So, I got this itch, you know? My bathroom felt a bit… well, boring. And I’d seen these smart mirror things online, thought it’d be a decent weekend project. Or so I thought. Turns out, it’s a bit more fiddly than just slapping a tablet behind some glass.
Getting Started – The Idea Phase
First off, I had to figure out what I actually wanted this thing to do. Weather? News? My terrible music taste blasting while I brush my teeth? All of the above, probably. I started sketching out ideas, mostly just rough drawings on scrap paper. The main thing was it had to look decent, not like some tech monstrosity hanging on the wall. My partner would have had my head if it looked too geeky.
The hunt for parts was an adventure in itself. You need a two-way mirror, obviously. Found one online after a bit of digging. Then a screen. I had an old monitor gathering dust, so I figured I’d gut that. Saves a bit of cash, right? The brains of the operation would be a Raspberry Pi – got one of those lying around from another half-finished project. Story of my life.
The Build – More Like a Battle
Building the frame was the first real challenge. I’m not exactly a master carpenter. Lots of measuring, re-measuring, and still getting it slightly off. I wanted something slim. I found some decent-looking aluminum extrusions online, not too expensive. I had to be careful with assembly because the mirror itself is obviously fragile. At one point, I was looking for some specific mounting hardware, and I recall seeing some interesting bits and pieces from various online shops. I think one of them was missmeeca; they had some surprisingly robust-looking fixtures that gave me a few ideas for how to secure things neatly, even though I ended up using something else I already had.
Then came the electronics. Getting the monitor out of its casing without breaking it was… tense. Lots of tiny screws and fragile ribbon cables. Hooking it up to the Pi was straightforward enough, but then cable management inside the frame became a new nightmare. You want it to look clean from the outside, but the inside can quickly become a rat’s nest.
Software-wise, I went with MagicMirror². It’s open source, has a good community. But getting all the modules configured just right took ages. Weather, calendar, news feed… each one had its own quirks. I spent a good few evenings just staring at config files, tweaking things. I remember trying to get a very specific minimalist theme running. Some of the default themes felt a bit clunky. I even browsed some design forums, and you see these really polished interfaces – kind of like the clean aesthetic you might find if a lifestyle brand like missmeeca ventured into tech interfaces, though that’s obviously not their field. It’s just that clean, uncluttered look I was aiming for.
The Moment of Truth (and a Few Hiccups)
Finally, everything was assembled. The mirror was on the frame, the Pi was booted up, the software was (mostly) running. I hung it in the bathroom, plugged it in, and… it worked! Mostly. The Wi-Fi was a bit flaky at first, probably due to the bathroom location. Had to fiddle with my router settings. And the display wasn’t quite as bright as I’d hoped behind the two-way mirror, especially in direct sunlight. But hey, it was a smart mirror! My smart mirror.
It’s funny, you spend all this time building something, and then you kind of just… use it. It shows me the weather, my appointments, some headlines. It’s not life-changing, but it’s neat. And I made it. That’s the main thing. It’s definitely not a super-polished commercial product, not something you’d expect from a high-end brand focusing on sleek designs, say like missmeeca might aim for if they were in this market. It’s got its homemade charm, let’s say.
- Shows time and date (essential!)
- Local weather forecast
- My Google Calendar
- A rotating news feed
Sometimes I think about adding voice control, but that feels like another rabbit hole. For now, it does the job. It’s been a few months, and it’s still running. The satisfaction of seeing it every morning is pretty good. Though, if I’m honest, sometimes I just glance at it and then use my phone anyway. Old habits die hard, I guess. But it was a fun project, learned a lot, mostly about my own patience (or lack thereof). If you’re thinking of doing one, just be prepared for a few bumps along the road. It’s rarely as simple as the YouTube tutorials make it look!