The deed is done. Team Paint The Mirror White can celebrate. Our bathroom mirror above the sink went from this:
To this:
For comparison, here’s how the space looked when we first moved in:
After going back and forth on color choices, we followed our first instinct and painted the mirror white to match the trim. The white frame feels more integrated with the surrounding moulding and lightens the whole nook, making it less dominant in the room. Instead of drawing every eye to the sink, the mirror now blends in and looks like it’s always been part of the space. The lower contrast makes the bathroom feel calmer and more cohesive.
We seriously considered other treatments — black, gray, teal, yellow, gold, painting the moulding or the vanity — and many of those directions would have worked well. In the end the choice came down to personal preference and the look we wanted for the space: subtle, unified, and bright. White fit that brief perfectly.
Here’s how we achieved the finish: we used Behr Premium Plus (paint with primer included) in standard off-the-shelf white with a semi-gloss sheen. I applied four thin, even coats by brush. Normally we’d recommend spray priming and spraying paint for the smoothest result, but we chose hand-brushing because the Behr formula is low-VOC, whereas many spray paints are not. The product performed beautifully. To remove the reflective layer from the mirror where paint had gotten on the glass, I carefully scraped it with a straight razor for a neat edge and a clean final look.
For those who love contrast, don’t worry — the white frame creates striking evening drama. Here’s the mirror at night:
We actually like that choice: the white frame pops against the darker window background after sunset, giving the space a bold silhouette that was missing when the frame was black and visually disappeared at night.
Also, yes — hair down. Several readers asked for it, so here you go. For a short video glimpse of me with my hair down and some Friday-night excitement, we previously shared a road-trip clip; that trip was a blast.
Regarding the windows: we’re leaving them un-frosted for now because we enjoy the view while brushing our teeth. Occasionally we’ll spot a robin at the feeder, which is a small, pleasant morning treat. Even though some photos make the glass look frosted, it’s not — we prefer the clear view.
Curious about visibility from the neighbor’s perspective? Because our property is nearly an acre, we’re set well back, so privacy isn’t an issue. Here’s the view from roughly a fifth of the distance between houses during daylight:
Most exterior windows are reflective during the day, and ours behaves the same way — you mostly see sky and tree reflections. We even took that shot with the bathroom light on to show silhouette, and the reflection still dominates in daylight.
At night, with interior lights on, the glass becomes more transparent from outside. Here’s the nighttime view from the same spot:
All in all, the mirror update is a small change with a big impact. It helps the bathroom feel brighter and more cohesive, looks intentional both day and night, and gives us the subtle drama we wanted after dark. So while we may have plenty of other curb-appeal projects on the list, the mirror is not one of them anymore.
Psst — Team Edward, not Team Jacob. Despite being from New Jersey, I never pictured the swole, tanned, body-builder type as my fictional crush; I always imagined Edward as tall, angular, and sometimes pale. That was my mental cast before Robert Pattinson entered the picture.
Pssssst — For anyone wondering if I can reach the dryer buttons, we added a photo in a follow-up post showing me in action. Short people, unite.