Secrets of the ‘Practical Magic’ House Revealed: How Interior Experts Created Iconic Property From Scratch—and What Happened to It

When “Practical Magic” premiered in 1998, it captivated audiences with its all-star cast of witchy women. But it also shot another unlikely star to Hollywood icon status: the home in which the coven of central characters resided.

The film, which was based on a 1995 book of the same name by author Alice Hoffman, tells the story of the Owens family, a dynasty of witches cursed by a spell that prevents them from ever finding true love.

Although little could take away from the star power of the movie’s leading ladies—Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest—the home earned its own legion of fans thanks to its gothic exterior and perfectly curated interior design details.

In the movie, which is set largely in an unnamed town in Massachusetts, the home anchors much of the main plot. It serves as a refuge for Bullock and Kidman’s characters, Sally and Gillian, as well as a murder site and, ultimately, a safe haven for all the women in their family.

Its design has served as the inspiration for many seeking to create their own autumnal oasis. A quick search on Pinterest reveals hundreds of posts dedicated to the property—and now, the designers behind it have lifted the lid on how they went about building such a unique property, while also revealing what became of the home when the film wrapped.

Speaking to Architectural Digest, Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, of the design firm Roman and Williams, opened up about their creative process when it came to sourcing all of the quirky, one-of-a-kind knickknacks that filled the home. The two were brought onto the project by director Griffin Dunne.

According to their website, Standefer and Alesch were required to build the exterior of the home from scratch, erecting the spooky property on a site in San Juan Island, WA, thousands of miles from its fictional location in New England.

The duo revealed that they turned to a number of different sources for inspiration, including 19th-century scrollwork, East Coast lighthouses, and Victorian homes, taking design elements from each in order to create what would eventually become the “Practical Magic” house. The process of building the home, as well as its whimsical gardens, took around six months, the pair shared.

“Inspired by a late nineteenth century scrollwork and East Coast lighthouses and Victorian homes, Robin and Stephen built the interiors of the home in Los Angeles and then spent six months building the exterior of the house from scratch on San Juan Island, Washington and landscaping the gardens and grounds,” the duo’s website states.

“This work on the gardens would later inspire their work on their own home in Montauk.”

But while the exterior structure lived in Washington, its interior was actually built out in Los Angeles, CA, where Standefer and Alesch amassed all manner of trinkets in order to give the home the feeling that it had been lived in for centuries.

“We created their world, their home, their spirit through their objects. It is a home that truly is a cabinet of curiosities in the most incredible way. Like any generational, family home, it accrues memory through its objects. It is all about collecting,” Standefer told AD.

Together, the pair chose every object in the house, including little tincture jars and pressed flowers, along with plants, antiques, and flea market finds they discovered in different locales across the world.

While no effort was spared to ensure a consistent feel throughout the home, Standefer explained it was the kitchen that became an “obsession” for them both, as well as director Dunne.

“We always had an obsession with those massive, remarkable English kitchens and were so inspired to create one of those,” she revealed to AD, explaining that the kitchen and adjoining glass conservatory that appear in the movie remain one of her most requested design inspirations from her current clients.

Unsurprisingly, the “Practical Magic” house was met with a slew of interest from eager fans desperate for a chance to purchase it—including famed singer Barbra Streisand, according to Standefer and Alesch’s website.

“The house they built far transcended a typical film set. It was so real, in fact, that after the movie came out they got a phone call from Barbra Streisand. ‘Where is that house?’ she asked. ‘I’m interested in buying it,'” the website revealed. 

But Streisand—and any other interested parties—were met with bitter disappointment. After the film wrapped, the exterior of the home was torn down piece by piece.

However, with a “Practical Magic” sequel in the works, questions are already swirling about whether the enchanting home will be rebuilt. And naturally, Standefer confessed to AD that she would “love to” be involved with the second movie in the franchise.