DIY Ballet Barre and How to Hang a Heavy Mirror
Are you getting tired of the frilly pink little girl posts?
I really hope not because I’m having a blast making over Livie Bug’s bedroom. I really wonder how much she’ll despise frilly pink by the time she’s 10 just because of this. Maybe she’ll be like me and go on a pink strike in middle school only to love it all over again by the time she has a daughter of her own.
Regardless, my inner child is kind of jealous of her newest bedroom addition, a ballet barre!
This was one of those projects that looked so simple in my head but the technical stuff made it not so easy. If you’ve ever tried to hang something heavy but there isn’t a stud on the center of the wall, it’s tricky business.
Supplies Used: Â (Affiliate links are provided below. For more info, see my full disclosure here.)
- 18″ Hangman hanging system
- Large mirror- Ours is 35″x45″ Â (This one is close to the same size and style.)
- Power drill  (We use this one all the time.)
- Level
- 2″ wooden dowel
- 2 stairway handrail brackets
My parents had given me this scrolly mirror back when I moved into my first apartment in college that originally had hung in their dining room for much of my childhood. It was black with gold leafing but I gave it a dose of silver spray paint.
Let me tell ya, this mirror is heavy. And I didn’t want to hang it on Olivia’s wall within her reach unless I was totally confident it wouldn’t fall over on her. We’ve hung our hallway chalkboard and bathroom window with these heavy duty picture hanging systems called Hangmans, and they’re super strong. So I knew it was the perfect solution for this massive mirror.
And of course, Olivia wanted to help.
We screwed one of the plates from the Hangman on the back of the top of the mirror, and we made sure it was level.
For the second Hangman plate, we positioned it where we wanted on the wall between two studs and marked it, a screw hole on each end of the plate positioned on a stud.
Without the hanging plate, we would have to choose one of the studs to hang the mirror on instead of centering it between the two, and it would have driven me nuts to have a mirror off center on the wall.
The plate on the wall angles out as a lip to hold the plate on the back of the mirror.
That big guy is going nowhere! Or else this mama would not be cool with it.
And okay, come on. It called for a selfie moment. (To be honest, the selfie thing doesn’t happen very often with me.)
Then it was ballet barre time! (Inner ballerinas rejoice!)
Robert and I had the same concerns for making sure the barre could handle some weight, and we wanted to make it for as inexpensively as possible…like always.
A 2 inch wooden dowel and a couple of stairway handrail brackets set us back about $16.
Since we had centered the mirror between two studs, we were able to position the barre brackets the same distance from the mirror on studs too.
Robert predrilled holes in the dowel to attach to the brackets (with Olivia supervising of course).
Robert’s sister Ann was visiting us over the weekend and lent us a helping hand with attaching the dowel to the brackets. We put our guests to work sometimes…so wrong of us, I know. She was a good sport.
Just so you know, this is how we break up the tension in the middle of projects. This face:
Okay, but seriously…let’s do this.
And there she is all ready for plies, grande batments, arabesques en pointe and any other random ballet term you can think of.
My dad used to kid with me when I was younger that a “yoplait” was a dance move. Insert pre-teen eyeroll. “That’s yogurt, Dad.”
Definitely puts the ballet theme in motion, wouldn’t you say? I’m not usually one for “theme-y” rooms, but I can’t wait to see how the rest of it unfolds. How cute it that ballerina applique pillow over there?
This barre is exactly like the one I used to have when I danced ballet as a girl at a dance studio.
To this day, if I hear Nutcracker music during Christmas at the mall, I want to run screaming…or start up my old ballet choreography. I can never decide what to do. Listening to it during rehearsals for 4-5 months every single year will do that to you.
I think it’s safe to say that Olivia is a fan.
Now to teach her a thing or two. This girl has some dance moves of her own for sure though.
Once the mirror and barre were up, we had a dance party in her room for a good hour. “Swan Lake” is cool and all, but “Uptown Funk” was on repeat for this dance session.
To see where else we’ll be heading for her bedroom, you can check out the full makeover plans here.
Update: Â See the full bedroom makeover reveal here!
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This is so cute! Although I’m 15, I would totally love this. I’m always practicing at home, when I’m not at the studio for pointe or ballet!
Beautiful blog <3
Michaila
Hi!
Love this room! I would love to do something similar for my daughter!
Can I ask which exact spray paint was used on the mirror? Did you have to prep the mirror before painting or did the spray paint adhere just fine?
Hi Tanie! I primed the mirror with Zinsser spray primer first and used Rustoleum Brushed Nickel spray paint for the color.
I would like to install a ballet barre for working out in my home, do you think these brackets: a. stick out far enough from the wall and b. are sturdy enough to use for this purpose?
