Create your own Lighted Vanity Mirror - Week 4 One Room Challenge
I know I missed putting out my post last week, but.... I am really excited that I was finally able to figure out how to finish my vanity mirror. This is something that I knew I wanted, and really needed since my vanity is in my closet, and my closet has no windows and not a whole log of light. Typically I would prefer some natural light, but I dont have that here, so I needed to do something for when I am getting ready in the morning.
So I knew I needed a lighted vanity mirror. I did some shopping and found some really beautiful ones that I loved, but shelling out $500+ for a mirror just wasn't in my budget, and the cheap ones I found just didn't have good reviews, weren't big enough, or I just didnt trust them. So I figured Id make my own, but it took a while to figure out how.
I think the #1 rule of DIY is it shouldn't look DIY. Its never a good thing when someone can tell right away that its a hack and you whipped it up in your garage. So...I really wanted to take my time and figure it out. I had to find the right mirror first of all. I knew I wanted something round so that I didn't have any harsh angles to deal with. I also knew it would have to have a thing wood frame so I could drill through it. And as always Ikea saved the day with the Stockholm mirror!
It wasn't the color that I wanted but everything else was perfect. And it is only a whopping $129.
So next I got a set of adjustable light strips. The Phillips Hue lights that I got from Home Depot worked great. It has adjustable light temperatures to give me that natural daylight that I want. It also comes with a great little button to turn it on and off so I can easily turn my mirror on when I sit down.
It was easy to set up, and really easy to install. For some reason it says online that it is $79 but I got mine for $49 in store, so I would make sure to check that out.
So I started off by taking my Oscillating Tool with a saw attachment on it, and I drilled a small thin hole all the way through the bottom of the mirror frame. This is so that I can fit the light strip through the hole and into the interior of the frame.
Next, I painted the mirror black since that is the color I really wanted. This is the easy part!
Now came for the part that I really had to think about. After the paint dried, I adhered the light strip to the interior of the mirror frame. It worked great and provided so much light! But the light strip itself was white and kind of an eye sore. To me this screamed DIY! so I knew I had to do something to hide the light strip when it was off, but still allow for it to provide light when turned out. This is where I had trouble find the right kind of trim. But my handy husband came across this Black PVC Inside Corner Self-adhesive Flexible Trim Moulding:
It's like a rubber moulding with an adhesive back. I was able to put it on the interior of the frame right in front of the light strip to hide it but still allow enough room for it to shine onto the mirror.
now the mirror is ready to be enjoyed and it looks great in the room! I still have to give it a good clean and hide that one wire that is driving me nuts, but I actually have a functional and good looking vanity mirror! Woo hoo!
Don't forget to check out the other rooms in the One Room Challenge this week! Click Here to go to the One Room Challenge Blog
