How To Decorate Your Home Like Harry Potter
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The magical world of "Harry Potter" has been enchanting fans for decades since the first book was published in 1997. Adults and children alike can't get enough of the wizarding adventures of Harry and his friends as they explore Hogwarts, get into mischief, and battle against Lord Voldemort and other dark forces. According to Vox, "Harry Potter" changed the world and won over fans with its warm, lovable characters and intricate storyline.
If you're a Potter super-fan, you probably remember showing up for the midnight book and movie premieres back in the day. Maybe you have (or want) a Deathly Hallows tattoo, or can quote a few lines from your favorite character. At the very least, you know which Hogwarts house you belong to (via Wizarding World). If you want to show your love for the series, consider sprucing up your room with magical-themed decor. Your home definitely does not need to look like Hogwarts Castle to get a "Harry Potter"-approved look. Simply incorporate Gothic-inspired pieces like iron light fixtures, antique furnishings, and your house's unique colors. You can also add enchanting details like floating candles and artwork inspired by the series. We've put together some creative "Harry Potter" themed decorating tips that will take your home from muggle to magical instantly.
Display your Hogwarts acceptance letter on a bulletin board
A Hogwarts acceptance letter is your ticket into the magical world. Not only does it include a handwritten note of acceptance from Minerva McGonagall herself, but it also provides you with a list of books and supplies to buy in Diagon Alley for the school year ahead. But don't fret if your letter got lost in the owl post. You can easily make your own personalized letter with a template from Instructables or follow this YouTube tutorial from Wizardry Workshop.
Alternatively, if you want to write out your own letter, you can copy text directly from the letter in the first novel, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." It's best to use parchment paper for an aged aesthetic (via Etsy). Once your letter is written, slide it into an envelope and stamp it with the official Hogwarts crest. The wax seal comes last, which you can print out from a template online or recreate by melting wax and pouring it over the Hogwarts seal stamp (via Amazon). Once your letter is finished, you can pin it to a bulletin board or other noticeable place for all to admire.
Hang flying keys from the ceiling
If you've watched the first "Harry Potter" film or read the book, you probably remember Harry battling through a sea of flying keys. In the scene, Harry is riding a broomstick and searching for the right key that will get him, Ron, and Hermione one step closer to finding the sorcerer's stone, per IMDb. To make matters more difficult, Charms Professor Flitwick enchanted the keys to fly and scatter chaotically. Eventually, Harry finds the key he needs, and the trio successfully makes it through the locked door.
You can reference this magical scene in your home by hanging winged keys from a ceiling or shelf. Just sketch out some wings on the paper of your choice, cut them out, and then secure them onto antique keys using glue or tape, per Good Housekeeping. Hit the thrift store to look for unique keys, or you can order them online from places like Etsy. As a last step, attach wires to the keys and hang them on the ceiling.
Show off your house pride with colored bedding
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is home to four different houses, all with their own distinct personality and characteristics. As the Sorting Hat will tell you, Gryffindor is known for bravery and chivalry, Ravenclaw for intelligence and wisdom, Hufflepuff for loyalty and hard work, and Slytherin for ambition and determination, per Wizarding World. Each house also has its own color palette, which is used to decorate the common room and dormitories. Just for a refresh, Gryffindor is associated with red and gold, Ravenclaw with blue and bronze, Hufflepuff with yellow and black, and Slytherin with green and silver.
Whichever house you identify with, you can bring a little school pride into your home by decorating with your house's unique colors, per HGTV. If you're a proud Slytherin, look for bedding in shades of silver or green. Then, decorate your bed with throw pillows and blankets in the other house color. For an extra touch, hang a Slytherin flag like the one in Pottery Barn over your bed, or get spooky with some skull and serpent-themed wall decorations.
Frame your best moving photographs
In the wizarding world, pictures and portraits are always in motion. Whether it's a medieval knight clumsily riding a horse or a wizened old wizard snoring peacefully, there is plenty of action going on amongst the portraits of Hogwarts. Suppose you want to have your own moving pictures displayed at home. In that case, you can visit Shutterbutton's Top-Notch Shots at Universal's Wizard World of Harry Potter and have professional photographs taken, per Detail Oriented Traveler. Or, if you fancy staying closer to home, you can do a DIY version by following an online tutorial from Instructables or YouTube.
