Mirror

Three mirrors, covering the two things people actually want above a basin: light on the face, and glass that stays clear after a shower. Two are frameless LED models switched by a touch sensor on the glass, one capsule-shaped at 500 x 800 mm with a built-in defogger, and one rectangular backlit model available in 600 x 500 mm or the wider, shallower 750 x 450 mm. The third is a 600 mm round mirror in a matt black aluminium frame, hung from a belt strap rather than sitting flat on a bracket. Prices run from around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500.

How to choose a bathroom mirror

  • Decide whether you need demisting. An anti-fog mirror has a heated element behind the glass that clears condensation while the shower is still running. If your bathroom has poor ventilation, or you shave or apply make-up straight after a shower, this is the feature worth paying for.
  • Match the width to the vanity, not the wall. A mirror noticeably narrower than the basin below looks like an afterthought. A wider, shallower mirror spans a broad counter without gaining height.
  • Backlit or front-lit. A backlit mirror washes the wall behind the glass and gives soft ambient light. Light that falls on your face from in front is better for detailed tasks.
  • Check you have a power point. LED mirrors need a supply behind the glass. On a renovation this has to be chased in before tiling; it is the commonest reason an LED mirror cannot be fitted where someone wants it.
  • Frameless or framed. A frameless mirror has no surround to trap water marks and wipes down in one pass. A framed mirror reads as a decorative object rather than a fitting.

Mirrors in an Indian bathroom

Humidity is the thing that kills bathroom mirrors, and it works from the edges inward: moisture creeps behind the silvering and leaves black spots that cannot be cleaned off. Frameless mirrors built for wet rooms are sealed against this, which is why a bedroom mirror moved into a bathroom fails within a couple of years. Ventilation helps more than anything else. Clean with a soft damp cloth rather than spraying cleaner directly at the glass, since liquid running to the edge is exactly what causes the problem.

Common questions

How does an anti-fog mirror work? A heated pad behind the glass keeps the mirror surface slightly warmer than the room, so condensation never forms on it. It clears the glass while the shower is running rather than after.

Do LED mirrors need an electrician? They need a power supply behind the mirror position. If one is already there the mirror mounts straightforwardly; if not, the cable has to be run before the wall is finished.

What size mirror suits a standard basin? As a rule of thumb the mirror should be at least as wide as the basin and no wider than the vanity. A 600 mm round or a 600 x 500 mm rectangle suits most single basins.