How High To Hang Mirror Over Nightstand? (Answered)
Jeff "King of the Castle"
Mirrors are always a great way to put the finishing touch to the room’s interior design.
Covering bare walls with an exceptional-looking mirror will add some personality and uniqueness to your home.
Having a mirror on the wall also has a practical side, important to your everyday routine.
This is especially the case in the bedroom, where you can use them every morning as you prepare for the day and every evening as you wind down and get ready for bed.
Still, you can’t just put them anywhere.
A lot of people have mirrors above nightstands as it adds a nice symmetry to the room and makes it look bigger.
Plus, it’s very convenient having a mirror right next to your bed.
Still, to get the most out of this interior design element, you should learn how high to hang a mirror over the nightstand and how to position it.
How High To Hang Mirror Over Nightstand?
If you decide to hang a mirror over a nightstand, you should be mindful of how high it will be.
The proper height will allow the mirror to complement the overall aesthetics of the room, but also fulfill its practical purpose.
Having it hang too low or too high will render the mirror useless as you won’t be able to fully see your reflection.
Which is fine, but only if you think of the mirror above the nightstand only as a decorative element.
Plus, the right position of the mirror will allow you to manipulate the spacing of the bedroom and make it seem more spacious or more intimate.
Factors That Determine The Height Of The Mirror Above The Nightstand
The main factor in determining how tall the mirrors should be is the height of the nightstand itself.
You should also take into account the dimensions of the bed as well as the height of the ceiling and any potential fixtures in the same wall area.
In any case, it’s important to leave some space between the mirror and the nightstand in order to create a visual break.
This way, the mirror won’t feel as if it’s towering over the nightstand below.
Plus, it won’t reflect the image of stuff on top of the nightstand. This can make the bedroom look more cluttered and messy than it actually is.
In addition, don’t forget that the center of the mirror should be around the eye level of the intended user.
While these mirrors are often only decorative, you should still be able to clearly see yourself in them.
What Is The Suitable Height?
Most interior designers tie the height of the nightstand to the height of the bed.
So, some nightstands may be taller than others which, in turn, will affect how high the mirror should hang.
In general, most nightstands are rarely more than 35 inches tall.
In this case, you should feel free to leave between 9 and 13 inches between the top of the nightstand and the bottom edge of the mirror.
For higher nightstands, those between 35 and 40 inches, there should be 5 to 7 inches of separation.
And, if you have an extra tall nightstand, standing more than 40 inches, the mirror should be hung more than 3-4 inches above it.
Needless to say, you may adjust these measurements to fit your own height or personal aesthetic preference.
Also, you should pay attention to the mirror’s height relative to the ceiling.
What Mirror Shape Is Best To Hang Above Nightstand?
Just like the height, the shape of the mirror also influences the overall aesthetics of the room.
When choosing the mirror shape for the spot above the nightstands, it’s important to take other room elements into account.
Of course, the main thing you’ll be interested in is what your bed and nightstand look like.
The bed plays an even bigger role here, as it usually dominates the whole bedroom, and the headboard takes up much of the wall.
The taller headboard is best paired with a rectangular mirror.
The top of the headboard should never go above the top edge of the mirror. Rectangular mirrors also work best in pairs, with one on each side of the bed.
With a shorter headboard, it’s better to opt for a circular mirror.
If your nightstand is small and simple in design, you can liven things up a bit with a pentagonal mirror.
How To Hang Mirror Over Nightstand?
Once you’ve done measuring and decided on the height and the shape of the mirror, all that’s left is to hang it on the wall.
In most cases, this will not be a complicated process and you can do it by yourself.
Needless to say, besides making sure that the mirror is exactly at the spot you want it to be in, you should make sure that it’s safely installed.
Otherwise, it may fall down and damage the nightstand or, even worse, hurt somebody.
To make sure that the mirror is safe, always install it directly using wall studs, If this, for whatever reason is not possible, use heavy-load wall anchors.
The key to a successful installation is to precisely measure the spot where you’ll drill for studs or place wall anchors.
When you’ve drilled the holes in the wall, use 3 inch screws and fix them over the studs.
How Big Should Mirror Be Over Nightstand?
Nothing is more important in interior design than achieving the right balance in the room. For this reason, you should carefully consider how big the mirror above your nightstand should be.
If it’s too big or too little it can easily throw off the balance you may have worked so hard to achieve.
Generally, to create perfect visual balance, the mirror should be narrower than the nightstand.
Depending on the width of the nightstand, the mirror should be narrower by 2-3 inches on each side.
Of course, if you have a particularly narrow nightstand, you may leave the mirror wider because it wouldn’t serve its purpose otherwise.
Another important factor for the size of the mirror is the presence of other wall fixtures or the artwork that you may have on the same wall.
The mirror should always be separated from them by a few inches on all sides.
Should Mirrors Be Hung Vertically Or Horizontally?
As most people choose rectangular mirrors for the space above the nightstand, this brings another issue for homeowners.
The choice of whether to hang the mirror vertically or horizontally can have a great impact on how the entire room will look.
So, you should think of the room as a whole when making a decision. Furthermore, you should think about how will you use the mirror.
A vertical mirror will help you to better see yourself. The horizontal position is mostly decorative.
As nightstands are usually rather narrow, mirrors above them should follow that line and be placed vertically.
However, sometimes, like when the ceiling is lower than average, it will work better if hung horizontally.
That will open up the space and give an illusion of a bigger room.
Often, you won’t even have much of a choice as the existing wall fixtures predetermine how you position the mirror.
When You Don’t Need A Mirror Above The Nightstand?
Some room arrangements can make the mirror above the nightstand feel obsolete.
In these cases, it’s better to not have a mirror at all, than to hang it on the wall and have the whole room feel cluttered.
There are only so many mirrors you need in the bedroom.
If you already have one or more mirrors on other walls, you may consider keeping the space above the nightstand empty.
Or, you may hang something else, like an artwork, there. Another thing you should think about is practicality.
Mirrors look nice and add style to the room, but if you can’t place them to match your eye level, they won’t be of much use.
You should also pay attention to what’s on the opposite side of the room, as the reflection in the mirror is part of the decor as well.
Mirrors work best when they reflect another decorative element.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s no one true answer to the question of how high to hang a mirror over the nightstand.
The right height depends on many factors, many of which are unique to certain bedrooms.
Only when you consider all these factors, you can find the proper height for that one mirror you feel will look perfect above the nightstand.
Still, you should never be afraid to experiment.
Following the mirror height rules and recommendations to the smallest detail will only make your bedroom look uniform and similar to so many others.
Try different sizes of mirrors, different shapes, or even pairing up two of them symmetrically or asymmetrically on each side of the bed.
Remember that these recommendations are only guidelines on how to hang your mirrors. The best position is always the one that makes you feel most comfortable in your own bedroom.
