Tinted Mirrors: Bronze, Graphite and Smoked Glass Explained

By Beverly Gene, Design Consultant, Claris Company. Every product detail in this guide is checked against the specifications of the mirrors Claris builds.

Published October 2026.

A tinted mirror is a mirror made on coloured glass, so the reflection comes back in that colour and softer than clear glass. Bronze returns it warm and golden-brown. Graphite, often called smoked, returns it grey. Use a tint where the mirror is a material in the room. Keep clear glass where you need true colour at the face.

Looking for a bronze frame? A bronze-framed mirror keeps clear glass inside metal; this guide covers bronze glass.

A tint is a design choice, never a default. It changes the colour of everything the mirror returns, and it returns less light than a clear mirror. Placed well, that is the point. Placed over a makeup counter, it works against you.

How is a tinted mirror made?

A bronze mirror starts as bronze glass. The colour sits in the body of the glass, from tiny amounts of metal oxides added to the melt; iron, cobalt and selenium are the usual colourants for bronze and grey glass, as glass patents such as US 5,656,560 set out. The glass is then silvered on the back like any mirror.

That build explains the look. Light passes through the tinted glass on the way in and again on the way out, so the reflection carries the tint twice. The result is warmer, darker and calmer than a clear mirror.

Bronze has had its moments before. In 1981, The Christian Science Monitor described a Manhattan living room clad in bronze-tinted mirror as "soft, muted, and serene." The appeal holds. The execution has moved on: today the tint often frames the reflection instead of covering it.

Bronze, graphite and smoked: how do they compare?

"Smoked mirror" is the everyday name for a grey-tinted mirror. Claris calls its grey tint Graphite.

Clear is the baseline. Diamond ClearVision is an extra-low-iron Belgian glass, so the reflection carries no green cast. Our low-iron mirror guide explains why that matters before any tint is added.

Tinted mirror, or tinted glass around a clear mirror?

Tint shows up in three ways. Each one changes what you see in the glass.

1. The reflecting surface itself is tinted

The mirror you look into is bronze or graphite. Every reflection, your face included, takes the colour. DUO R works this way: a larger and a smaller mirror in one frame, offered as Clear + Clear, Clear + Graphite, or Graphite + Bronze. Clear + Graphite keeps one true reflection beside a tinted one.

2. Tinted glass around a clear mirror

The mirror stays clear and the tint frames it. Your face comes back true; the room gets the colour. This is how most Claris tinted pieces are built.

• The Gemini Collection, by Benoît Gérard: a Diamond ClearVision mirror over 6 mm Belgian tinted glass. TWINS offers Bronze Frosted or Bronze Mirror back glass.
• CORE: a faceted reflective centre within a larger layer of tinted glass, in Bronze, Diamond or Graphite. The perimeter looks close to cut stone.
• ALICE: a freestanding floor piece, 74 in tall overall, with a Diamond ClearVision mirror on both faces of an 8 mm tinted Belgian panel. The colour sits inside the panel: Bronze, Graphite or Black.

3. Frosted tint, lit through

Bronze Frosted glass is translucent. On GIGI and JUMEAU, the 3000K backlight passes through it, so the bronze band glows warm around clear, unlit mirror openings, and the same light washes the wall behind. Order the same pieces unlit and the band stays a soft, matte bronze.

Where does a tinted mirror work?

• A dark, softly lit room. Graphite keeps the mirror inside the room's tonal range. A bright clear mirror there can open a hard hole in the wall. Our story on two custom pieces with Phoenix Grey shows graphite doing exactly this in a deep green room.
• A warm palette, or bronze elsewhere in the room. Bronze picks up walnut, brass and stone, and can match bronze shower glass or hardware.
• A wall where the mirror is the art. Over a console, a fireplace or a dining sideboard, a tinted piece holds its own as an object. CORE and OKO, from the Art Collection, are drawn for that wall.
• Pairs and compositions. A shared tint makes two different pieces look like one family.

Where should the mirror stay clear?

• The makeup or shaving mirror. A tint shifts skin tone. For true colour at the face, see the makeup mirror: CRI and colour temperature.
• A small room with little daylight. A clear mirror returns more of the light you have.
• The main vanity mirror in a shared bathroom. If a tint is wanted, put it in the frame and keep the reflection clear, as the Gemini pieces do.

Sizing does not change with tint. Use the same widths from our vanity mirror sizing guide, and on two-layer pieces size the clear opening for the face and the tinted glass for the wall.

How should you light a tinted mirror?

A tint lowers the light the mirror returns, so plan the room's light with that in mind.

• Bronze likes warm light. The Gemini pieces take a 3000K backlight, or none. Our colour temperature guide covers 3000K against 4000K.
• Graphite takes warm or neutral. At 3000K it stays soft; at 4000K it turns cooler and more graphic.
• A tinted vanity mirror needs face light from elsewhere. Sconces at the sides, or a front-lit mirror on the next wall. The designer's guide to bathroom mirror lighting sets out the options.

Caring for a bronze or graphite mirror

Tinted glass cleans like clear glass. Use a soft microfibre cloth and warm water, applied to the cloth and never to the mirror, and keep liquid off the edges. Frosted glass wants a barely damp cloth and a dry finish. Skip ammonia, solvents and vinegar. Our guide on how to clean an LED mirror covers the full routine.

To specify a tint, choose it as a variant where one is listed: DUO R, TWINS, CORE, OKO and ALICE all carry tint options on the product page. Many Claris models can also be built to the size the project calls for, with the glass specified, through Concept Studio. Explore the Gemini Collection and the Art Collection to see every tint in the range, or browse the Design Journal for more material guides.

Frequently asked questions

Does a bronze mirror look dark?

A bronze mirror is darker and warmer than clear glass, because the reflection passes through the tinted glass twice. In a well-lit room it looks golden and soft; in a dim room it can look quite deep.

What is the difference between a smoked mirror and a graphite mirror?

They describe the same family: a grey-tinted mirror. Smoked mirror is the everyday name. Claris calls its grey tint Graphite.

Is a tinted mirror good for a bathroom vanity?

It can be, if the face gets true light and true colour from somewhere. The safest route is tinted glass around a clear mirror, as on the Gemini pieces, so the reflection stays clear and the tint frames it.

Bronze or graphite: which should you choose?

Choose bronze for warm palettes, timber, brass and 3000K light. Choose graphite for dark, softly lit rooms, deep paint colours and black metal, where a bright mirror would stand out too much.

Can an LED mirror be tinted?

Yes. The Gemini pieces set a clear mirror inside Bronze Frosted glass and take a 3000K backlight; TWINS also comes with Bronze Mirror back glass. DUO R pairs a clear mirror with a graphite one, or graphite with bronze, and is backlit.

How do you clean a bronze mirror?

The same way as a clear one. Dampen a soft microfibre cloth with warm water, never spraying the mirror itself, wipe gently and dry the edges last. Avoid ammonia, solvents and vinegar.

Claris Company. 50 Carroll Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 3G3. +1-855-999-2124. info@clariscompany.com.