Man Converts His Garage Into Harry Potter Wonderland

We sadly never received our Hogwarts letter, so our dreams of heading to a school of witchcraft and wizardry were looking less and less likely.

That is, until one particularly intrepid muggle performed some magic of his own, and turned his home into something straight out the wizarding world, proving that if you can't go to Hogwarts, you can bring it to you.

Brian Thompson, who lives in Ventura County, California, waved a magic wand over his garage to recreate a scene from the beloved children's franchise.

You can see some of his incredible work here:

The garage features several mainstays from the film series, including Hogwarts insignia, a roaring fireplace, a trophy cabinet and even candles suspended from the ceiling - held up as if by magic.

One of the most eye-catching features of Thompson's garage is his starry ceiling. Nope, he's not ripped off his roof to look like the night sky, but installed a series of fibre-optic lights to make the stars look twinkling and alive.

Brian Thompson/Facebook: DIY On A Budget Official)

Potterheads were left in awe at Thompson's spellbinding makeover, after he posting a series of snaps of his work on the Facebook group DIY On a Budget.

Having quickly racked up over 62,000 likes on the group, one fan commented: "This is amazing!"

"Simply incredible," added another.

A third said: "Omg, definitely need to make your house a tourist spot!"

Brian Thompson/Facebook: DIY On A Budget Official)

While Thompson could give the Harry Potter set designers a run for their money, the decorator claimed that 90 per cent of the objects featured were from "thrift stores".

Speaking exclusively to Tyla, he said: "I began this project immediately after my first visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was so incredibly inspired by how simply being in the Hogwarts castle made you feel. It was just unreal. I was desperate to have a little of that magic in my own home. So I started slowly transforming half my garage into this little world."

Brian Thompson)

Having started with the starry ceiling, spray-painting on clouds and adding a golden chandelier, Thompson found he was satisfied with the results - but didn't want to stop there.

"The walls needed to be castle walls. So I cut out close to 500 foam bricks from insulation foam panels from Home Depot. This process took FOREVER and I took a couple breaks that were each a few months long! I almost gave up," he said.

Brian Thompson)

However, he persisted, heading to charity shops looking for ornaments that could be straight out of Hogwarts.

After two years and $3000 (£2322) well spent, Thompson has gone viral for his efforts, and is now working on a new, secret project.

"After experiencing the success from this project, I have a new confidence within me that I know will help me get to where I'm meant to be. Now I just have to choose my next project," he said.

Brian Thompson)

This is not Thompson's first attempt at turning his house into a little slice of Hogwarts, having previously sprinkled some interior designs magic into his bedroom.

Can he decorate our houses soon?!

Topics: Harry Potter, Home

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley