If you follow beauty bloggers or makeup artists on YouTube you have probably seen these mirrors by Vanity Girl Hollywood
Fabulous, right? For only $399 it could be yours! I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that kind of spare cash sitting around for a vanity mirror. It occurred to me that there really wasn’t a reason I couldn’t just DIY myself a similar version of this lit mirror!
Here is what you need:
2 sets of Ikea Musik wall lamps.
These light bars are 24″ long, so we wanted a mirror 24″ long so it would line up nicely. Each light bar is $14.99
You can get a mirror that is 36″x 24″ at Home Depot for $26.99. You can buy a version with a beveled edged for $19.99, but it was worth the $7 to us to not have it beveled.
You can get these mirror clips at Home Depot for $3.99
Stay with me, it’s not too complicated, I promise!
You need 2 quick wire plugs, also at Home Depot for $4.88 for 2.
Two 6 foot extension cords, $1.57 at Home Depot.
A drill. If you don’t already have a drill and have any sort of desire to DIY anything, I highly recommend getting a drill. You can get good ones for under $30 and they are SO useful and simple to use. Check out a great one here!
And drill bits of varying sizes.
Two 1″ x 2″ pieces of lumber.
And, of course, some screws. We always keep a couple boxes of drywall screws around the house, for this project we used 3/4″ screws and 2″ screws.
To start, make a frame using the wood. You want 4 sections 24″ long, and 2 sections cut 34.5″ long, if you have the equipment to do this at home, great. Otherwise, most lumber yards or Home Depot will cut it for you for free or very cheap. The mirror is just a hair below 24″x 36″ so you can make you cuts 1/16″ short, or sand it down once the cut is made.
Next, we screwed the other two 24″ pieces onto the frame. These two pieces of wood are what brings the mirror frame up to the height of the lights.
Screw the 4 mirror clips onto the frame. I recommend sliding the mirror on at this point to make sure everything fits nicely before you move forward with the rest of this project.
Next, we are going to remove the hardware from the lights with a screwdriver.
This is what it will look like when it’s off.
Now you want to drill a hole on the plastic side of the light bar big enough to run the wires through. It’s best to start with a small drill bit to make a small hole, and then use a larger drill bit to make the size hole you want. Starting with a smaller bit will prevent the plastic from cracking or breaking.
Feed your wires through the hole. Since we were drilling right around the wires, we wrapped electrical tape around the wires afterward just to be safe and make sure we didn’t accidentally expose any wires
Next, you want to line your light bar up with your frame to get an idea of where you want to drill a hole to feed your wires through. Again, use a small drill bit first, then a large enough bit to feed your wires through the frame.
We used shorter 3/4″ screws to attach the light bars to the frame using the holes the bar already had. We attached these light bars loosely, if you screw them in too tight the bars stick out at an angle.
Ready to get tricky with some wiring?! When my husband showed me how simple this was, I couldn’t believe it!
Take your wire and twist the wire ends of each together so they are neat, and make a hook on the end.
Hook each wire on either side of the plug, tape the two wires together to keep it neat and close it up.
Once you have those closed up you can attach your extension cords to both plugs and run them through the bottom of the frame
Now, very carefully slide your mirror onto the frame. This is probably a two person job. Take it slow so you don’t scuff, chip or break your mirror!
We used a couple drywall anchors and screws to hang this mirror on the wall, and that’s it!
This whole mirror project cost less than $80 and I LOVE how it turned out!I think I like it better than the Vanity Girl Hollywood mirror. It is so fun to sit down at my fancy little vanity and do my makeup in SO much light. The desk is MICKE desk from Ikea. If you have ANY questions, or if I am leaving out some important information let me knows, I’d love to help you make your own vanity mirror!
What do you think? Are you going to get to work on making your own DIY vanity mirror?
Like what you see? Tell your friends!
This is a great project thanks I can’t wait to make it!!!!
