If you listen to our podcast or follow us on Instagram, then you’ve probably already heard that Elsie and I are both creating THEMED short-term rentals located in the Orlando, Florida area. My house is inspired by the Harry Potter book series (a modern take). Today, I am super (like, CRAZY) excited to share the first room tour with you: the living room!
In this house, we worked with the Home Depot and used many of the products you can find on their website throughout the house. But what I really want to draw your attention to is the flooring in the house. Below you can see a before and after of the entryway. When we purchased the home, it had different flooring in so many places throughout, and some of it was beginning to look quite worn out. I wanted the entire first level (minus the bathrooms) to have a consistent flooring that I felt would not only look great, but hold up well in a short-term rental. I absolutely LOVE the flooring we chose. I wish I could travel back in time and put this flooring in my personal home because I love it so much!
And let me show you another before photo of the living room when we purchased the home, along with a photo my contractor took as the new flooring was being installed. I am also going to be sharing more photos and videos on Instagram today (and they’ll be saved in our “HP Bnb” highlight). I really want to try and show you what the flooring looks like in real life as much as possible through photos and videos. It’s my favorite engineered hardwood flooring I’ve ever seen and I know how much photos and videos can help when shopping for flooring online.
Like I mentioned, I shopped for this flooring online. I looked at a lot of different options, searching through all the photos available on the website which were super helpful. I also ordered samples of the two flooring options we were considering the most. Trey and I narrowed it down between the Malibu Wide Plank French Oak Santa Monica and Hickory Crescent. After looking at all the photos on the website and looking at the samples we ordered, we decided to go with the French Oak Santa Monica because we liked the somewhat weathered look. It felt light (sort of beachy) in a way, and we felt this look might also hold up well to scuffs and families using and enjoying the home (which means, you know, some scuffs and scrapes over the years, I’m sure).
The new flooring really lightened up the space and also made it flow so much more since all the floors on the first level (again, except tiled bathrooms) are the same now. I LOVE it! The second biggest change was painting almost all the walls one color (see below). And then once the contractor work was mostly complete I stayed in the home for two weeks furnishing and decorating. Here’s what the living room looks like:
My color palette for the majority of the house is blacks, whites, and grays with a few warm or textured elements here and there for contrast. Again, I was going for a modern take on my Harry Potter inspiration. 🙂 The space is also fairly simple, but everything has a functional or HP-inspired reason for being in the room (or both). The rug made me think of Dumbledore’s pensive in his office, or maybe even an Obscuru from the Fantastic Beasts movies. The three small wire shelves contain items that nod to some of the houses of Hogwarts (a raven, an owl, and a black velvet skull). The furry chairs and pillows made me think of Hagrid’s clothing and also some of the little creatures from Hogwarts that Harry encounters. And of course, I created an accent wall that is totally inspired by Platform 9 3/4. I’ll share a little more about that wall with you soon, just because I am so darn proud of it. Ha!
Above the entryway table, we have some winged keys and there is also a golden snitch bean bag for extra seating. In case you are curious of the wall color I chose for throughout the house, it’s Behr’s Weathered White which is a slightly cooler (think more blue than red) white paint.
The front door (leading into the living room) has a vintage owl door knocker and an HP-inspired doormat. There’s a little Easter egg in the Instagram story tour I’ll be sharing too, so don’t miss it. Hint: It may have to do with a favorite train snack … 🙂
Thank you to the Home Depot for sponsoring this post and thank you for letting me share! I will be sharing tours of all the rooms in the house. Can’t wait to show you more spaces in this house as it’s been one of my favorite projects of all time! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, I read the books as they came out when I was growing up and Trey and I saw so many of the movies together too, so it’s really special to me. I hope the families and friend groups that stay in this home over the years can feel the love and magic I tried to put into it. xo. Emma
Room Details: flooring c/o the Home Depot, wall paint / Behr Weathered White, doormat, vintage owl knocker / Etsy, rug, couch, chairs, coffee table, floor lamp, ceiling fan, entry pendant light, media table, wire shelves, blinds, curtains, golden snitch bean bag, winged keys, entry cabinet and throw pillows / Home Goods. More details about the Platform 9 3/4 inspired accent wall to come.
