So, Can You Hang A Mirror Over A Light Switch?
“No” – you cannot hang a mirror over a light switch. It would be a huge mistake for the contractor to place the switch in the same position your mirror was supposed to be installed. It can only be a problem if your specifications to the contractor were ignored or they simply didn’t pay attention.
Problem Causes
Sometimes it may be the problem of the electrician. Residential electricians usually don’t pay a lot of attention to aesthetics.
To most of them, provided you have light shining on your head and the switch is on the wall, you are OK!
Some contractors do position the switch in the same position as your mirror, and it’s never a mistake most of the time.
Sometimes it may be part of the plan the contractor came up with. You know, some contractors are used to placing things at specific places.
So, if you insist on placing a mirror at a certain point that the contractor isn’t used to placing the switch, they will proceed to install both these two items in that spot.
It can be a real headache for some homeowners as the discovery often happens too late to make changes.
Sometimes it has nothing to do with your contractor but yourself.
Maybe you want to add vanity lights on the mirror with the switches just right next to it?
In this case, there will be no issue at all if you shamelessly left the switches conspicuously positioned to the mirrors.
Six Solutions To The Light Switch Problem
So, can you install a mirror over a light switch? Absolutely not, but there are things you can do to keep the two together in case the contractor installed them very close to each other.
1. Use a leaner mirror
You actually can hang a mirror over a light switch, but things would be better if you use a leaning mirror in the place of the regular hanging mirrors or their static counterparts.
Leaner mirrors typically lean on the wall instead of being permanently fixed on the wall.
There are two types: one that stands on the floor and leans on the wall while the other type stands on the wall hanging slightly downward while held by a support mechanism at the top.
The floor-based type is the most often used of the two.
A leaner mirror makes you forget there is an unwanted switch behind it.
Better yet, they are flexible by the fact that you can simply carry them away when you no longer need them and continue accessing your switch unhindered.
They are probably the largest mirrors you can ever install in your home – you can see the entirety of yourself in them.
Here are some of the best leaner mirrors you might want to put into consideration:
Red Barrel Studio® Merida Slender Body Floor Beveled Full-Length Mirror
This USA crafted beveled glass full-body mirror comes with a hardwood frame and is the perfect learner mirror you can use to hide the offending lights switch.
It syncs with a variety of aesthetic installations. The best thing is that the frames can withstand damp conditions, meaning you can add it in your bathroom if need be.
CrossROBBIN Thin Frame Floor Mirror (Leaner Mirror, 65″x24″)
When you lean this gigantic mirror on your wall, the badly installed switch behind it is supposed to disappear – it rightfully does.
With the elegant gold finish on the edges, this leaner mirror measures an incredible 65 in. Length by 24 in. Width, so big it could give you trouble moving around.
Hollywood LED Vanity Lights Strip Kit with 14 Dimmable Light Bulbs
If you are a fan of learner mirrors with vanity bulbs all over the edges, this is one of the best leaner mirrors you could use to block wrongly installed wall switches.
A total of 14 bulbs lines the edges. The bulbs can be easily replaced with LEDs.
D’lsidoro Modern & Contemporary Full-Length Mirror
This leaner mirror is perfect for anyone with a taste for glamorous make-up mirrors.
It can be adjusted by tilting the top bar to provide any reasonable angle of view.
Huimei2Y Full Length Mirror Tiles, 12 Inch x 4 Pieces
This thin elegant leaner mirror is one of the best detachable options you can ever install anywhere in your home.
It is made up of four separate pieces of reflective glasses.
Each glass measures 12” x 12”.
The slim design of this mirror will block everything behind, including your switch, while offering passage spaces on the sides to permit access to the door and other parts of the room.
2. Cover the switch with decorations
You can go ahead to install the mirror and then cut out a section to accommodate the switch.
To prevent creating an eyesore, consider covering the switch with some eye arresting decorations.
3. Cleverly shaped artwork
Yes, just add a fine piece of artwork around both the switch and the mirror to make it look like you planned for it from the beginning.
If the switch is located at one of the extreme corners of the mirror, for example, you can install a frame with uniquely designed corners that fit perfectly around the offending switch.
The best thing is that you can ask for a custom-made frame that makes the mirror and the switch appear exactly as you want them to be.
Alternatively, you can buy a ready-made frame that comes closer to enclosing the two in a cute way that the observer wouldn’t even think it is a design flaw.
4. Lean artwork
Lean artwork is another way of concealing a badly positioned switch right next to your mirror.
The lean artwork can be anything artistic you choose to place on the switch in such a way that the observer can’t easily see the switch but when they spot it, they can easily turn it on/off from behind the piece of art.
5. Add an ornamental plant or similar decoration
If you are of the vanity purists would accompany your mirrors and other installations with minimalist decor and ornamental plants, this is one of those moments you need to put your décor skills to practice.
Buy your favorite ornamental plant or decor and place it close to the mirror close to or covering the pesky switch.
If you think adding an ornamental plant would be hard, just think of the cute site of a cute tiny potted plant hanging on ropes above the switch – you might even end up forgetting the switch is there.
6. Horizontal stripes
Horizontal stripes work very much like mirror frames except that they attempt to conceal the switch in stripes instead of fancy decorations.
Stripes are the boldest way of trying to hide the switch because they grab all the attention from the outline of the mirror and the switch to themselves.
White and black stripes are the best and the most often used, but your choices will depend on the finish on your walls, the edges of the mirror (if it has a frame already in place).
You can hire a painter to add horizontal stripes for you or buy custom-made outlines from your local interior design parlor.
7. Camouflaging
Camouflaging involves coating your switch with a material that mimics the appearance of the mirror.
When done correctly, camouflaged switches can look very much like an extension of the mirror.
Bimetallic strips, polished stainless steel, and acrylic mirrors would be the best materials to begin with.
Your contractor may recommend other better options, but the main goal here is simple: make the switch part of your mirror.
8. Move the switch
If you are not one who wouldn’t attempt to hide the pesky switch from the sight, total removal might as well be already in your mind.
Of course, the installation of an outlet or switch is something you don’t want to keep worrying about all the time.
You can hire an electrician to remove the switch and move it to a more convenient location.
You will be surprised by the amount of headache this move will save you.
Plus, it is cheap compared to investing in tons of decorations and corrective work that will only conceal the switch when it is supposed to be removed.
Conclusion
It is generally inadvisable to hang the mirror over your switch.
Light switches should be easily accessible; hanging your mirror directly over them will make them unusable.
However, in the event that the contractor positioned the switch in the same place the mirror was supposed to be, and you discovered too late, you can opt for the leaner mirrors which can be adjusted to cover the switch and still keep it accessible.
You can as well choose to add decorations or install concealing frames to the regular mirror to keep the switch out of sight.
Alternatively, you can use faux mirror materials as a coating on the switches to form one uniform reflective surface.