Design Inspiration: Mirror Makeover

When I moved into school this year, one of the first things I noticed was the mirror missing in my room.  HPU puts a mirror in each room for all students, but for some odd reason I was the only one in our suite this year that did not get one.  We also weren't given our big mirror for the living room.  When we contacted the HPU maintenance and furniture people, they brought us a mirror for the living room (the size of the one that should be in my room) but not one for my bedroom. They told us they couldn't give us the large size one and were only allowed to bring in one mirror.  It had something to do with not being able to hang stuff unless it was already given.  I don't know, it didn't quite make sense to me, but that is what they said. While, I'm very happy we have a mirror in our living area now, I still really wanted a mirror for my room.  I have a full length on my closet door, but I wanted one that was smaller and in an area with better lighting to use while getting ready.  So I came up with a solution.

The other day, while shopping with Megan Steele, I ran across this really cute mirror at Ross for only $15. It had an ugly wood frame, but I knew a coat of spray paint would make it quite the little charm.  I forgot to take a picture of the original mirror but here's one that is very similar to what mine used to look like.

Ugly right?  Maybe it could be pretty in a traditional space, but it didn't fit my taste.  So after purchasing the mirror, I bought a can of spray paint, grabbed a free newspaper from our Concierge desk, and headed to the back of Norton to spray paint it.

All you have to do is tape around the edges of the mirror and then lay a sheet of newspaper to cover the rest of the exposed glass. Secure the newspaper once the mirror is completely covered, and you're good to go.  I had to put about 3 coats of spray paint on to cover the old finish.  Some of the original finish still shows through in certain areas, but I kind of like the look it gave.  I may do another coat of paint one day, but it works great for now.  This was my final look:

Close up view of the detail.

 Finished product before being hung.

Its final resting place.  To the left of my desk behind my door.

While I wish the wall color in our room was darker to make the mirror pop more, I think it looks pretty good.  It turned into quite a cute mirror. All for under $20!

Mirror: $15

Spray Paint: $4

Newspaper:  Free

Total:  Under $20!