Practical Magic is a 1998 romantic comedy fantasy film based on Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel by the same name. Directed by Griffin Dunne, the movie stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. The actresses play Sally and Gillian Owens, two sisters, who happen to be witches, living in New England.
Those who have seen the movie will instantly recognize the victorian-style Practical Magic house. The house originally belonged to the aunts of Sally and Gillian, who brought them up after the death of their parents.
Unfortunately for the sisters, being a member of the Owens family carries a curse. The men they fall in love with are doomed to die an untimely death.
THE HISTORY OF THE PRACTICAL MAGIC HOUSE
As with many Hollywood movies, the Practical Magic house is nothing but a shell. The victorian-style house was created especially for the movie by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams buildings and interiors.
Robin said “I analyzed the descriptions of the stairway and the tangle of vines growing up over the back door and decided it had to be Victorian. But it couldn’t look haunted It had to be clean and white, not fading and cobwebbed.”
While the movie was set in New England, the house was actually built on a burial ground on San Juan Island in Washington. The property took six months to build and landscape. It also cost the movie budget $80,000 to rent the location for the duration of building and filming.
As the property was built on a burial ground (in a county park) the team working on the movie were not allowed to dig. So not to disturb the ground, the house was built on a giant platform.
After the movie was released producers even got a call from Barbara Streisand, who wanted to buy the property. They had to inform her that it was just an “architectural shell,” with nothing inside, telling her, “it was fictional”.
THE HOUSE IN THE MOVIE
As the Practical Magic house was just a shell, the interior house scenes were shot on a stage set in Los Angeles. The set was also decorated by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams.
Alice Hoffman, whose book the movie is based upon, exclaimed that upon visiting the Los Angeles sets, “I realized that the set designers had created a complete physical world out of their imagination, just as I had. It was as if we were both novelists.”
The foyer and staircase made use of wood paneling to make it look like a Victorian home.
“The Aga is almost like a shrine,” production designer Robin Standefer said of the range in the kitchen. “This is the place where they do their work; it’s where they place the cauldron.”
The two photos below are taken in the parlor. The top photo was taken from a scene in the movie, while the photo below is on an empty set. Robin Standefer chose the wallpaper design of birds and entangled vines because the Aunts in the movie are all about nature.
While Gillian is busy being possessed by the spirit of her evil, ex-boyfriend, you get a great shot of the bedroom. The attic is simply furnished with two twin beds and a cute little desk tucked up under the eves.
The staircase on the right of this photo leads up to the lighthouse tower. Unfortunately, as it’s a set, it probably leads nowhere at all.
It’s really no surprise that people loved this house so much. The set design was incredible, both inside and out. While the location makes it the perfect setting for those looking for a quiet getaway. No wonder Barbara Streisand was interested!
THE HOUSE TODAY
As you might expect, after filming was complete, the Practical Magic house was pulled down and removed (much like the Forrest Gump house). As the house was only a shell, and never existed as a functional home, it was dismantled and removed in just over a day. The area where the movie was filmed was then restored to how it had looked previously.
The Practical Magic house location as it looks today, more than 20 years later.
