Courtney McCarraher Bonnet, a mom of two from Pittsburgh, moved into a new home with her family a few months ago.
On the surface, the home was pretty un-noteworthy — until she spotted a tiny, rusty-looking cupboard under the staircase.
Anyone else would have probably left it alone, or used it simply for storage. But Courtney decided to make this little room her personal DIY project for the next week.
She wanted to recreate the iconic little room under the stairs from the Harry Potter series, books that had made a profound impact on her.
Like the mom who used bare materials to make a lovely tepee for her kid, Courtney was particularly resourceful in her use of leftover and recycled objects. The finished room looked absolutely marvelous!
Scroll on to find out what the inside of this mysterious cupboard looks like, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Whether as adults or children, we all discover a handful of books that make powerful, lasting impacts on us.
For Courtney McCarraher Bonnet, a mom of two and a librarian from Pittsburgh, it was Harry Potter, the world-famous series of fantasy novels written by J.K. Rowling.
A few months ago, Courtney and her family looked at a home in Pennsylvania while house hunting.
Initially, she wasn’t too keen on the home — but changed her mind after she spotted a tiny, curious cupboard underneath the staircase.
The first image that popped into her head was that of the iconic “cupboard under the stairs” from the Harry Potter books.
We are first introduced to the cupboard in the series’ first book as a tiny, dusty, spider-filled bedroom at Number 4, Privet Drive. In this small room dwelled Harry, the book’s magical protagonist.
Courtney immediately thought of recreating her own little cupboard under the stairs to pay homage to the series.
So in just eight days, she managed to transform the rusty old space into a fantastic, cozy reading room for her and her kids.
“I just love Harry Potter and books and reading. I am pretty crafty and handy around the house so I figured, why not? What kid wouldn’t want their own secret room?” she told BuzzFeed.
The interior of the room is pretty spectacular.
Before adding on any decorations, however, Courtney had to make some preliminary adjustments.
After repairing a hole in the wall, she sanded down some surfaces and added wood panels around the room.
She used pages from an old, recycled copy of the first Harry Potter book as wallpaper, and added a new carpet and soft pillows to liven the atmosphere.
She even taped a poster of Harry Potter’s face to the wall, placed a vintage steamer trunk in the corner, and plastered a wonderful lightning bolt fabric across the ceiling.
Her two sons absolutely adore the “secret” cupboard.
They love using it when they play hide-and-seek, and always show it to their friends when they come over on play dates.
“I want my kids to enjoy books and reading and see what an impact books can have on a person’s life,” Courtney said to BuzzFeed.
“This series really changed my life. I look forward to reading the Harry Potter series to my boys in the cupboard.”
Please SHARE if you think Courtney’s recreation of the iconic cupboard was absolutely amazing!
