Mirror on a wardrobe door does two jobs at once: it gives you a full length mirror without hanging one anywhere, and it bounces light back into a room that usually has only one window. In a small Irish bedroom that combination is hard to beat. The question is how much of it you want.
How much mirror is too much?
A full wall of mirror opposite the bed is usually more than people want to live with. One or two mirrored panels in a run is the common answer.
Mirror reflects everything, including the unmade bed and the clothes on the chair. A whole wall of it makes a small room feel larger and also makes it feel busier, because the clutter is doubled.
Mixing works better than committing. One mirrored door in a three door run gives you the full length mirror and the light bounce, with the other panels in a colour that quietens the room down.
Where should the mirrored panel go?
Where it catches light from the window, and where you can stand back far enough to see yourself.
A mirror facing the window throws daylight back across the room, which is the effect people are after. A mirror on the wall beside the window does much less.
The practical check is distance. You need to be able to step back far enough to see head to toe, so a mirrored door on the run closest to the bed can be useless in a tight room.
Does mirror suit sliding or hinged doors?
Both, and mirror is particularly common on sliding wardrobes because the panels are large and flat.
A sliding door frame holds a mirror panel neatly, and the large uninterrupted surface is what gives the light bounce. It is the most common single door choice in a small bedroom.
On a hinged wardrobe a mirror is usually fitted to one or two doors within a painted run, which reads calmer. See our sliding and hinged wardrobe pages.
Are mirrored sliding wardrobe doors a good idea in a small bedroom?
Usually, yes. They need no swing space, bounce light around the room and replace a separate full length mirror, and the glass is safety backed.
In a small bedroom the bed often sits too close to the wardrobe for a hinged door to open fully. A mirrored sliding wardrobe door solves that and gives you a full length mirror at the same time, without giving up wall space to hang one. A mirror facing the window also throws daylight back into a room that usually has only one source of it, which is why mirrored sliders make a box room feel noticeably bigger.
The mirror on wardrobe doors is backed with a film, so if the glass is ever broken the pieces stay stuck to the backing rather than falling out. Mirror is heavy, so the door frame and track are chosen for the weight. The track and rollers are what you touch every day, and our sliding wardrobes page explains why that is the last place to economise.
If a full mirror is more reflection than you want, there are gentler options. Tinted or coloured glass gives much of the same lightness with a softer reflection. A door that is part mirror and part painted or timber effect panel gives you a mirror strip without a mirrored wall. And mixing one mirrored door with solid doors in the rest of the run is often the best balance of all. For more ways to plan the whole wardrobe, from interiors to dressing rooms, see our built in wardrobe ideas.
What are the honest downsides?
Fingerprints, weight, and the fact that mirror shows the room exactly as it is.
Mirrored doors need wiping more often than painted ones, particularly at handle height and particularly with children in the house.
Mirror is also heavy, which matters for the hardware. On a sliding door it means specifying track rated for the weight, which is not the place to economise.
Everything we make in wood carries a two year warranty against defects.
How it works
Send us photos, a short video and rough sizes of the space and tell us what you want. Our designers draw it in 3D so you see the finished piece in your own room, and you get one complete itemised quote. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
One team for this and the rest of the job
The same team that makes this fits it, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes, internal doors and windows. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact rather than four. See the rest of our work.
Who our wardrobes are for
Everything we make is premium and made to the highest spec: made to measure, scribed to the walls, designed in 3D and fitted by our own team, and it is priced to that standard. Quality at this level is not a budget purchase, and we would rather say so here than after you have waited for a quote. If you are working to a tight budget, we are honestly not the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you have mirror on the inside of the door instead?
Yes, and it is a good compromise if you want the mirror without the reflection in the room all day.
Is mirrored glass safe?
The mirror is backed so it holds together if broken, which is standard on wardrobe doors.
Can you mix mirror with a colour?
Yes, and it is the most popular arrangement. One mirrored panel with the rest in a painted or timber finish.
Does adding mirror doors cost much more?
Mirror is heavier than a plain door, so track and frame are specified for the weight. That, rather than the glass, moves the price. Every wardrobe we make is premium and made to the highest spec, so it is not a budget purchase.