There's already so much magic in bringing out the fall decor, why not add a little more to it??
I posted last year about my magical tree I added to our Christmas mix and thought I'd share my new favorite fall tradition I added last year- creating a Hogwarts Inspired Entry way to usher in fall.
When my oldest son asked to redecorate his room about a year and a half ago, it meant putting away all the Harry Potter decor it had in it too. I wasn't ready to pack it up and never see it again so I decided to add it to my annual fall decor set-up. It pretty much took on a life of it's own and took over the entire foyer entryway...and I'm not mad about it at all.
Want to see a little bit of the magic? I'll share a few DIY creations I added to the mix in case you'd like to create your own magic... and by a few, I mean nearly all of it was completely handmade.
Let's take a peek...
I am not a huge fan of overly 'characterized' things which is really easy to fall into when recreating things from books/movies. I didn't want figurines, cartoons, etc in the set-up and instead want it to have a more authentic, real-world feel to it. Which pretty much comes down to creating a lot of things by hand.
The authentic part of creating Hogwarts absolutely comes down to it looking worn out, old, centuries of wear/tear/magic throughout it. Which is basically my love language so we work well together :)
I wanted a classroom/Potions set-up to take up the main area on the foyer table (you can't see it, but there's a tiny key with wings on it in the lock of the drawer- it's been there for a couple years now and is just the cutest little detail).
I filled a handmade wooden box that Hubby made me years ago with all my potion bottles, trinkets, maps, wands, artifacts that felt magical enough and it filled up the table nicely. I used old barn wood pieces that we literally broke the ends off to give it an authentic worn out feel to create a Potions sign. Black paint and hand tracing letters onto the board worked easily enough. Don't forget to distress the heck out of your signs though. Hogwarts is old, remember?
I ended up keeping the poufs under the table that I have there year round and draped a Hogwarts robe over one. A friend made several for us years ago.
Throughout the Potions box, tapered gold candlesticks (a fun find a friend found for me!) are tucked in. Nothing screams magical more than flickering candelight in the evenings.
For potion bottles, I collected various bottles and glass vases from Goodwill or discarded liquor bottles and created Potion bottles with them.
A few I painted with white paint and then distressed and a few I left clear (the ones with fun textures/designs are great for this!) and maybe added a few things to them. For Gilly Water, I hot glued faux moss around the top and stuck in a few faux floral stems that screamed pond/swamp. You can find Potion labels all over the internet- Etsy has tons or Google free printables to get the ones you like. To age them, dye them in tea or crinkle them up before gluing to your bottles. I like to print mine on white or beige cardstock for an older look, more sturdier, look.
I tucked feathers, faux stems, taper candles, old books and handmade wands throughout to fill the box entirely. The more 'cluttered', the better. Imagine that Potions classroom at Hogwarts and how filled with ingredients and dust it was :)
If you have jars and containers from places like Universal Studios, this is a great to add them in without looking hokey. Honeydukes boxes, candy jars, wand boxes, chocolate frogs, etc would all be so cute tucked throughout the display.
For the upper part of my entryway, I decked my faux mantle out with all kinds of signs and various accessories.
This is where you would need the larger items to fill up space but still create an old, spooky castle feel. For my larger pieces, I used a piece that I created from old wood and chicken wire and then layered it was a mirror that I had acid-treated years ago for an aged look. Although not overtly Hogwarts or Harry Potter, they fit the theme well and are perfect layering pieces to bring everything together!
Then I added in my more themed pieces with a DIY framed quote from the books (again, scrap wood and cheap trim pieces are what I keep on hand for everything. You wouldn't believe how much money you can save by creating signs yourself!).
Vintage brass candlesticks are the perfect pieces to start collecting if you are looking for a similar set-up. Check flea markets, Goodwill and other secondhand stores to get your collection going. They are the perfect magical filler and I can't get enough of them!
Another trick for signs is to use old cabinet doors. Find them roadside, at flea markets or Habitat Restores and keep them on hand for a quick, already made blank canvas for signs. I used one for this Gringotts sign and created a stencil with my Silhouette to paint it in gold. Then swiped a bit of gold all around the black edges for a more mystical look.
The Diagon Alley is another new one I added this year. I wanted it to resemble one of those directional street signs you might find on a cobblestone path leading into it. I took the worst part of one of my pieces of wood and literally cracked it in half to create the jagged edges.
A little red paint, gold stenciling and a lot of distressing later, it looks like one you might find on a 1000 year old road, right??
Again, flea market finds are your best bet at getting the authentic feel! Any time I'm out just browsing, I always try to keep an eye out for something that screams 'magical'. All of these items above were bought for less than $5 a piece at various antique stores & flea markets.
Those tiny amber medicine bottles were perfect for a little Liquid Luck. I added a little gold Rub n Buff to the lids and gold vinyl as labels.
The brown pedestal bowl and blue glass orb were perfect to look like things Dumbledore would have tucked on his shelves somewhere. Or maybe in Trelawney's classroom.
I found that gorgeous perfume bottle gilded with gold all over it already and thought it looked very "Love Potion'-eque. Just added a little water with red food coloring for the finishing touch.
A simple terra cot pot is the perfect Mandrake prop with a little white paint, a label and a random root sticking out of it. Definitely needed a little Herbology in the mix :)
Always keeping an eye out for magical items meant that these amber candles from the Target Dollar Spot were the perfect find to create ingredient jars out of. I simple turned them so the candle labels were at the back and added gold vinyl for lettering to them. They even had these cute cork toppers already on them!
This chair was a new addition this year as well. While cleaning out the attic, I found it tucked in the corner from an old DIY I had done. Rather than throw it out (which almost happened!), I decided to embrace the rustic-ness of it and painted it black. The wooden seat was perfect for a little stain and gold lettering.
I feel like touches like these make it have the most authentic feel. Who wouldn't want a chair from the Gryffindor Common Room??
I tucked an old crate with Hogwarts Lettering on it under the chair and filled it with all my DIY papers- Marauder's Map, Privet Drive letter, Hogsmeade permission slip, Gringotts bank slips and DIY textbooks peeking out from behind.
A cauldron from World Market sits next to the chair filled with a broom (Nimbus 2000 to be exact!) and a Gryffindor Scarf spilling out. Again, tucking in bought 'new' items in with the old is the perfect way to keep it from becoming too character-y.
The other side of the foyer still needs a few magic touches but I have to leave a few projects for each year, right? For now, my DIY 'Three Broomsticks' sign hangs from the opposite wall. Promising Butterbeer and magical memories for sure :)
Anyone else creating magical spaces in their homes for the fall season?
I'd love to see any of your projects or rooms inspired by my set-up, it would make my day! Feel free to email or comment below so we can all be inspired. I hope this fun set-up inspires you to usher in some magic of your own!!!