I absolutely love this and I am in the process of getting a plan together for a vanity table. My boyfriend is an electrician (thank goodness), so I will be able to get this mirror done easily lol. I have found the desk at ikea but I cannot seem to find a stool like that! Where did you buy it?
Thank you for your time!
I bought the stool at a garage sale! Then I reupholstered it. Now I want to reupholster it again because I don’t love the fabric I used. So, to answer your questions I’m not exactly sure where to find it. Good luck though!
Is there any way you could do this for me and I just pay you??
What a great DIY! Love it! 😀
carinasaysbradshaw.blogspot.pt
I JUST MADE MINE!! You explained everything so well that I am so surprised I was even able to this. I am so incredibly satisfied with the final product.. I am raving about your DIY to my girl friends. Thanks for posting this!!!
I would love to see your finished product! It is such a fun DIY!
Maybe I’m overlooking something, but I don’t see how you shaped the top of the wooden frame? Did you buy a piece of lumber already shaped with the curves, or did you do it yourself? This is MUCH prettier than the other mirror! I cannot wait to make one! What type of wood did you use? Thank you for sharing! I’m subscribing now! 🙂
No shaping required. It’s just a rectangular shape like the mirror. We used 1x2s boards. If you click on the images in the post you’ll see the pictures a bit bigger and you’ll be able to see how we screw it together. If you pre-drill holes in the boards it will help prevent the boards from splitting. Good luck!
Great job! I would love that vanity chair!!! It would look great in my room! Where did your get it??
Thanks! I actually go the stool at a garage sale so unfortunately I can’t even point you in the right direction!
Hi there,
I am so looking forward to re-creating this when I move in the next two weeks. Should I have any questions, can I email you ?
xoxo,
Morgan
If you have questions feel free to email me at youputiton@gmail.com. I would love to see the finished product!
What a clever idea! Thanks for sharing!
What are the specific measurements of the wood you used? I saw the length but what about width & “height”? Can’t wait to make it!
The wood we used was a 1×2. Hopefully that answers your question!
Where did u get the desk from? Been looking for something just like this!
It’s the Micke desk from Ikea!
IKEA light bars don’t include bulbs. Did you buy other bulbs to keep price down? Bulbs at ikea are $8.99 ea and you would need 10.
We bought our light bulbs at Walmart. I don’t remember the price we paid for them, but I’m sure we paid less than $20 for all of them. Thanks for reading!
Do you remember what size bulbs you got?
I love this idea and appreciate all the time you took for the detailed DIY! Unfortunately, I’m not near an IKEA but I did find some on Amazon and am figuring as long as they are the same dimensions it will work. I do have one question, now that you’ve had it up and been living with it, do you wish there were more or less lights? There are options ranging from 3-6 bulbs per strip. Seeing your has 5 I was curious for your input. Thanks again so much for the awesome share!
I LOVE all the lights, it is super bright and it gives such great lighting for putting on makeup. BUT… they get really hot! If you are sitting there for a bit, you will start to notice how warm the lights are making things. So, it’s kinda of a trade off. I love the very bright lighting, but it can get a little warm. I definitely don’t wish for more lights. Hope that helps!
I just built mine today and Im in love with it! Thought I would share a couple of tips that helped out in my case. We ended up using nails instead of screws for the frame, the wood (from Home Depot) did split in some area when we used screws, I guess the screws could have been thinner but the nails worked perfectly well. When we screwed on the mirror clips we ended up using different screws than they came with because they kept stripping, also leave yourself a little room when doing the clips, we had to go back on one the was a hair too small to fit the mirror into. Then we finally mounted the lights onto the sides but had an issue with them not staying flush with the mirror. At this point we wanted it up and done so we screwed on the lights and actually taped the tops onto the wood so that there was no gap, I dont mind since you cant really see the tape. I hope this helps you guys out too! Great tutorial overall!
