It’s the beginning of the new year, a time many people take to look inside themselves and reflect.
At a tiny house on Magazine Street, there’s a perfect place to do just that. It’s the Porter Lyons Mirror House, a mobile art installation that doubles as a shop.
Usually, when people think “mirror house,” a kiddie carnival image comes to mind. This version is all grown up, with crisp, clean lines, stone steps and a white interior lit up by LED lighting inside the jewelry cases.
Porter Lyons first location is in heart of the French Quarter, on Toulouse Street.
“I came up with this idea for the mirror house about a year ago, in concept,” said artist and designer Ashley Porter. “I was ready to build our second store. I wanted something that would be a little more flexible in terms of location so I could move it at any time.” 
Porter’s creation took her from designing jewelry to designing an entire tiny house.
“The mirror house reflects everything that’s around and really preserves the culture that it’s around,” said Porter. “A part of Porter Lyons mission is to preserve culture, and so this house is an offshoot of that idea.”
Aside from the front porch, the mirror house reflects everything. The hustle and bustle of Magazine Street, you, the person you’re talking to, literally everything. But Porter says that’s part of the allure.
“The whole hashtag for the mirror house is ‘Reflect Yourself,’ said Porter. “What I design on an everyday basis is jewelry, wearable art. I wanted the house to be an extension of that. The things you put on your body, your jewelry, is like your armor. They should reflect who you are and your identity, not the other way around. I really wanted to capture that in the design concept.”
Porter says since the house is mobile, moving it to another location is definitely in the plans.
“Well, the world is our oyster,” said Porter. “We will keep it around New Orleans for festival season, and potentially Dallas.”
The Porter Lyons Mirror House is located at 2230 Magazine Street. It’s open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Click here to visit the Porter Lyons website or here to follow the PL Mirror House on Instagram.
