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.