Change: Gryffindor Common Room to Haunted Mansion (Brainstorm & Construction)

[AJLoCascio]

I just moved into a new apartment and I'm fed up with having a crappy "Dorm style room" with movie posters and shoddy paint.

I want to make my room the coziest freaking place on the planet - and there is nothing cozier to me than the Gryffindor common room from Harry Potter.

So Basically I would love a brain storm - some ideas as to how to take a basic white room and make it look like the pictures below.

Here is what I'm thinking so far:

• Lanters for the Walls
• Faux stone for the walls (need help with that - have to find a place in L.A. that has unpainted and not too expensive faux stone I could add to portions of the walls
• Relatively inexpensive tapestries
• Turning some large windows into a "Stained glass" look without ruining them - Have some ideas about printing onto vinel or something.
• Ideas on other lighting and textural elements welcome !
• I really don't want any "Harry Potter" elements to it - just want to convey the feel of the location.

Here are pics for inspiration:

 

[Ramiel]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

I think you already had a good plan for the look you want to achieve
The devil is in the details!
Search for found items that are "lived" enough to look like they've been there for ages (chairs, rugs, paintings), then if you buy your materials and furniture and those look too "new" remember to distress them (paint the lamps to add some oxydation, or the fake stone wall to have some leaking streaks and mold stains)
Also there are some nice faux wood beams that you could use on the roof, and remember to put the right kind of lights, placed properly, to achieve the right mood

I'm in the middle of making my Haunted Mansion bedroom, so I thought a lot about this stuff! :lol

 

[AJLoCascio]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

Thanks Ramiel - Yeah it was a HUGE toss up between Haunted Mansion and this style - I will likely incorporate some HM into the design.

Had any sources for cool lights or those beams you speak of ?

I also don't know where to begin looking for faux stone locally - I'm sure it's around - but it's a matter of locating what kind of store would carry such an odd thing.

Would love to see pics btw

 

[Ramiel]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

The wood beams I've seen are like these ones: Faux Wood Ceiling Beams | The Look of Wood for Less

For the lights I would search for some exterior light fixtures, they usually have the nicest look, maybe something along those lines (more or less):
http://www.russelwilliams.com/images/exteriorLights.jpg
http://www.panguripans.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/outside-light-fixtures-ideas-2011-1.jpg

Another solution for the fake stone walls could be making them out of a relatively thick layer of plaster over the existing walls, but the pre-made panels probably will be a better solution, more durable

I'll try to post some pics as soon as I have something nice to show
So far I've just made the stencils on the entire wall (the famous "faces" wallpaper in the corridor of doors) and some fake wood paneling painted directly on the wall (tromp l'oeil)... not that much actually... and the stencils were a royal PITA! :lol

 

[AJLoCascio]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

Thanks mate - and trust me - I made my own stencil - it was SUCH a HUGE pain is the ass !

It's part of the reason I don't want to go with HM for my rooms theme - althouth there will certainly be a gothic/ Halloween Element to it.

Btw - just checked out your blog out of curiosity - I F'n love your stuff. I'm a pretty huge Halloween nut - so I'm in love with your little pumpkiney guys !

( posted it on my own blog: Puddles of Pudding )

BTW - got these lanterns for my room in amber and blue

 

[Shendorion]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

Having moved a few times in recent memory (and having painted another bedroom or two at every stop,) I'm fond of furnishings I can roll up and take with me. A big area rug in warm colors, some tapestries for the walls in similar colors, and light fixtures made to look like (or even made out of) wrought iron with brown shades to make warm, dim light would all be things you could carry away with you once your lease is up. Look for heavy looking fixtures without a lot of bulbs and upward facing shades, and supplement with lamps around the room for when you need enough light to read or work.

A more affordable alternative to faux stone might be to plaster the walls. It's an easy sell to a landlord because the uneven texture makes patching up after a tennant easier. Putting a warm color on it in an eggshell or matte finish will also cut down the amount of light your walls reflect, which makes whatever lighting you use more mellow.

 

[Ramiel]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

First of all, thanks for the link on your blog
Then let me say that that lamp, is beautiful, and the amber colored ones will look great (the blue too, but with the amber ones the mood will be really spot-on )

And this is the look of my room, with the stencils and the painted wood panels, here is where the desk is at the moment:
http://i53.tinypic.com/2eok0w6.jpg
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/640/p1000992b.jpg

and these are the filmsy stencils I made (later, I painted the gaps by hand for every stencil I made... I suppose that's what they call "dedication LOL :lol )
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/1697/p1010004oe.jpg

Still a TON of work to do, but...

 

[sonicfreak04]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

well if you want help making your room into the common room here are some tips get some sqashy red armchairs and couches, and dont make stain glass windows make faux diamond pattern windowpanes with dry wall arches to great a castle window look, then make a faux fireplace, and get a brass chandelier and ask someone to install it in your room and paint the tapestry like the lady and the unicorn series tapestries thats where the inspiration for the tapestry came from, hope this helps

 

[Hazelrah]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

Another possible wall solution is to check and see at like Joanns fabrics or hobby lobby for when their interior design fabric goes on sale... and you can usually find a coupon of 40% off one item as well... and use the fabric to faux wallpaper a small accent wall. Just use liquid starch as your "wallpaper" paste and when it comes time to move you simply peal off the fabric.

 

[TK1625]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

Another possible wall solution is to check and see at like Joanns fabrics or hobby lobby for when their interior design fabric goes on sale... and you can usually find a coupon of 40% off one item as well... and use the fabric to faux wallpaper a small accent wall. Just use liquid starch as your "wallpaper" paste and when it comes time to move you simply peal off the fabric.

Crap I was just about to say the same thing :darnkids

I love the idea for your apartment and will try to think of something that hasn't already been said

 

[PotionMistress]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

May I suggest looking into purchasing some burgundy or maroon plush drapery and/or bedspread to add to the Gryffindor 'feel'? If you type in 'Unicorn Tapestry' in eBay, you can also find some nice reasonably-priced wall hangings in the Gryffindor theme.

If you get a chance, take a look at my Decor Album here in the RPF. I have few pictures of a few of my rooms decorated with HP themes. I painted faux rock walls in my small bath, and its easy to paint over if needed. I wouldn't think you can permanently alter your dorm walls, so you might think along those lines.

-PotionMistress

 

[AJLoCascio]

Re: Gryffindor Common Room (Brainstorm & Construction)

UPDATE/CHANGE

Ok...

Screw Hogwarts....

I'm going with a haunted mansion theme.

-AJ