21 Comments
I absolutely adore this!!! Inviting and whimsical, and not overdone. Thanks for sharing! Jess
Emma this is even better than I imagined! I’m loving listening to your podcast in the car and when you were talking about your plans for this Airbnb I got super excited (I’ve been massive Harry Potter fan since being a kid). My daughter is just old enough to start enjoying the books and films now too! When will your Airbnb be available to book??
Love it. The owl door knocker is my favorite thing! It’s so unique and gives you and idea of what is to come.
This is beautiful, its so understated
I love everything about this. It’s strikes such a perfect balance between livable and whimsical. I’m a big Potter buff and just recently realized to my surprise (and maybe you will be surprised too!) that Ravenclaw’s house animal is actually an eagle and not a raven at all. They’re named Ravenclaw because of the house lead, Rowena Ravenclaw. Did you know this? Very much looking forward to seeing more. I am very inspired and love that the master rooms are Slytherin and Ravenclaw.
Oh wow!! I love it!! It’s so cool yet elegant and cozy. And the Platform 9/3/4 with the cart? It’s just amazing!
xx
Eli
https://curly-style.com/2019/12/fashion-jackson.html
Emma this is so great! When I heard you describing this on the podcast I was wondering how you would be able to decorate without going overboard on the theme. You totally nailed it!! It’s beautiful and the little nods to the books/movies are subtle yet perfect. Well done!!
I love everything about this, I can’t wait to see more!
Okay this is amazing! I love how it has little nods but isn’t crazy over the top either!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I thought we were getting a reveal – this feels like a tease! Need more photos!! I love the flooring you chose, and also that marbley rug. And those fur chairs are so fun! When I think Harry Potter, I always think really dark colors, so the white walls are a nice surprise (but not really a surprise coming from the sisters who post about their favorite white paints). Also, must be the wide angle lens, but in the living room photo behind the sectional, the TV looks sooooo far away from the couch, haha! It looks like you changed out the carpet on the stair – any reason for changing out carpet vs. removing the carpet & painting?
Great job, Emma!
This is just the first room… I have many more rooms to show you. It’s a five bedroom house. But also we didn’t want to post them all at once as we also want to do holiday content this time of year. 🙂 So this is just the first of more to come. Trust me, you will be sick of photos of this house by the time I’m done. Ha!
I did change out the carpet on the stairs. I like carpet on stairs, especially since we plan to rent this out to families (carpet just feels a little safer for younger kiddos). The previous carpet was very worn and a light beige. So I updated it to a darker grey to go with our theme / look and also I was hoping the darker color will hold up to traffic over time but we’ll see.
I LOVE THIS!!! FANTASTIC JOB! Yayyy
The chairs remind me of the Magical Creatures book in Prisoner of Azkaban that Hagrid has for his class. This room is amazing! I love all the small details that were carefully picked out. Also where did you get the Keys?
Yes! The book that is like a little monster and you have to stroke the spine to get it to calm down. Ha!
The little keys are from PB Teen.
Amazing makeover once again! Thanks for sharing! ????✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I was so excited to read this post! I love the winged keys, and of course the accent wall! Also, I really like that rug even for a non-HP themed room. My daughter is only 16 months old right now, but it would be so cool to stay here when we inevitably take her to Disney. Also, I can’t believe how quickly you put this together!
I’m sure there is a reason but instead of the platform 9 3/4 wall why did you not do the cupboard under the stairs bedroom?
How do you know I didn’t….
😉
I’m really not into super theme (over the top/literal/corny) decor but this inspired theme IS SO FREAKING AWESOME! I mean, it doesn’t hurt that I love HP. ???? can not wait to see the rest of the reveal!! Well done Emma!
Thank you! I was really trying to infuse the fun of Harry Potter, as I am truly a fan, but also still make the space design-forward and a more modern take on the books / movie. 🙂
This is so fun! The kids will love it and it is totally live-able too. I love the flooring! Excellent job