Upgrade Your Space with This DIY Mirror Organizer!
My family and I recently moved, and my daughter had an old mirror she wasn’t sure what to do with in her new space. You know the kind; it hangs on the back of a door, usually the smaller rectangular ones you find in the dorm furniture section of any big box store. Aside from not knowing what to do with this mirror, my daughter also said she wanted a more hidden space to condense and store all of her jewelry, which gave me the perfect idea: instead of trashing the old mirror, I could upcycle it into fully functional jewelry storage! And you know I had to share the process with you… so keep reading to learn how to create your own DIY mirror organizer!
Materials You’ll Need for Your DIY Mirror Organizer
Don’t be intimidated by the list of materials; most items you likely have on hand. If you don’t, they’re not the least bit expensive to purchase online or from your local hardware store.
How to Build Your Mirror Organizer
I started out by measuring the length of the mirror. Using my miter saw, I cut the ends of the 1” x 3” x 8’ board in a 45-degree angle, with the angled cuts mirroring each other (see picture below). You want the highest point of the angles to match the edge of the mirror. When the top and bottom pieces are also cut with the same 45-degree angles, they’ll form 90-degree angles in each corner when assembled.
TIP: The measurement for a 45-degree angle is taken from the longest (outside) point.
After the long sides were cut, I measured and cut the top and bottom pieces to fit.
Using a corner clamp, I fit the pieces together, took one side out to apply wood glue, put them back together, and used brad nails to secure the pieces.
After all four corners were secure, I laid the rectangular box on top of the project board, marked off where I needed to cut, and cut the board to fit inside the wood box.
Once the board was cut, I dry fit the pieces together; if there were any spots that were tight, I used 80-grit sand paper to smooth out the edges. When the project board fit inside the rectangular box, I used wood screws to secure them together.
I flipped the piece over and on the back, measured down 9 inches. This is where the back supports would be attached with a hinge on each side. I measured the rest of the back from the 9 inch mark down to give me the length of the supports. Using this measurement, I cut two 1” x3” pieces of wood to that length.
To keep the pieces sturdy, I cut a bottom and middle support for the two back support pieces out of the same 1” x 3” board scraps. I then secured those pieces using pocket screws, but you can also use the wood screws to secure them as well.
Once all the pieces were cut and secured, I used wood filler to close any gaps or spaces between the wood, and let it dry.
Before painting, I gave everything a good sand using 120-grit sand paper, wiped off with a tack cloth, and rolled on a couple coats of paint.
Since the mirror was already painted gold, I used painters tape cover the glass around the edges, and painted the mirror to match the rest of the piece, and let dry.
Depending on your wood, you may want to give another light sand and add another coat of paint to make the surface smooth.
After everything was dry, I attached the mirror to the wood box using three hinges, and attached the back supports using two more hinges. I also found a hook to keep the mirror organizer securely shut.
Because the back of my mirror had some damage, I added some rolled cork and secured with industrial hot glue, which will make this perfect for my daughter to display pictures. I also added some decorative ribbon for an extra touch.
On the inside of the stand, I inserted some jewelry organizers I found at Michael’s craft store and using some scrap wood, added some shelves for nail polish and any other things she wanted to add.
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Overall, my daughter is thrilled with her DIY mirror organizer! It’s going to save so much space in her room and is something she can use for her jewelry for years to come. If she decides that she wants it to hang on the wall, I can add heavy duty mirror hanging hardware giving her additional flexibility for the future. Instead of throwing out the mirror, we found the perfect solution to give her functional storage she wanted in her new room.
