Hogwarts in my Home - Gryffindor Common Room in progress

grimstitch

grimstitch

Member
Greetings! Working on a fun Harry Potter project, ostensibly for my kids (especially little "Hermione"), but really for me haha! I have an unfinished corner of my basement to work with that was being used for crafts, but we have decided that until it is renovated for real, it would be fun to turn it into a play area themed as the Gryffindor Common Room as seen in the movies. It won't be an exact replica of course because well... basement, and space/layout/money restrictions, but I'll be putting my painting skills into action to see how much of the right general effect I can fake up. I have collected a bunch of on theme props from my local thrift shops, will be creating some portraits for the wall from scratch and some from modifying existing prints, and am in the process of using styrofoam to build up a faux stone fireplace and walls. The wall tapestries effect is going to be a big challenge. I have never tried this type of thing before so any input would be appreciated!

inspiration photo attached
 

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Re: Hogwarts in my Home

What an exciting project!! I just LOVE any ideas that create 'environments', and especially one set in the world of Harry Potter! The fireplace is a fantastic start. Can't wait to watch your progress!
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Ia ctually already can imagine how cool this will look! :D
Awesome start!

Will I be able to start a fire in there?
=P

;)
Hope to see the progress sooN! :D
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

this is going to be freaking sweet!!! keep us updated on the photos, so we can give you good feedback to help make things better!!!
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

As luck would have it, we already have the *perfect* authentic old wide plank floors - kind of insane and unusual below grade I know, but it came with the house and as long as it stays dry is completely awesome. :love

Here are a few of the found props that I've collected so far that may or may not make it into the final room. thanks for feedback - feel like I'm on the right track!


collecteditems.jpg
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Excellent!! I like it already. You've done great with what you've so far collected. Looking forward to seeing more.
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

i bet you could pull that love seat off pretty easy from your picture above of the commons room....just find any cheapy love seat and pick up a cheap bolt of red crush velvet off ebay or somewhere and make a cover that slides over top of it.:cool
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

This will be great when done :)

I have been kicking around with the idea of a moving portrait for my house.
I believe you could take a small flat screen tv, add a thin clear plexi panel in front of the screen with a texture that looks like paint strokes.
Maybe using a clear paint varnish to build up strokes. Or if daring, maybe even put it right on the screen to really make it look like the image is painted.
Then have a custom thick frame cut to size. For the image, I want to film my wife and I posing in various costumes. We would walk off at various times and return
Wearing new outfits. Then we could leave and hang a "we will be right back" sign. I would just edit a long DVD and loop it.
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Wow, what an idea and what a great job you are doing!!! Can't wait to see your progress along this journey. Something tells me you will never get your crafting space back LOL. I have a feeling you won't mind a bit though :0)
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

sonicfreak04 said:
the tapestries in the common room are altered replicas of the lady and the unicorn tapestry series which is on display at the cune museum in france
Click to expand...

Yes! I have done some research. :) just by chance I happened to find a framed print that has a portion of them on it. I also have a similarly coloured wrapping paper that I could use to "extend" it on the wall if I take it out of it's frame. I'm rather torn though - part of me wants to just reproduce it by paint on fabric, but the level of detail is crazy. It might take me a year! The perfectionist in me says to try it though. Does anyone know how they made the them for the real set? Some kind of printing? I was not able to find that out so far and I haven't seen in real life. I know that it's possible to get a real wall size woven version but it's over 1500, and that's just for one portion of the set - way out of budget. Hopefully will find a happy medium!
image.jpg
 
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Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Another project for the room - unless I happen upon on a better solution, I'm trying to approximate the look of the 3 door cabinet from the real set (was a different cabinet in first movie but I like this one) by faux finishing a plain old 2 door IKEA Billy bookcase. To see if it would work, have tested rubbing on a bit of paint on the right hand door already - carbon black, yellow, browns.. still not quite the right tone but it might do the trick.

gryffindorcabinet.jpg
 
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Re: Hogwarts in my Home

i just figured out how you can get the tapestry the size you want and ready to hang on the wall!!! go find one of those guys that does vinyl sign printing/ car wrap advertising....they take a jpg file you give them and print it as big a you want. i'm not sure what they will charge to do it but it should be 10times faster and cheaper then any thing else.
just an idea
 
Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Thanks! That is a pretty cool idea - I will look into it!

Love moviefreak's idea for moving portraits too. Budget constraints probably won't let me try it but I bet that could even be done for special occasions with an ipad or other tablet set inside in a gold frame. So fun!
 
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update on harry potter theme room

Got a bit further with my styrofoam building. Working on adding texture now. Black foam shield is a placeholder for a detailed gryffindor crest that I have yet to make. Not sure of my method for that yet. Know this popcorn style foam can't carry that kind of detail so will have to attach a thin panel of something else? I'm pretty happy with this so far!
10384910_10154848295050014_4439060274159691995_n.jpg10734037_10154848593595014_9219317901038042803_n.jpg
 
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Re: Hogwarts in my Home

Here's some more progress on the wall cabinet as well. Tried a few things to create the arched pieces for the doors - real wood didn't work out, my cuts were terrible, so tried using pieces of a picture frame which almost worked, but they were just too thick. In the end I just grabbed an orange foam alphabet floor tile and chopped it up. A little shaping with rough sandpaper and faux wood grain with a blade, base coat of brown paint and it seems to be something I can work with. Fools the eye from a distance at any rate. :)
10384810_10154848590765014_1682484348943506067_n.jpg10406364_10154848591085014_526420061001219065_n.jpg397568_10154848591495014_7451123932955657055_n.jpg11358_10154848591855014_6724092702270286897_n.jpg1479428_10154848742030014_426639857825186934_n.jpg
 
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Re: Hogwarts in my Home

You are making some astounding progress on this and delightful work!

Where did you get the great quantity and large chunks of Styrofoam that you are using for your fireplace?

So is the illusion of depth in the Gothic arches on your cabinet painted in the Trompe-l'œil style with illusion of holes and shadows with paint, or did you cut it?

Fine, fine work!
 
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