Door Decorating Ideas Based on Literature or Stories

The Arabian Nights

• Set the stage for Scheherazade's magical tales by affixing to the door a travel poster of Middle Eastern or Indian temples, the pyramids or a moonlit shot of the Sahara. If you use thumbtacks, the image can easily be removed. Another option is to paint scenes from "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "Aladdin," and "Sinbad" on a sheet of butcher paper and tack it to the door. Make cut-outs of camels, turbans, flying carpets and magic lamps from construction paper. Create a curtain of brightly colored beads and hang it from the top of the door frame.

The Mirror of Erised

• Borrow a page from Harry Potter and Hogwarts with your own version of the Mirror of Erised. Use sponges and paint to create faux castle stones. If you have woodworking skills, replicate the mirror's frame along with its haunting inscription, "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." Affix a standard door mirror by using sturdy hardware.

Jane Austen

• Use adhesive borders in a vintage pattern to create a wallpaper effect around the door frame. Transform the door into a garden window that looks out on an English garden. The multitude of flowers can either be created with stencils and sponges or you can affix small silk blooms that are available at most craft stores. If the door surface doesn't lend itself to painting, use a large poster of a spring garden and trim it to the shape of a window. Put hanging baskets of silk flowers on either side of the door.

The Legends of King Arthur

• In the days of knights and damsels fair, heavy tapestries were used to take off the chill in drafty castle hallways. Use pieces of brocade and rich velvet to create a valance and curtains as the entry to your secret chamber. This effect works well with dark doors and involves the same type of rods and hardware used in window treatments. Tie both sides of the curtain back with heavy gold cords. Add an antique door knocker with the head of a lion, dragon or gargoyle.