Sharper Image Hollywood Vanity Mirror – 2022

Getting ready can be an elaborate and complicated process. But seeing what you’re doing doesn’t have to be. We teamed up with the MerchSource Design Team to create a premium vanity mirror for Sharper Image. Shadowless, even illumination across the face refines the art of makeup. We developed several new features to elevate the experience further. This elegant, large-format mirror is designed to be the ultimate makeup and hair prep assistant for your routine.

We approached the project with an exploration of form and a consideration of use. The major visual elements for ideation were the mirror face, its stand, and base. As a member of the Sharper Image product portfolio, the design needed to fit naturally within the existing language. We drew inspiration from other Sharper Image products, referencing part and CMF breakup strategies, relationships of surfacing, and philosophies of affordance. This research informed our concept exploration, from which we generated several directions to analyze. During this process we also considered our users. We contemplated critical features, common frustrations, and what conveniences we could provide to alleviate those in novel ways. From this, we devised several solutions to nurture a high-end spa-like experience.

The LED Bulbs around the perimeter of the mirror are controlled through a touch interface that’s easy to wipe clean. The controls are presented to the user along the rim of the base which is dished to provide a convenient spot for storing frequently used tools or jewelry.

For precision work, a concave mirror provides a zoom-like effect. This is often a separate product, but we magnetically attached one that can be moved to wherever users need, be it on the front, handheld, or stowed out of the way on the back.

Some stages of makeup require drying so we added a built-in fan with face-directed side vents to aid the process. Nail treatments also are helped by accelerated drying, so we placed air vents along the bottom of the mirror to dry all fingers at once by holding them over the base tray.

Recognizing that users often like to stay in touch with friends during their routine or watch video tutorials, we extended a shelf along the bottom edge of the mirror to act as a phone holder, with a built-in Qi charger behind the glass.

With an elegantly simple form and unique quality-of-life features, the Hollywood Vanity mirror is a worthy entrant into the Sharper Image SpaStudio product family.