This Ingenious Decorating Trick Will Make a Small, Dreary Bedroom Look Way Brighter (and Bigger!)
A lack of natural light can make your bedroom feel small and dreary. If you don’t have many windows and aren’t interested in the artificial light from lamps, you still have options. It’s no secret adding mirrors can help amplify and distribute natural light around a room, but one designer took this idea to new heights, literally, by installing mirrors in an unexpected, strategic spot.
Julia Arceri and her husband live in a European-inspired 2265-square-foot home in Houston, Texas. After moving into their home, Arceri started her Instagram account, @arceriinteriors, as a portfolio to showcase her neutral yet moody-meets-luxe style that she’s so proud of. “My home is a dream I’ve had my whole life,” she says in her house tour. Mainly inspired by French and European design accents, Arceri never confines herself to strict aesthetic guidelines or labels. “I love modern furnishings and clean lines, but then I also love wall moldings, light fixtures, and artwork,” she says. “I don’t think I could ever stick to just one style — there’s too much good stuff out there.”
One such space that masterfully displays her characteristic mix of styles is Arceri’s bedroom, which showcases a romantic, French chateau-esque chandelier alongside simple bed linens and a more modern, channel tufted headboard. Despite the serene, tone-on-tone tan color palette, the pieces she’s chosen come together in a striking composition. One thing I keep coming back to in this room, even with all the features to look at? Instead of resorting to the typical lamps or pieces of art usually used to style the area around nightstands, Arceri mounted floor-length mirrors above each of her bedside tables.
Not only do these tall twin mirrors create calming symmetry, but their elongated height also echoes the dramatic headboard, lending the whole room a sense of grandeur. That being said, the two large mirrors also help keep the space feeling open and not too cramped. That’s because they’re positioned opposite of the window, so they splash light around the entire space, at least when the window treatments are open.
If you’re interested in recreating this look, you don’t need to have high ceilings or a tall headboard. The concept of mounting mirrors above your nightstands can be implemented pretty much anywhere, but look for mirrors and nightstands with dimensions that fit your space best, and maybe dare to go a little taller for a more pronounced effect, as displayed here.
“I love my French gilt mirrors and crystal chandeliers. I have either one or the other in every room in my house — sometimes both,” Arceri says. “They just add such an elegance and grandeur, and they are timeless.”