Mara Ellis has styled over two hundred apartments in Austin and Brooklyn. Her cheapest trick is also her favorite: one good mirror, moved around.
"People buy mirrors too small. Every time."
Mara's rule is the one professionals swear by: a mirror above furniture should be about two-thirds the width of the piece beneath it. A 60-inch console wants a 40-inch mirror. "Any smaller," she says, "and the wall looks like it's wearing a name tag."
Room one: the entryway
Hang it so the center sits at 57–65 inches, gallery height. "You get one last look before you leave, and the hallway doubles in depth. Cheapest square footage you'll ever buy."
Room two: opposite a window
"A mirror across from a window is a second window. I've watched dark rentals become bright ones with one hook and thirty minutes."
Room three: the dark corner
Her last placement is the one people miss, the dead corner a lamp can't fix. A mirror angled toward the light source moves brightness into it. "Point a mirror at something beautiful. Never at clutter, a mirror doubles whatever it faces."
Start with a shape you love in the mirror row, then let it move around the house until it finds its wall.