According to The Geek Garage's tutorial on YouTube, you'll want to grab an old TV you don't use that has adjustable brightness and color settings. Then, you'll need to find a plexiglass or plastic cover for the screen and paint it with a clear medium. As for the picture frame, you can use some decorative molding and paint it gold to make it look like an antique portrait. Once the portrait is ready, use your magic wand to press play on the video of your choice and let the fun begin!
Conjure up an invisible bookshelf
Are you looking for a fun way to display your favorite spellbooks from Flourish and Blotts? Decorate your walls with an invisible bookshelf or two. Whether it's a tattered old potions textbook or a divination dream journal, you can make any book look like it's levitating in mid-air by following a few simple steps. Just follow the tutorial on either HGTV or YouTube.
First, you'll want to get a set of floating shelves from Pottery Barn Teen or another similar store. Then, use a screwdriver to secure shelves to the wall and cover them with a layer of matching paint. After the paint dries, slide a book onto the shelf, securing the back cover to the metal with glue or a magnet. Once the book is secure, begin stacking some of your trusted magical titles, or place a decorative candle or small vase filled with dried flowers on top. The end result is sure to be enchanting.
Bring the Mirror of Erised to life with an ornate mirror
The mystical Mirror of Erised makes multiple appearances throughout the "Harry Potter" series. The tall, ornate mirror is first seen in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," when Harry stumbles upon it in an abandoned room, per IMDb. Much to his delight and surprise, Harry sees his parents for the first time when gazing into the mirror. The secret of Erised is that it shows one's deepest heart's desire. All of the characters who encounter the mirror, including Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Voldemort, become obsessed and enchanted with what they see reflected.
Incorporating a Mirror of Erised-inspired frame in your home is a great way to embrace the magic of "Harry Potter." While the mirror won't necessarily reflect your deepest desire, it will still look great hung up in a living room or above a fireplace. You can find a replica of the mirror in Pottery Barn Teen or get a smaller version from Amazon. Alternatively, you can search a local thrift store for antique gold mirrors to recreate the look yourself.
Create a potion shelf in the kitchen
Filled with stewing cauldrons, poisonous ingredients, and strange odors, Professor Snape's potions dungeon is definitely not for the faint of heart. However, true potions masters require a shelf for displaying their finest ingredients and concoctions. To recreate Snape's potion shelves in your kitchen, search for vintage-inspired glass bottles and apothecary jars online on eBay or Amazon. You can fill them with different spices and other cooking essentials. Then, attach labels in a magical font and display the bottles on a shelf. Practical and magical!
You can also create a shelf for more decorative purposes, such as the example provided by Potter Poppet on YouTube. Adorn shelves with various jars, bottles, and tubes and fill them with dried herbs and other spooky items. Show off all of your magical mixtures and accessories, whether it's a polyjuice potion, bezoar, potent love potion, or a well-worn copy of "Advanced Potion Making."
Make a perch for Hedwig or your favorite stuffed owl
Everyone needs a pet as loyal as Harry's owl Hedwig. This beautiful snowy owl was Harry's constant companion through most of the series, bringing him letters from friends and loved ones, care packages during summer vacations, and the occasional disciplinary note from the Ministry of Magic, per Wizarding World. In general, owls are an important part of the wizarding world, delivering the "Daily Prophet" newspaper and all communications by mail.
Create a perch in your home for an owl to rest in style. You can decorate with a stuffed snowy owl like Hedwig, or go for a different species like Barn or Great Horned owls (via Build-A-Bear-Workshop). Attach a branch-like perch to the wall, like this branch in This Blog Is Not For You, or place a metal birdcage on a coffee table for your owl's new home. You can also make your own macrame Hedwig by following Macrame Tita's YouTube tutorial.
Invest in a stately four-poster bed
Four-poster beds are a hallmark of Hogwarts dormitories. In the movies, Harry and Ron are often hanging out with the other Gryffindor boys in the dormitory, laughing, joking, and catching some shut-eye, per IMDb. The dorm's furniture revolves around dark wood and long, dramatic curtains for privacy, setting the scene for peaceful slumber and relaxation. The beds are not always the place for sweet dreams, though. In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry experiences terrible nightmares about the Ministry of Magic, while Ron wakes up to Sirius Black cutting his curtains with a knife in the third book.
