and is designed to be used with smart taps, toilets and shower functions. With Alexa built-in, your Luka mirror can do everything that your normal Alexa does (apart from two-way communication between devices – which let’s face it, you don’t need when you’re on the toilet!)
Our smart bathroom mirror also integrates with the Alexa app on your phone or tablet, so you can seamlessly pick up that audiobook where you left off. The mirror also comes with Bluetooth functionality too, so if you’re playing a song on YouTube and don’t want to bring your phone into the bathroom, you can reconnect to your Alexa mirror and play from there.
Bluetooth speakers
We offer a range of mirrors with Bluetooth functionality. These feature hand-selected stereo speakers which allow you to connect your smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled device with the mirror and fill your bathroom with sound! You can play anything through your Bluetooth mirror - from music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more. Simply turn on your mirror and your Bluetooth-enabled device. Pairing should happen automatically on all our Bluetooth mirrors and cabinets without Amazon Alexa built in.
Motion and touch sensors
Our products are predominantly operated by either a motion sensor switch or a touch sensor. These are both much more hygienic options than the pull cord, which are especially difficult to keep clean.
The infra-red motion sensor is a great hands-free on/off switch option. It uses infra-red technology which detects motion/movement within a certain range, which then sends a signal back to the controller and turns on your mirror.
Mirrors with touch sensors are a great option when space is at a premium. Visible on the front of the bathroom mirror or cabinet, a touch sensor doesn’t require any more space around the unit to bear in mind, unlike with infra-red switches.
Demister pads
In-built demister pads are a fantastic addition to an illuminated mirror – they are very energy-efficient and wick away moisture on glass extremely effectively. Have you ever tried to wipe condensation from a mirror with your bath towel, only to realise that your mirror is now streaky and your towel is soaking? Try another way. Our bathroom mirrors with demister pads only need a gentle heat – just switch on your mirror before getting in the shower, and you’ll be able to see a clean reflection in just 30 seconds.
Mirrors with demister pads are also often referred to as anti-fog mirrors, or fogless mirrors. Demister pad mirrors are great for smaller bathrooms or bathrooms with poorer ventilation, to help lengthen the lifespan of your bathroom. If not dealt with, excess water in the bathroom can lead to mouth growth and can be damaging to the health of you and your household.
Shaver sockets
Bathroom mirrors with shaver sockets are a great bathroom upgrade. Not just practical, if you’re looking to minimise clutter, then a hidden shaver socket situated behind the mirror glass keeps your bathroom space looking tidy without the need for a separate shaver socket port at the wall. They are also fully IP44 rated for safe bathroom use.
Our shaver socket mirrors can charge toothbrushes and power shavers, and operate independently of the lighting, so you can charge overnight via your mirror.
Power options
Upon receipt of your new product, please check the contents thoroughly to ensure you have all parts – including wall fixings and installation guides. We highly recommend that all our items are installed by a competent electrician, who will be able to certify that the work is done to a high standard.
Mains powered
Bathroom mirrors that require mains power are the ideal choice if you have the space and the electrical power to support the unit. Our most popular mirrors are mains operated and come preinstalled with practical features like condensation-wicking demister pads, shaver sockets and Bluetooth speakers.
Battery powered
Battery operated mirrors are a fantastic alternative to mains powered mirrors, as they provide outstanding light output but don’t require power from an external source. Great for renters (and those who can’t settle on the right style of mains powered LED mirror!) these mirrors are easy to install, and it’s just as easy to change the batteries. All instructions will be in your installation guide.
Find the best place to hang your mirror
If you mirror features LEDs or electrical components like shaver sockets or in-built demister pads, your mirror can only be mounted in zone 2 or 3 of the bathroom. You may also need to think about the switch on your mirror – is it touch sensor or infra-red motion sensor? If your mirror is operated using a motion sensor, you will need to leave a 15cm gap between the sensor and any other object like a wall, tap or tile trims.
If your mirror does not feature LEDs or electrical components, you can hang your mirror on any wall of the bathroom so long as the space allows. You can mount your mirror portrait or landscape depending on the mirror’s installation type – if back box mountable, you can mount in any orientation. If the mirror has hanging brackets/keyhole installation, please check on the individual product page whether you can mount the mirror in either orientation.
If your walls are solid walls, the fixings included with your mirror are suitable for this. If your walls are plasterboard, you will need to use dedicated plasterboard fixings, available from most hardware shops. With the correct fixings, you don’t need to worry about weight when it comes to your new bathroom mirror or cabinet.
How to check whether the wall is suitable
To test your mirror before installing, you can wire the cable onto a 3 pin plug with a 13A fuse. This will allow you to test the lights and/or additional functionality before fully installing your product.
To ensure there are no wires behind the wall that you wish to use to mount your mirror, a quality cable detector can check for cables, pipes and other objects.
How much wall space you'll need for a mirror
There is no hard and fast rule about how much wall space you’ll need to mount your bathroom mirror however, if the mirror is operable via an infra-red sensor you’ll need to leave a 15cm gap between any taps or walls and where the sensor is located. We think an overall 15cm border around your mirror is adequate breathing space between the wall and your mirror.
If your mirror has a back box to house the mirror components (you’ll find this information in your product installation guide and in the product specification on the product page) you’ll also need to leave room to tighten the screws on the side of the mirror too
The best height to hang your mirror
Before you start drilling holes, where do you want your mirror to sit? Your mirror is best positioned at a comfortable eye level for all members of the household that will be using the mirror. Think about the position of the mirror in relation to the sink or vanity unit you have, as well as what other light sources there are in the room. Visit our blog on how to hang a bathroom mirror for further tips.
