By Beverly Gene, Design Consultant, Claris Company. Every specification in this guide is checked against the spec sheets of the mirrors we build, and re-checked when the guide is updated.
A custom mirror is design, not decoration. In a hospitality washroom, a flagship retail fit-out, a primary bath, the mirror is the first surface every client sees. Specifying it deserves the rigour given to the stone, the joinery, and the lighting plan. This guide walks the six decisions in the order a spec sheet takes them.
Key takeaways
- Six decisions shape every custom mirror spec: glass, lighting, construction, mount, controls, and commercial terms.
- Specify ultra low-iron Belgian glass with copper-free silvering. It returns colour without the green cast of standard float.
- Choose 3000K for residential, 4000K for commercial, 5000K for detail work, or Tri-Temp switchable where one piece serves several registers.
- Confirm substrate, orientation, and power at the drawing stage, before the PO ships.
- Lead time is confirmed in every quote. The warranty is five years, residential and commercial alike.
The glass: ultra low-iron Belgian float, copper-free silvering
Specify ultra low-iron Belgian float paired with copper-free silvering. Standard float glass is faintly green; you never notice it on a window, and you notice it the second a face reflects in it. Low-iron glass returns the room without the cast: paintings hold true, skin stays warm, whites stay white. Claris specifies both across every collection. The silvering is AGC Mirox 3G, copper-free; per AGC's Mirox 3G specification, that build is ten times more resistant to corrosion than standard mirror, which is what keeps edges clean in a humid room.
The full glass science, iron content, silvering chemistry, and the white-paper test, lives in what makes a Claris mirror clearer. For the branded build we use, see Diamond ClearVision glass explained.
Which colour temperature and light position should you specify?
Two decisions: colour temperature, and where the light sits. The short version: 3000K is the warm residential register, 4000K the neutral commercial default, 5000K the detail-work setting, and Tri-Temp switches between all three on the mirror, available on STONE, PULSE, SOUL, VITA, and the PEBBLE Sensor variant. The room-by-room treatment, with the reasoning, lives in our colour temperature guide.
Most non-Gemini LED pieces ship in 3000K, 4000K, or 5000K. The Gemini pieces (JUMEAU, TWINS, MERCURE, GIGI) ship in 3000K or with no LED, to preserve the design language. Colour fidelity comes from the LED's colour rendering, CRI 90+ on Claris LED pieces, and the glass, not from the temperature alone.
Where the light sits: backlight (around the edge, glow on the wall), frontlight (in the face, framing the reflection), both, or no LED. For the placement logic, read the designer's guide to LED bathroom mirrors. For multi-function dressing routines, EVOLUTION pairs a backlit main with a magnifier carrying its own LED ring.
Construction: single-glass and layered builds
Most pieces ship single-glass: one mirror layer, low-iron, copper-free silvering. The right call when the brief calls for a clean framed reflection.
Some pieces are built differently. The Gemini Collection, designed by Benoît Gérard, Creative Director, is the studio's design-led line. ALICE stands as a floor sculpture, two glass panels, frosted on one face and gloss on the other, eight-millimetre glass, mounted on a Cosentino ĒCLOS base. The remaining Gemini pieces (JUMEAU, TWINS, MERCURE, GIGI) carry a bronze frosted finish on architectural forms with circular apertures. The construction is part of the piece's identity, not just its performance.
Where a commercial jurisdiction treats the mirror as glazing in a hazardous location, the US reference is 16 CFR Part 1201, the federal Safety Standard for Architectural Glazing Materials. Flag the requirement in the brief so the shop drawing answers it before production.
How do mount and orientation work?
Every wall-hung piece ships with key hole mounts sized to the piece, and the hardware is part of the specification, not an afterthought. Confirm the substrate at quote (drywall, stud, concrete, tile-clad, joinery panel), because the fixing method follows the wall, and confirm the wiring rough-in at the shop-drawing stage. Most pieces are symmetric and hang one way. A few are directional or universal, and those need a decision on the elevation. BUTTERFLY ships as a Left or Right wing, paired facing outward on a double vanity for the full effect. COMO hangs on universal four-way hardware, vertical, horizontal, or three-way, and PEBBLE's universal mount offers four positions. TWINS installs vertical or horizontal on the same key hole system. Full-length pieces such as ACARI DECOR can be wall-mounted or recessed. Power on LED pieces is 110V hardwire to a junction box, with plug-in variants on select models; VIANO is the exception that ships plug-in only. Confirm orientation and power against your elevation before the PO ships.
