Potterhead Mum Creates Harry Potter Bedroom Of Dreams For Just £500
- Marianne Bridge, 39, wanted to give her son his dream Harry Potter bedroom
- She stocked up on products from Primark, ebay, Aldi and IKEA
- The room even has its own Platform 9 3/4 feature wall
If your child is obsessed with all things Harry Potter, inspire yourself with this amazing magical bedroom that looks like it could have stepped right out of Hogwarts.
Marianne Bridge, 39, a mum of two and inventory clerk from Southampton, moved into a new home with her family and was keen to create the bedroom of dreams for her children.
Her son Connor, eight, is a huge Potterhead, so she decided to get to work creating an amazing Harry Potter-inspired bedroom just for him.
The magical bedroom comes complete with a Platform 9 3/4 feature wall, Patronus decorations and a wall-mounted broomstick for Quidditch.
Marianne told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "We moved into our new house last year with the intention of doing some big building work to create a family home that worked for us and our children, six and eight.
"When we moved into our house, our son got moved to a small box room and was promised his own big bedroom once the loft was done and he could choose his own theme.
"I have loved Harry Potter for a very long time and my son has over the last year or so has grown to love it too as he got to the right age for me to start reading the books to him.
"He decided quite quickly that he would like a Harry Potter bedroom so I started planning quite early for that.
“There is a lovely chimney breast in the bedroom that just screamed Platform 9 3/4, so we sourced some brick wallpaper from B&Q and paid just £30 for the amount needed with some left over.
“The sign that is on that wall was from ebay for £9.99.
"As with every decorating job, I painted the ceiling white and then painted the walls a natural paint as the colour complemented the lines of the wallpaper.
“The desk was actually made by my husband with some scaffold boards from a local reclamation yard and some legs, again from ebay.
“He watched some videos and wanted to give it a go and I love it.
“The furniture and bed match really well but were from two different sources: the bed was from Amazon for £64.99 and the furniture was from Studio and cost £224.99 for the wardrobe, chest of drawers and a bedside table.
“We kept the carpet the same so I got a carpet runner from Shein for £7.99 and I had bought a door mat from ALDI ages ago for around £3.99 and wanted to fit that in somehow.
“The black stag picture was from IKEA for £20 and represents Harry's Patronus. It was chosen by my son.
“The broomstick was another Facebook Marketplace find and was £3, and the Sorting Hat was from Amazon: Connor bought that with his pocket money he saved up.
“The other two pictures I created myself from wallpaper samples from B&Q and a clip frame and canvas.
“The chest which is used for storage I picked up from someone on Facebook Marketplace for £20. I wanted it to represent Harry's trunk that he takes to Hogwarts with him.
“The bed set and cushions are from Primark, and the black noticeboard is another IKEA purchase.
"Once the building work started or even before, I had started pulling together different bits as the idea developed so the cost didn't seem too great.
"To be honest our loft conversion is still not done, but during lockdown, we felt we needed to move things forward for our son with all the weirdness going on, so we just decided to bite the bullet and do it.
“My husband and I are currently sleeping in our son's old box room and he has the big room, but it has given him a space of his own during this difficult situation and something that he has been able to look forward to.
"It really helped me to have something to focus on and work on while everything else around was so difficult to control.
"I had got a lot of bits before lockdown and had them ready, but ebay and Amazon have been really helpful.
“The total cost including the paints, furniture and accessories was around £500.”
Marianne and Connor are both delighted with how the room turned out, and feel it is a fitting tribute to their love of Harry Potter.
"My main tips would be to think about your project in advance: planning it ahead can really help to spread the costs,” Marianne adds.
“Also try to visualise it in your own mind as trying to bring different pieces together can be a challenge.
“It took me a while to decide on what furniture would work but I am really happy with the final choice.
“Also, don't be afraid to reuse things you might have around: we reused an old lamp as it was the right style, and visit free sites or Facebook Marketplace.
“Don’t be afraid to try to create things yourself if you can't find quite what you're after, again as we did.
"We both absolutely love the room. I am so pleased that we were able to give him the room we promised him and that the vision worked out.
"He loves it and can't wait till he can have friends over to show it off. He loves just spending time in there!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Harry Potter is an enduring obsession for so many adults and children alike, and with so many powerful symbolic images, such as Platform 9 3/4 and the Sorting Hat, it’s a magical world that’s fairly easy to replicate in our own homes!
“If you want to do something similar at home, check Primark, Amazon and ebay, which have a steady stream of magical memorabilia which translates perfectly into themed Harry Potter bedrooms.”
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