I’m glad you successfully made your vanity set up! We also had a bit of a rough time getting the lights to sit flush with the mirror and ended up drilling holes in the plastic of the light bars and screwing them onto the wood. It didn’t work perfectly, but good enough for now. If we come up with a better solution we will definitely pass it on!
Wow i absolutely LOVE your vanity mirror :). I want to do mine exactly how you did yours! Only one question i had is how did the mirror stay in place with the whole setup??
There are 4 little brackets that we bought at Home Depot that are specifically for mounting a mirror. We screwed those brackets onto the wood frame and it all stays in place perfectly! Thanks for reading!
I am going to attempt this after I purchase all of the things. I don’t have an Ikea too close, but plan to take the hour and a half trip soon. My husband is really handy so I will get him to do most of the work. This is for my daughter so I’m hoping it turns out just as cute as yours.
Good luck! let us know how it goes! I’m sure it will turn out great!
My husband is building this for me as I type this!! Just a question- which exact light bulbs from Walmart did you use for these? We are having trouble with finding lights that don’t blind you as you look at them. Thanks!!
Pingback: 30 Bedroom Craft Ideas for Girl - oh.maze.ing
I love how this turned out. I bought a stave mirror that I was thinking would work for this project as it is already framed. I also found light bars with three lights at lowes for only $10. Might be a option for those with no ikea near by. I am going to complete this project when I move next month. I am using the lack floating shelf with legs attached as my table. I can’t wait to see my results.
Thanks so much for this project. Just finished putting it all together. It turned out great. Referring a lot of friends to your instructions. 🙂
Can both lights be turned on/off with one switch?
Yes. I plugged both light bars into one power strip so that they could both be switched on and off at the same time.
Pingback: Decor #106
Hi, thanks for this great tutorial, i have been lookinh for a way to use my ikea lights without the base and this looks great. I have just one question, how exactly did you mount the whole thing up on the wall? You said you used drywall screws but where on the frame did you drill through? Im a little confused about how to attach the whole thing after the mirror is in place.
Would really appreciate your help.
Thanks
No need to drill through the frame. Just hang it on a screw. Easy peasy.
Thanks for the tutorial. How did you get the frame onto the wall? Did you screw through the frame onto the wall to the anchors? Or did you use some kind of bracket to hold it up?
I was able to just hang the frame on a screw in the wall. I screw through the frame. The frame shoudl be able to sit pretty flush to the wall. So if you have a screw sticking out of the wall a bit, it can just hang. Let me know if you have any other questions!
where is that stool from!!
A lot of people have asked me where I got the stool it was one of those random awesome garage sale finds!
Love this ! I can’t wait to do this but I wanted to know if a gram is really nessecary or if I can just do it with hanging strips ?
The frame is only necessary if you want the mirror flush-ish with the mirror part of the light bars. If you don’t care, I suppose you could just hang a mirror and the light bars all separately and it would look pretty darn close to mine. Send pictures if you try it a different way! Good luck!
Frame **
Hello , I just finished mine yesterday. Great idea.:) what kind of lightbuls did you use??
Nothing fancy. I used the cheapest clear 40 watt bulbs I could find at Wally-Mart.
What kind of lights did you use.?
Cheap, clear, warm 40 watt bulbs. The Wal-Mart special.
Hi, working on this tomorrow. Does any of the wood frame show through? Just wondering because I may paint the wood first if it does.
Thanks,
You will be able to see the top and the bottom, but not the sides.
I am doing something similar to this. Do you think it would be a good idea to have lights above the mirror? I am afraid that if I dont then there will be a shadow? Your thoughts
Did you end up putting the lights above the mirror? How did it work out?
Great tutorial! And I love your vanity setup! One question I have (I know nothing about electrical stuff)… When you remove the hardware from the lights, that removes the ground wire. Is that ok to have this setup without a ground wire? Thanks!!!
