Art & DesignDEC 12, 2025

My Magical Harry Potter Cabin Has A Secret Tavern And A Portrait That Actually Moves

I've seen a lot of Harry Potter-themed Airbnb properties, but I always thought they were a tad cheesy. Cheesy props, cheap décor, and something that felt like it was designed for children.

For a long time, I've had a dream of building the ultimate wizard cabin, and instead of trying to make it look like Hogwarts, design it as a cabin or house that someone from the Wizarding World would actually live in.

I guess the word I'm looking for is authentic. Real props, luxury decor, handmade items, and a true old-world, magical vibe.

Thus, the Wizard Hideout was born.

More info: thewizardhideout.com

Here's the Wizard Hideout I created

I bought the cabin for a decent price and completely renovated it. The previous owners tried to "Chip & Joanna" a cozy cabin with stark white walls, white vanities. White. Everywhere. They had literally just flipped it when I bought it, but their choices in finishes really didn't work for a wizard cabin.

So I renovated it. I changed everything: the carpet, the floor, the paint, the cabinets, the vanities, all of it. The basement was unfinished, so I basically had a blank canvas down there.

The wizard portrait that actually moves when you pass by

The living room inside the cabin

It had a decent size room in the back corner, and when I saw it for the first time, I immediately thought: SECRET WIZARD TAVERN!

I added stone wall paneling, a cloud ceiling, a black antler chandelier, a poker (or DnD) table, a kitchenette, and a couple of high-back wing chairs that I imported from England.

The cloud ceiling changes to whatever color you want and the wall sconces and the chandelier can be dimmed or turned off. Whatever vibe you want, you can make it.

A wide shot of the living room and kitchen area

The staircase that goes to the second floor

When it was finally done, I thought for a while about what to call it and finally decided on "The Wand & Lantern."

The cabin had four bedrooms which was perfect because Hogwarts has four houses. I themed each of them individually and went "all out" on the beds and the bedding. I'm talking LUXURY here.

Getting those king beds and mattresses up the narrow stairway was an act of magic in and of itself. After spending months doing the renovations, I finally got to focus on what I was most excited about: a real, moving portrait.

The Slytherin inspired bedroom

The Ravenclaw inspired bedroom

I've seen it attempted before, but I wanted mine to look real. I wanted it to be motion activated. I wanted it to look like a painting until you walked in front of it. So I designed it. I made a prototype. Then I perfected it. It now does over 40 unique animations and looks eerily real!

I found a sorting hat on Amazon and ordered it to put in the cabin. So, when guests walk in, they put on the hat and it tells them which room they're sleeping in. As you can imagine, this has caused some strife amongst the guests when they don't get chosen for their favorite house.

The Hufflepuff inspired bedroom

The Gryffindor inspired bedroom

After I got the cabin renovated and everything set up how I wanted, I made a 5-minute walk-thru of the whole thing. It wasn't fancy. I just held my phone and gave a tour of The Wizard Hideout.

A few hours later, I realized that this video was about to go viral. Comment after comment kept pouring in from people telling me how much they loved it and how real and authentic it looked. I've poured my heart and soul into this project, so to hear positive feedback like that made me feel good. Real good. I decided to put it on Airbnb so others could experience it too. This was, and always will be my passion project. Even if it never makes me a dime.

I wanted to share this story because I'm proud of what I've accomplished and I thought you may enjoy reading about it too. If you'd like to see more pictures or learn more about the project, you can visit my website.