Big but minimalist bathroom mirror with lights

I wanted a minimalist bathroom mirror with lights without a cabinet. So, I found the HOVET mirror to be a perfect candidate for an IKEA hack.

On top of that I only need to drill two holes into the wall to attach the lights to the frame of the mirror.

Process of making a bathroom mirror with lights:

First, I taped off the size of the mirror on the wall to get a better feel for the proportions and where to put it.

Initially, I planned to hang the mirror in the middle of the wall. But later, I hung it in the middle of the drywall (more to the right), so that when standing in front of the washbasin the mirror looks more harmonious.

The second step was about finding a good placement of the lights and to determine if I would use three or four of them.

I also used some duct tape for some quick placement and quickly came to the conclusion to use four lights. The two lights on the outermost left and right should line up with the frame of the mirror.

Installing the bathroom mirror with lights

Next, I calculated the correct distance between each light. Then, I used the pre-drilled holes in the MAGLEHUT LED lights and a pencil to mark the positions for the needed holes.

To drill the holes I used a drill which was a tiny bit thicker than the threaded screws to have some play in the rotation of the lights. (This saved me from quite some trouble in the later step. )

The rest was a simple assembly. The wing nuts made the installation a bit easier as I could hold them with one hand and with the other hand, use a screwdriver to tighten everything.

Lastly, I hot glued a piece of scrap wood underneath the transformer. This was just in case there would be some condensation collecting at the bottom of the frame.

I have also used a connection and an extension cable, so that I could make a proper connection on the floor in the bath before hanging the mirror onto the wall.

Material used for bathroom mirror with lights hack:

• HOVET (mirror 80€) x 1
• MAGLEHULT (LED lights 15€ each) x 4
• TRÅDFRI (transofmer for up to 10 LEDs 25€) x 1
• FÖRNIMMA (connection cable 5€) x 1
• FÖRNIMMA (extension cable 5€) x 1
• Picture hooks (M8, 80mm long) x 2
• Threaded screws (M4, 40mm long) x 8
• Wing nuts x 8 (M4 nuts are ok too, but wing nuts are easier to handle
• 1 x scrap piece of wood

Tip:

I have only used either galvanized or stainless screws and material. This is to avoid any rust stains, due to the sometimes higher humidity present in bathrooms.

Verdict:

The whole process went very well. And this setup of this bathroom mirror with lights is also future proof, which is a big plus. I like the clean look and setup very much and would not do anything different

Note:

Although in my setup, splash water cannot reach any of this, please note that you will be installing this at your own risk, because I am not an electrician

Take a look at the other hacks I made:

• DIY teleprompter
• Headboard lights

~ by Ralf B, Cologne Germany

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