No "Harry Potter" themed bedroom is complete without an elegant four-poster bed, according to HGTV. To get the look yourself, add an old-fashioned four-poster or canopy bed to your room and decorate it with velvet curtains in your house colors. There are plenty of "Harry Potter" inspired four-poster beds online, including the magical oak bed from Free Range Designs and the affordable canopy bed from Wayfair. No matter which option you choose, you're sure to have a magical night's sleep.
Create a spooky atmosphere with candles
The Hogwarts Great Hall is the central gathering area of the school, decorated with four long tables for each house, big glass windows, and an enchanted ceiling that mirrors the outside weather. Much like a living room, it is where students eat their meals, hang out between classes, receive mail via their owls, and listen to speeches and announcements from professors. One of the most stunning features of the Great Hall is that it features hundreds of floating candles on the ceiling, per Wizarding World. Flickering candlelight can be found throughout the entire castle, from the small candles in the library to the torches lighting corridors.
Place candles in every room to recreate the spooky Hogwarts aesthetic in your home. You can make your own floating candles by following the tutorial from Wizarding World or purchase candles with scents inspired by the series (via PopSugar). The Charmed Aroma Harry Potter collection is a stand-out, featuring a Golden Snitch candle scented with champagne and nectarines, along with Hogwarts Express and Time Turner-themed candles.
Prop up your Quidditch broom
Broomsticks play an important role in the wizarding world. These flying devices are one of the primary transportation methods for wizards and witches, along with floo powder and apparition. Plus, they are essential for the wizarding sport Quidditch, in which two teams compete on flying broomsticks to score points and catch the Golden Snitch. Broomstick technology is constantly evolving in the "Harry Potter" series. Harry's first broom is the Nimbus 2000, which is reported to reach speeds of up to 100 mph, via Screen Rant. However, just two years later, the Firebolt debuted in Harry's third year. This record-breaking broom could go from zero to 150 mph in just 10 seconds, per QA-FAQ.
Whether you have the latest and greatest broom or are still riding one of the old Shooting Star models like the Weasleys, you can display your broomstick proudly in your home. There are lots of places to shop for "Harry Potter" inspired brooms online, as well as some DIY tutorials, like this one from Wild+Wanderful. Prop your broom up in a corner or hang it from the ceiling.
Use a vintage steamer trunk for storage
Whether being lugged across Platform 9 3/4, carried on the Hogwarts Express, or stored beside beds in the dormitory, vintage trunks got plenty of screen time in the "Harry Potter" movies, per IMDb. These steamer trunks are perfect for storing old school supplies, sweaters knitted by Molly Weasley, and secret magical objects you don't want Snape to find — like the Marauder's Map. According to HGTV, these trunks not only look enchanting but make for excellent storage space in the home.
You can style your own vintage, "Harry Potter" inspired trunk by using it as a coffee table in the living room or placing it at the end of your bed. There are plenty of classic trunks available online at Amazon and the Harry Potter Shop, but you are also sure to find some great replicas at flea markets and thrift stores. For extra house points, stencil on your initials and decorate it with the Hogwarts crest.
Say 'Lumos' with antique lamps and lighting
Professor Dumbledore's study is one of the most serene places in Hogwarts castle, home to soft lighting, spindly magical instruments, and Fawkes the Phoenix. It's also filled to the brim with Gothic-inspired light fixtures, such as the round chandelier hanging from the ceiling, per IMDb. The rest of Hogwarts follows suit with hanging glass pendants, lanterns, and iron light fixtures around every corner.
Decorate it with ornamental, antique light fixtures to get a similar look in your living space. Hang a forged iron chandelier above your dining room table or bed (via Pottery Barn), or place bracket lights around your outdoor garden area. According to MyMove, incorporating a wrought-iron chandelier with flickering candles or placing an intricate, carved lamp on your bedside table are both ideal ways to achieve Gothic-style lighting in the home. While you might not live in a castle, you can certainly feel like royalty with these magical lighting tricks from the wizarding world.