I was renovating my master bathroom and figured it would be the perfect time to build in a magic mirror. I had my contractor frame out a niche in the wall so that I could fully recess my TV.

The mirror itself is the Pilkington MirroView 50/50. It measures ~ 6 ft x 3.5 ft and is secured to the wall using J channels. I was able to purchase the mirror from a local glazier.

I used the 3M 1080 Matte Black vinyl wrap to mask out the area outside of the TV.

Instead of using a RaspberryPi I wound up hosting the MagicMirror server on a Linux VM and the client is a BrightSign XT1143 that I picked up on eBay. A few great things about the BrightSign:

1. It can display web pages (critical for this application)
2. It has an HDMI input that allows you to overlay an HDMI signal on top of the webpage (or whatever other content you’re displaying). This allowed me to integrate live TV into my mirror.
3. It has a 3.5 mm audio out port which I was able to connect to an input on the sound system feeding my bathroom
4. It supports streaming video which is great for viewing security cameras
5. It can control the connected display via CEC
6. The BrightSign can be controlled via simple UDP commands allowing easy integration with just about anything. I have UDP commands setup to power on/off the display, show/hide live TV, streaming video, etc.

The BrightSign is located in the basement and is connected to an Monoprice 4k HDMI extender. I ran a CAT6 cable from the extender to the bathroom underneath the sink. There is a small receiver under the sink (powered via the CAT6 cable) that is then connected to my display via a HDMI cable. I ran an IR emitter from the extender as well (don’t need it given the CEC support, but figured it couldn’t hurt for future use). The only electronics behind the mirror are the TV itself. The mirror is removable, but obviously annoying so wanted to keep as much as possible fully accessible.

The TV is a 55” Samsung QLED that I was able to pickup at a local retailer on a close out sale. After much debate, I didn’t add any extra ventilation, but left a lot of space around and behind the display. The display is triggered by an occupancy sensor so is only on when the room is occupied. Time will tell if not addition additional ventilation was a dumb decision.

Here are some additional pictures of the build process:

I was renovating my master bathroom and figured it would be the perfect time to build in a magic mirror. I had my contractor frame out a niche in the wall so that I could fully recess my TV.

The mirror itself is the Pilkington MirroView 50/50. It measures ~ 6 ft x 3.5 ft and is secured to the wall using J channels. I was able to purchase the mirror from a local glazier.

I used the 3M 1080 Matte Black vinyl wrap to mask out the area outside of the TV.

Instead of using a RaspberryPi I wound up hosting the MagicMirror server on a Linux VM and the client is a BrightSign XT1143 that I picked up on eBay. A few great things about the BrightSign:

1. It can display web pages (critical for this application)
2. It has an HDMI input that allows you to overlay an HDMI signal on top of the webpage (or whatever other content you’re displaying). This allowed me to integrate live TV into my mirror.
3. It has a 3.5 mm audio out port which I was able to connect to an input on the sound system feeding my bathroom
4. It supports streaming video which is great for viewing security cameras
5. It can control the connected display via CEC
6. The BrightSign can be controlled via simple UDP commands allowing easy integration with just about anything. I have UDP commands setup to power on/off the display, show/hide live TV, streaming video, etc.

The BrightSign is located in the basement and is connected to an Monoprice 4k HDMI extender. I ran a CAT6 cable from the extender to the bathroom underneath the sink. There is a small receiver under the sink (powered via the CAT6 cable) that is then connected to my display via a HDMI cable. I ran an IR emitter from the extender as well (don’t need it given the CEC support, but figured it couldn’t hurt for future use). The only electronics behind the mirror are the TV itself. The mirror is removable, but obviously annoying so wanted to keep as much as possible fully accessible.

The TV is a 55” Samsung QLED that I was able to pickup at a local retailer on a close out sale. After much debate, I didn’t add any extra ventilation, but left a lot of space around and behind the display. The display is triggered by an occupancy sensor so is only on when the room is occupied. Time will tell if not addition additional ventilation was a dumb decision.

Here are some additional pictures of the build process:

This project is getting closer to a reality.

I was able to look at a sample of the Pilkington Mirroview 50/50…it looks like it will be a good choice for this application. I’ve seen a number of positive posts on this forum about Mirroview, but if anyone has any further comments about the product feel free to share.

I am going to build a recessed wall niche behind the mirror with a fan for ventilation. The recessed wall niche should allow the TV to be flush with the finished wall. As for the mirror I’m thinking I will just mount it in a top and bottom J channel. In the event I need to service the TV (hopefully never) will carefully remove the mirror from the J channel.

With that said a few open items:

1. I need something black behind the mirror…I was thinking either black felt or a black PVC board. Could I also just paint the wall black or would that not really work?
2. Will the J channels be sufficient to secure a 7’ mirror. It would seem like a 7’ j channel on the top and bottom would be sufficient, however I keep reading about using mastic which I’d like to avoid so that I can remove the mirror if ever necessary.
3. I plan on using a Samsung TV or something similar, given the application removing the bezel doesn’t seem necessary. Mt plan is to get a TV with a flat front bezel. Do you see any issues posed by not removing the bezel or is it mainly to make it thinner when not doing the recessed installation.

Thanks for all the advice so far. We’ll definately go with a legit mirror vs acrylic with film–we need the mirror to look great. My plan was to use an HDMI over CAT5/6 extender locating the Raspberry Pi in a remote location. I was originally thinking of putting the HDMI extender in the enclosure with the TV, but I think I’ll go ahead and locate the HDMI extender in the vanity and run an HDMI cable from the vanity to the mirror. That would give me one less thing to break behind the mirror.

I’m not too worried about the insurance company, what I would be concerned about is doing anything that doesn’t meet code (I live in NY). We’ll be pulling permits for the bathroom remodel so this would need to pass inspection.

We’ll be sure to use GFCI outlets and may look to add some sort of ventilation fan to keep the TV cool. I’m not overly worried about moisture as we’ll have ventilation in the bathroom itself and it’s 16’ x 10’ bathroom with the shower on the opposite side of the bathroom from the mirror.

Any thing else I should be thinking about?

We are doing a gut renovation on our master bathroom and would love to put a TV behind our main vanity mirror. The mirror will be about 7 feet wide and we’re thinking of putting an ~32" display behind the mirror (in the center). My main concern is serviceability followed by cost.

Serviceability:
I imagine a 7’ wide mirror would be quite heavy to take on an off the wall if for some reason I need to get to the display (let me know if I’m mistaken). I was instead thinking of recessing the TV in the wall and creating an access panel on the other side of the wall. Thoughts on the best way to accomplish this?

Cost:
Given the fact we’re doing a gut renovation we’ll need to buy a new mirror anyway. Any idea how much more expensive the Pilkington MirroView (or something simliar) is compared to standard mirror glass? Any recommendations on the glass for this type of application.

Obviously I could install multiple mirrors with only of them concealing the display, I kind of like the idea of one seamless mirror.

Sorry for the long first post, but would love some feedback.