I am not an electrician, but my guess is that it’s probably safer if you figure out how to use the ground wire. I’ve been using my setup for over a year and my house hasn’t burned down yet. *knocks on wood* If you do a setup incorporating the ground wire please post or send some pictures. I would love to share them! Good luck!
This is a very clear, clean and wonderful instructional. My girlfriend is going to love her new birthday present.
That is a fantastic birthday present! Lucky girl 🙂
Hey! This is a great tutorial and I actually just made mine with my husband and Dad’s help! It turned out great 🙂 However, we were all wondering how you actually hung yours up after you built it? Did you buy certain hardware to attach to the frame so you could secure it to the wall? Just hoping that you could give some insight in to what you did with yours, so we can figure out how to hang it flush and secure to the wall above my vanity! Thanks a lot!!
I think we just used a drywall screw and left a screw sticking out a bit to hang it. I could probably do a better job of securing it, especially living in the great state of California.
How did u turn it on and off? And y is having the mirror not beveled better?
I use a light switch. I have the lights plugged into a power strip and the power strip plugged into a socket that’s connected to a light switch. As for the mirror bevel, I think it’s a personal preference. I think a non-beveled mirror would look better with the vanity light setup. You may feel different. If you try out the beveled mirror, share a picture! I want to see it!
Hello!
So love this! I want to do it but my question is…
What lights did you use for this? I want lights thats are like those day mirrors but have no idea what they are called or where to find them? Thank you in advance for your response.
I didn’t use anything fancy for the light bulbs in my vanity. I just used cheapy 40 watt, warm colored, clear bulbs. Let me know if you figured out what you were looking for and if they’re awesome.
You know that circle on the light tbr silver thing how do you get rid of that ?
Naziah,
I apologize it took me some time to reply. I answered your question in your most recent comment. Thanks for asking!
Did you secure the Micke desk to the wall (recommended by Ikea)? If so, how did you do that?
Lynda,
I didn’t secure the desk to the wall. It’s pretty stable. I haven’t worried about it tipping over. However, there are probably plenty of places that you could attach a strap to on the back of the desk that could be secured to the wall. Thanks for asking!
Hey I just wanted to know how did you get rid of that circle bit on the side of the light Coz I don’t want that to be shown
Naziah,
I believe there a just a couple of screws that hold the mount on the light bar. It should be pretty simple to remove with a screwdriver. Good luck!
Just an observation: It may be helpful to let those interested know how the vanity mirror was attached to the wall. (Explicitly).
I think it’s a good idea to anchor screws into the studs behind the wall, if possible. Use a stud-finder to find the studs. If unable to find or if the studs don’t align with the project, one may use self-anchoring screws which are rated to hold different weights. Ask personnel at the local hardware, Lowes or the Home Depot.
Hi Monica,
I didn’t do anything fancy to hang the mirror, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to come up with a more secure method. I just used a drywall screw and left a screw hanging out of the wall a bit. The wood frame of the mirror just rests on the screw. Let me know how you end up securing the mirror to the wall. Good luck!
Pingback: Diy Wooden Vanity Top - Easy Woodworking
Could you post a link of the light bar you used. I searched but the cheapest I found on home depot was 35$. Thanks!
We used lighting we got from Ikea. I don’t currently see it on their website, but maybe it’s available in store still.
Hi! I would love to make this, however I cannot find the wall lamp. Can you provide the link? Thank you!!
Hi Alicia, it looks like Ikea has discontinued the light fixture we used to make my vanity. There are other similar options that can be found at home improvement stores.
I would like to do this but have a base like the impressions vanity so it dosent have to be hung on the wall? Any advice on how to do that?
Is there a link for the lights? I went to the ikea website and couldn’t find them
Pingback: 14 Inexpensive DIY Vanity Mirrors With Lights to Improve Your Bathroom
Pingback: 14 Inexpensive DIY Vanity Mirrors With Lights to Improve Your Bathroom
Pingback: 14 Amazing DIY Powder Rooms - DIYCraftsGuru