Mother Transforms her Bathroom for Harry Potter-mad Daughter

Harry Potter fan and single mother, Leah Parkes, (37) from Brighton has transformed her downstairs bathroom for her equally Potter-mad daughter, eight-year-old Aaliyah. The makeover which brings a touch of wizarding world magic to their previously boring and small downstairs loo was done simply using copies of the wizard newspaper, The Daily Prophet.

“Before, the toilet was a bit plain and boring so I decided to redecorate it myself,” explained Leah, “I have a massive passion for interior design and I was inspired by the Harry Potter studios in Watford and by watching all the films.”

This amazing redesign of her bathroom was done on the cheap by Leah who saved money by downloading free pages of The Daily Prophet online, printing off 120 sheets of the wizarding newspaper and using it as wallpaper.

“I put the idea to my daughter’s dad and he offered to help make it possible as he’s very tech-savvy, so he brought around loads of jiffy bags filled with print outs of the Daily Prophet,” Leah noted.

To get the project started, Leah first mapped out the design the papers would go in, then laid the sheets out in order on the floor before sticking them to her bathroom walls using wallpaper paste. The wallpapering took about two days to finish and the end result is pretty impressive.

Leah’s once dull toilet is now covered in pictures of cast from the much-loved Harry Potter films, from the dark and twisted Bellatrix Lestrange to the ‘notorious’ Sirius Black. “My daughter’s reaction was great – she was squealing with excitement and reading all the pictures, pointing out who’s who from the film,” said Leah.

Leah didn’t end the transformation there though; the mother also added some magical finishing touches to the bathroom. She thriftily bought 364 Harry Potter accessories from charity shops and budget stores including; a “ministry of magic, this way” toilet decal, mini Harry Potter character figurines, a Hedwig the owl cage-inspired light, a broomstick, a Hufflepuff house scarf, and a “Room of Requirement” sign.

“It’s not for everyone but I love it – I like to be a bit different and it’s just something interesting to look at,” stated Leah Parkes, “When people go in to use the toilet, they’re a bit shocked by it at first but then they think it’s awesome. “Since I posted it online, everyone wants to come round and use the toilet!”