Providence woman transforms home into magical Harry Potter-themed Halloween stop

PROVIDENCE, Utah ( ABC4 ) — In Providence, you’ll find a home that makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter-themed Halloween house is a passion project by Laura Vanderbeek that’s been four years in the making.

Vanderbeek shared that she was first inspired to create Harry Potter displays after visiting Univeral Studios with her daughter. She said her daughter didn’t get to have a normal graduation ceremony due to the pandemic, so it was a fun experience for them to go to the theme park and celebrate together.

“I walked in there and I looked around and I was like, ‘These signs are really cool. I think I could draw these and it would just be fun.’ I started drawing them and then I was like, ‘I wonder what it would be like to draw one of the shops. This would be cool.'”

Vanderbeek did just that, and had her drawings printed out on corrugated plastic. She then added lights to them and started her own Diagon Alley at home. Online , you can follow the process of how it all came together.

Vanderbeek shared that creativity runs in her family. She said that her grandmother was an artist for Walt Disney who worked on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and that she taught her how to draw and paint.

“I’ve been using digital art since my daughter was born and she’s 22. I started with digital scrapbooking and then worked my way up to using Adobe Illustrator on my iPad, and that’s what I drew all of this in,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been quite the journey. I’ve learned a lot of skills along the way, and mostly I just did it for myself, just for fun. Then, I moved into creating these beautiful Harry Potter shops and put them on my fence because I thought, well, maybe my neighbors enjoy this and then it went from there.”

Vanderbeek said the display has grown over the years with more and more iconic sights from the series, such as ‘Ollivanders’ wand shop, ‘Madam Malkin’s’ robe shop, ‘Honeydukes’ sweets shop, and ‘Gringotts Wizarding Bank’. Vanderbeek said her latest additions are ‘Weasley’s Wizard Wheeze’s and ‘Scribbulus Writing Implements.’

Vanderbeek said she’s always adding to the decor and hopes to have a castle completed by next Halloween.

“I hope that it brings joy to people,” she said.

Vanderbeek said she also works on 3D-printed projects and clothes inspired by the series. She shared she first read the books when her daughter asked to go to Universal Studios.

“As I got through the books, I was like, ‘This just speaks to me. Some of the characters, there are people like that in my life.’ I think that, during the pandemic and everything, it was kind of a dark period in all of our lives. I really feel like the series gave me some hope and brightness in my life, and I just wanted more of that.”

Vanderbeek commented that when it comes to Hogwarts Houses, she, her daughter, son and husband all fit into Ravenclaw. One of her favorite characters, she said, is Professor McGonagall, saying she really exemplifies women coming into their power.

“She’s just strong and really represented a lot for me,” Vanderbeek said.

You can find Vanderbeek’s Harry Potter display at 593 East 1080 South in Providence through Nov. 1. Vanderbeek said lights will be on from about dusk to 10 at night.

On Halloween night, she said there will be even more special treats — such as butter beer and a fog machine for the dragon. To learn more about her creations and to stay updated, she said you can follow her Instagram page @laurelleaflane.

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