Controls and power: touch, wave motion, anti-fog
Soft touch is the default. Multi-touch on multi-function pieces. Wave motion for hospitality and healthcare where touch surfaces are a hygiene consideration. Where a piece offers more than one control, each option is quoted as its own line item, so the client compares and selects rather than inheriting a default.
Anti-fog: a heated film behind the mirror, prevents condensation during and after a hot shower. Specify on any bath piece near the shower. The full comparison of anti-fog approaches is in the anti-fog mirror guide.
Dimming is integrated with the sensor on every LED piece.
Commercial terms: the quote, the SKU, the warranty
The quote is the contract's first draft, so it carries everything a project manager needs to hold us to. Every Claris quotation is valid for 30 days from issue, priced in Canadian dollars unless the quote states otherwise, and lists the full product SKU on every line item, so the spec table, the pricing table, and the purchase order all name the same build. Dimensions appear in both metric and imperial. Shop drawings are issued after the configuration is confirmed, and the substrate and wiring rough-in are locked before anything ships. Freight runs by air or sea cargo to the port of entry, customs cleared, then on to site.
Lead time. Confirmed in every quote, against the production calendar. Catalogue pieces and custom work carry different windows.
Warranty. Five years, residential and commercial alike, covering glass, silvering, and electronics.
Trade program. Designers, architects, and procurement teams buy through a trade account: apply through Partner With Us. A PO and deposit on standard trade terms start production.
When should you go custom?
Go custom when the wall, the brief, or the brand cannot be served by a catalogue size. Every piece can be modified: scaled sizing, custom frame finish, etched graphics, co-development on limited editions and private-label programs. Confirmed by shop drawing, same warranty as catalogue.
Size is the most common trigger. The trade sizing spec, aspect ratios, clearances, and the moments a custom cut earns its line, is in the ultimate mirror sizing guide; for residential vanities, start with what size mirror for your vanity.
How do you specify a custom mirror, step by step?
Six steps take a custom mirror from brief to install. Samples and shop drawings sit in the middle, and the substrate is confirmed before anything ships.
- Tell us the project. Name, location, audience (residential, commercial, hospitality, retail), substrate, finish date.
- Request samples. Glass coupon, frame finish coupon, LED temperature swatch.
- Drawings. Shop drawings against your elevations and reflected ceiling plan. Wiring rough-in and substrate confirmed at this step.
- PO and deposit. Standard trade terms at quote.
- Production. Built in Europe against your spec.
- Freight. Air or sea cargo to the port of entry, customs cleared, on to your site or your client's site.
Frequently asked questions
What information does a custom mirror quote need?
A quote needs the project name and location, the audience (residential, commercial, hospitality, or retail), the wall substrate, the target dimensions and shape, the glass and lighting spec, and the finish date. With those in hand, shop drawings and a confirmed lead time follow.
How long does a custom mirror take?
Lead time is confirmed in every quote, against the production calendar at the time of order. Catalogue pieces and custom work carry different windows, so the quote is the only number worth planning around.
Can any Claris mirror be customized?
Yes. Every piece in the catalogue can be scaled, refinished, or etched, and co-development is available for limited editions and private-label programs. Custom work is confirmed by shop drawing and carries the same five-year warranty as catalogue pieces.
What warranty does a custom mirror carry?
Five years, residential and commercial alike, covering glass, silvering, and electronics. Custom builds carry the same warranty as catalogue pieces.
Contact
Open a trade account. Apply through Partner With Us.
Request a quote. Request a quote.
Email the trade desk. info@clariscompany.com.
About the author
Beverly Gene is a design consultant with Claris Company, a Toronto architectural mirror studio, and works with designers and architects on mirror specification for residential, hospitality, and retail projects. This guide reflects those specification conversations, checked against the spec sheets of the mirrors Claris builds. Claris makes custom and standard LED mirrors on low-iron Belgian glass, crafted in Europe, and backed by a five-year warranty. About us, partner with us, or get in touch.
Claris Company. 50 Carroll Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3G3. +1-855-999-2124. info@clariscompany.com.