Your daughter is a lucky little girl!
Hi, Cortney! Thanks! She’s really loving it. I think for an adult, it wouldn’t really work. I know when I danced, I needed more space for my foot not to hit the wall so I could point when I rested my ankle on the barre for stretches. Placing them in the studs is very important though for durability. These brackets would probably work better for you: http://amzn.to/1TfhSU1
What a darling room and a lucky little girl! We put up a ballet barre and mirror for our daughter when she was young, and now she is a professional dancer 🙂
Wow!!! That’s amazing, Julie! Okay, don’t get my hopes up over here. 😉
Where did you find your mirror or what are the dimensions? My 5.5 year old dancer saw your photo on my pinterest acct and is in LOVE! 🙂 We are struggling to find an “ideal” mirror.
Ack! I will measure that mirror first thing tomorrow morning when my daughter wakes up. Unfortunately, this mirror is almost as old as I am. My parents had it in their house for many years, they gave it to me in college to help me furnish my first apartment, and since then, I spray painted it to hang in here. It’s well traveled. 😉
She’s so adorable, Lauren!! The cutest ballerina I’ve ever seen. I love how her room is coming together and thanks for the tip on hanging a heavy mirror. How have I never seen those Hangman things? Total game changer!
Thanks, Amy! I think she’s the cutest ballerina too, but I’m a tad biased. 😉 And yes! Those Hangman things are so awesome! They’re a lot easier to make things level too.
I absolutely love this. I have a little girl probably about the same age and I totally want to do this in her room! Darling!
Thank you so much, Chelsea! We’re so excited about it. 🙂
So so so so so cute!!! Such a great idea. Your pictures are awesome.
Thank you, Marni!
This is the CUTEST!! My 4-year-old took ballet this year for the first time and we’re coming into recital season. It’s a lot of work convincing a preschooler to go to ballet each week, but once she’s there she really loves it. And it’s just SO cute!
She would love this barre in her room, but I don’t have any blank walls. I may have to remedy that. Ha!!
Featuring you this morning at Work it Wednesday!
Haha! Clear a wall and make it happen girl! 😉 We haven’t started ballet lessons yet, but it’ll probably happen next year since my daughter dances all over the place anyway. I started when I was 3 and danced on into college. It’s so much fun! And if your little dancer isn’t into the ballet barre, the mirror is fun for dress-up. Thanks for the feature, Laura! Hope you have a great week!
I love it, Lauren! She is soo sweet in the picturs and will love it I’m sure!
This is gorgeous! I always wanted to do this for my ballerina daughter but had no idea how to hang a heavy mirror! I’ll be using this soon I hope! Thanks for linking up at the Handmade Hangout!
So glad it could help, Valerie! That mirror was definitely the trickiest part.
This is breathtakig – the whole room of your little princess is just perfect. Great job!
Thanks so much, Kate!
She looks adorable. I bet her reaction was too cute.
Oh my goodness yes. Her little face lit up like the 4th of July. 🙂
The last photo of your daughter is priceless. The photo needs to be on canvas!!! Darling room.
Thank you! I have SO many photos that I keep saying, “This one needs to be a huge canvas.” I’m going to need a room of nothing but giant Olivias. Haha
Oh my word, this is perfect. Every little girls dream come true. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.
I know it’s MY little girl dream come true for sure! Haha I’m just living vicariously through her. Thanks, Marty! And I appreciated the feature this week! For some strange reason, Blogger doesn’t let me leave comments. I guess that platform doesn’t get along with my Google account. Hope you have a great week! 🙂
Thanks for this post!! First, that mirror and your daughter are both gorgeous! Second, I have this mirror with wrought-iron scroll work that must weigh thirty pounds…only I’ve never hung it because it made me too nervous! Thanks again!
Thank you, Jenn! I agree…this one made me nervous too. That Hangman picture hanger holds up to 200 lbs so I felt good about using it. We’ve used them on a couple of really heavy old windows hanging in other places in our house, and they don’t budge, so I knew it would be great for this one.
This is just great, and useful info, as always! I’m wondering how you know the correct height to install the ballet barre. I would love to do this for my granddaughters! Many thanks!!!
Thanks, Joan! We actually just had her stand beside the wall and we eyeballed it. We did hang it a bit higher than what she needs right now (about shoulder height) because we wanted her to be able to grow into it.
I just love this! Between this and the pillow, I want your daughter’s room! 🙂
Me too, Jill! Haha
Great idea, and the husbands end up doing all the work 😉
Haha I know. He puts up with me.
Super cute project! She is adorable in her outfit.
Thank you!