8 Bathroom Mirror Hacks for When a Window Keeps Cramping Your Style

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You’ll never hear us complain about a generously-sized bathroom window… unless it comes between us and our skincare routine. When it’s parked right in front of the sink, everything else must contort around it, including a critical part of the ritual: the mirror. Luckily, there are designers out there who have faced this exact nightmare and dreamed up clever setups that don’t compromise on natural light. Here are eight of our favorite fixes for an off-center, too-tall, or just plain awkwardly-placed bathroom window.

Designer Emily Henderson and her architect, Anne Usher, originally planned to hang mirrors in this bathroom from the ceiling or vanity side so they could be swung out of the way when not in use. But the ceiling was vaulted—and already had lights up there hogging the space. So instead, they used the wood window frames as their anchor, attaching Kohler mirrors via custom welded backs. Engineering ingenuity: 1, awkward window: 0.

Privacy was priority number one for Seattle-based photographer Deb Achak—her bathroom overlooks a busy street corner, and she’s not interested in giving the neighbors a show. The mirrors on either side of her vanity window sit on a sliding track, so she can block the opening off completely when she doesn’t want to worry about an accidental cameo.

This L.A. space, designed by Robert Diaz, is proof there’s genuinely no right way to tackle an awkward bathroom window layout—only creative ones. The thick marble vanity spans the entire space, including the windows, bolted into the plaster-coated walls. From there, it made the most sense to hang the mirrors over the wall-mounted faucets, which conveniently fall between the two extra-tall openings. Necessity: the mother of stylish invention.

For close quarters, simply mount your mirror on the surface next to the sink. Designer Sarah Solis managed to fit a generously sized option using this strategy in a Laurel Canyon powder bathroom. Sometimes the best solution is the most obvious one—who knew?

The safe decision in Corbett Tuck’s bathroom would have been to put the vanity on the wall to the right or chop the single window shorter so both mirrors could hang conventionally. But those choices felt like giving up. Instead, she evened things out by suspending one of the mirrors from a wood beam right below the ceiling. Dangerously chic? Maybe. Fabulous? Absolutely.

Ceilings too short for a floating mirror to go right in front of the window? Use one that’s got an articulating arm. Hot tip: You don’t have to scour the aisles at The Home Depot for this fix. In this Oregon home, architect Don Cantillo used a rearview mirror designed for a semi-truck. Yes, really. Sometimes the best design comes from the truck-stop aisle.

This room would have been a totally transparent fishbowl had Cape Town architect Philip Olmesdahl not added a strip of mirror that stretches from the top of the stone vanity all the way to the ceiling. One mirror strip: saving you from unwanted exhibitionism since 2025.

The Grit and Polish’s Cathy and Garrett Poshusta opted for not one but two unconventional mirrors in their farmhouse bathroom: an accordion magnifying option and a large rectangular swivel style. Now no one has to compromise on their routine—or the view. Mirror harmony: achieved.

Lydia Geisel has been stirring the creative pot at Domino since 2017. She writes and edits her way through home tours and design stories like it’s a competitive sport. She lives in Brooklyn—because of course she does.

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