Before & After: Dressing Up a Naked Mirror

This poor mirror. Naked as the day it rolled off the assembly line, with its exposed edges, cracked with age, right out there in plain daylight for all the world to see! Something must be done about this!

Faced with naked, builder-grade mirrors in her bathroom, Amanda over at The Ivy Cottage Blog, did what any adventurous DIYer would do — she made frames for them! So, yes, it was actually a lot of work – and Amanda and her husband definitely have some mad woodworking and construction skills! – but there is no denying that this before and after is an incredible improvement.

The original mirror was giving off all sorts of mid-1980s, cheap motel vibes. By framing off the mirror with painted MDF and moulding, the couple brought the existing mirror into 2011 – and with a touch of sophistication, too! Including the existing light fixture in the frame’s design was an especially nice touch. The bathroom sink area feels more like a proper vanity now.

I love that Amanda was able to improve on the mirror that was already in place instead of ditching it for something new. And I love it even more because she saved a few hundred bucks by DIYing it!

To see the full post, complete with step by step tutorial, check it out on Amanda’s blog: Builder’s Grade to Beautiful: Bathroom Mirror.

Images: The Ivy Cottage Blog