I have 10 ft ceilings in powder room. I put a framed mirror 40" tall over vanity. Sconces on either side and matching fixture over mirror. (Needed extra light)
Mirror is 1-2 inches above back splash. I don't mind the bare wall above the mirror at all. It is just part of the look. If you have a large powder room, going higher with mirror might be fine. Mine is 8 ft x 8 ft and a taller mirror would feel out of scale, to me.

Thanks so much for your response! We won't have a fixture above the mirror but, based on your comments, I think 40 to 45 inches high should be fine. I appreciate your thoughts about the bare wall above the mirror, too. (btw, I think 8x8 is a large powder room!)

We have cathedral ceilings in the entire house so the ceilings in our upstairs bathrooms are about 11-14' high. We placed light fixtures and mirrors at normal height so it feels more "human". Because of the high ceilings we chose to place the lights above the mirror on purpose. they sit at 7'. That was also the height of the windows in one of the bathrooms so it lines up. If you use scones I'd place the mirror at about that height.

this picture gives you an idea of the ceiling in the bathroom

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Here are sinks with mirrors and lights
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I actually found it much more difficult to place mirror and lighting in our tiny powder room with a 7' ceiling - especially with dh being 6'3" ...

Thanks for the photos Beatrix. Your rooms are beautiful, especially the textured walls.

Cathedral ceilings can be a challenge but it looks like you've handled it well. I think your mirror and window look very balanced. Is that a glass transom above the bathroom door?

Tape out the dimensions on your wall. That's what I did and it helped a lot.
Donna

Thanks Donna. I did do that but it's so hard to tell how that blank area is going to feel IRL. Part of me almost thinks that the mirror should end only a few inches above the sconces, not 14 inches, but then there'd be over three feet of bare wall. Having it lower would also mean that it would cut off the reflection of whatever I end up placing on the wall above the toilet. So, at this point, longer is better.

There. I've made a decision. Yeah, right!

Thanks again everyone for your help.

meg,

believe it or not, originally the main bathroom had NO door entering it and was open to the rest of the house ... only the little toilet cubicle inside had a separate door. That worked for us as long as the kids were little but now with 2 preteen girls it just didn't do it anymore.

When we designed the new door it was rather difficult to come up with a solution, especially as there was no way we could have matched the stucco walls. The glass over the door works very well with the openess of the rest of the house.

Don't place top of mirror glass any higher than you can reach with a little stretch. (If you have a tall cleaning lady, you can go higher. LOL)

teedup1,
My mirror is 40" tall so that's impossible. It's also going to be very difficult replacing burnt out bulbs. You have to remove the front of the mirror.
Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: 40

Good point teedup but, unfortunately, I already placed the order for the mirror. See? That's why I hate to make a decision--because then something comes up after the fact and I wish I'd waited a little longer. Actually our entire house is very tall so we'll need a step-ladder to do clean many things.

We won't get the mirror for about three weeks and then it won't be put up until January. By then our computer should be fixed so that we can add photos--hopefully.

meg711,
Your ceilings are gorgeous!!! Don't worry about open space above the mirror, it doesn't need to be filled. Line up the mirror as if your ceiling was normal height. I will look magnificent.
Donna

Hi Meg, sounds like I'm too late to help but I'll post a photo of my powder room mirror anyway. The ceiling is 9' high. I just measured the mirror and it's 3'2" tall.

Thanks chiefneil. Yes, unfortunately you're too late but I always love looking at your beautiful house.

Now I'm worried that my mirror is too tall--though I ran it by the designer and the frame place. You know, even if it is, no one will be looking at it as critically as I have been so I'm sure it will fine.

meg,
I have 8' ceilings and a 40" mirror. Your mirror is not too tall.
Donna

A 45" mirror with 10' ceiling sounds just about right. I think you made a good choice. I'm looking forward to seeing a photo once it's in!

BTW meg - going OT - was that you that did venetian plaster in another room? I'm having my Plaster Guy give me an estimate to do my foyer too.

Sorry, chiefneil, no Venetian plaster here. I think igloochic(k?) was doing some special plaster. You might be thinking of her.

Thanks for the reassurance about the mirror height. I can't believe how long it's taken me to make these decisions. Grr.