Decor Tips To Design A Dining Room Inspired By Harry Potter's Great Hall
For the Harry Potter fans out there, we're sure you're very familiar with the infamous Great Hall, the main dining area for the students and teachers of Hogwarts. As a kid, you probably watched in awe as the students made their way down the hall for the very first time. The floating candles, the self-lighting fireplaces, and the view of the nighttime sky were enough to shock anyone. Even as adults, we still can't get over how magical it was.
What if you had your very own Great Hall? Well, if you were to build an actual replica of the 5,800-square-foot dining room, it would cost you about $870,000, according to Bindley Hardware. But that doesn't mean you can't create your own Harry Potter experience at home. While we can't send you to Hogwarts (or lend you close to $1 million), we can offer tips to give your dining room that same magical touch.
Stone wallpaper
To get started with your Harry Potter-inspired dining room, you'll want to find a stone wallpaper to cover the walls. Because the walls of the Great Hall are made of stone, this will give your dining room a similar illusion. If you want to make it look even more authentic, Angela Rose Home suggests wrapping the doorway in the same wallpaper. To complete the room, paint any crown or base molding you have with a fairly dark color.
Great Hall-inspired ceiling
One of the most iconic features of Harry Potter's Great Hall is its ceiling. Combined with the floating candles and view of the night sky, it's an absolute must for your Great Hall-inspired dining room. Before you go knocking down your roof, you can create the night sky illusion with paint, says SFGate. Use a midnight blue paint for the base layer, then add stars using a stencil or freehand (the latter makes them look more realistic). You can stop here, or, for an extra special touch, add a fiber-optic lighting kit that will look just like shining stars.
Long tables
Harry Potter's Great Hall is known for its dining tables that stretch the entire length of the hall. If you want to recreate this look for your dining room, you'll want to get a wooden dining table with bench seating. To cut down on costs, you can build your own table and benches, as seen in Angela Rose Home. If you have a smaller dining room (or you don't like the idea of bench seating) we suggest formal dining chairs instead.
Warm lighting
What's a Harry Potter-inspired dining room without that warm and cozy glow? Hogwarts is a castle with no electricity, so the Great Hall is lit by fireplaces and candles. Alternatively, we recommend using something that won't potentially burn down your house. To achieve that same glow, CNET suggests soft white incandescent light bulbs. If you're still dying for candlelight, opt for electric or flameless candles, which you can place in candelabras or hang from the ceiling using fishing line just like Angela Rose Home did.