The Practical Magic House: Unveiling the Design Secrets of This Enchanting Dwelling

Claudia Williams
·6 min read

Photo: Getty Images

It was the first crisp October morning. I was having coffee with a friend, and she asked me, “Have you had your annual Practical Magic viewing yet?” Every autumn, I wait until the perfect night to make a batch of hearty stew, light every candle in my apartment, and watch Practical Magic. For me, and so many others, rewatching the film is a right of passage that marks the beginning of autumn’s gentle descent into our lives. It signifies the start of cozy season, where wool blankets are pulled out from the attic and our kitchen counters are covered in squash.

Practical Magic, which was adapted from the 1995 best-selling novel by Alice Hoffman, first premiered in 1998. The film centers around the Owens sisters, two witches played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and their eccentric aunts, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne West. The four witches attempt to live seemingly normal lives in their idyllic New England town, all while suffering from a devastating curse that prevents them from finding true love. In addition to the four witches who make up the core cast, there is one main character we can’t forget—the Practical Magic house.

The exterior of the Practical Magic house, in all its glory.
The exterior of the Practical Magic house, in all its glory.
Photo: Stephen Alesch

The enchanting mansion acts as a home base for the witches to seek safety and comfort. The whimsigoth interiors are filled to the brim with dried flowers, rich fabrics, and ancient books. And it’s all thanks to Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of the AD100 design firm Roman and Williams. Standefer and Alesch met in Hollywood working as production designers. After an actor asked the duo to decorate his home, they formed Roman and Williams, their own design studio named after their maternal grandfathers. And on a film set in Hollywood is where a fateful friendship between Practical Magic’s director, Griffin Dunne, and Standefer and Alesch, came to be. “I first met Robin on a movie I was acting in called Search and Destroy. I then hired her for my first directing job called Addicted to Love,” Dunne tells AD. “Her production design was so tasteful that I looted some lighting fixtures and arm chairs from the set that are in my apartment today. I didn’t consider anyone but Robin and Stephen to bring their magic to the iconic look of the movie.”

A sketch of the home by Alesch.
A sketch of the home by Alesch.
Photo: Stephen Alesch

The Practical Magic house needed to transcend a typical film set and capture the spirit of the four women in every way possible. Standefer and Alesch only had words in a book to go by, so it was up to them to weave together a visual representation of the characters’ world. They decided to build the home’s exterior from scratch, finding inspiration in late-19th-century scrollwork, East Coast lighthouses, and Victorian homes. They spent six months building the exterior on San Juan Island, Washington, and landscaping the gardens and grounds. Just moments after the filming wrapped, the whimsical mansion was torn down piece by piece. (A certain fan of the movie—Barbra Streisand—was so enamored by the Victorian, she called the team in the hopes of purchasing it for herself, only to be disappointed.)

Bullock in the infamous kitchen set in the film.

1998 Sandra Bullock stars in the new movie "Practical Magic."

Bullock in the infamous kitchen set in the film.
Photo: Getty Images

While the exterior of the home was constructed in Washington, the rich interiors of the home were built in Los Angeles—and that's where the magic really happened. “In many ways we’re Aunt Jett and Aunt Frances,” Robin Standefer tells AD. “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.” When watching the movie, it’s hard to believe the Owens dwelling isn’t real. And that was the goal. “It really is a home. Stephen and I devoted ourselves to that. We made every little thing in the film, down to the tincture jars and pressed flowers,” Standefer tells AD. “Stephen did incredible etchings of plants that you can see all around the dining room.” In addition to making objects for the home from scratch, Standefer and Alesch sourced treasures and antiques everywhere from the UK to an old pharmacy in Philadelphia. “It was beautiful to collect many generations of furniture, Standefer tells AD. “The characters would likely shop at flea markets and antique stores today too.”

One of the most memorable rooms in the house is and will always be the kitchen, for two reasons—the first being the heartwarming design. “We always had an obsession with those massive, remarkable English kitchens and were so inspired to create one of those,” Standefer tells AD. “To this day, that is my favorite kitchen we’ve created. Hard stop.” Dunne agrees. “That kitchen that led to a glass enclosed conservatory was so beautiful, I’m still asked about it to this day,” Dunne tells AD. The second reason? The iconic scene where the four witches make midnight margaritas. “Nicole brought the tequila, but I helped drink it and joined them in Lime in the Coconut on the last take,” Dunne tells AD. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

In one scene, Sally and Gillian Owens attempt to cast a spell to resurrect Gillian’s boyfriend, whom they accidentally killed.

1998 Sandra Bullock and Nichole Kidman stars in the new movie "Practical Magic."

In one scene, Sally and Gillian Owens attempt to cast a spell to resurrect Gillian’s boyfriend, whom they accidentally killed.
Photo: Getty Images
Another look at the kitchen set.
Another look at the kitchen set.
Photo: Stephen Alesch

Twenty-six years later, Practical Magic holds a cult following unlike any other film, and earlier this year, it was announced that a sequel is officially in the works. Both Kidman and Bullock confirmed they are returning to star in Practical Magic 2, as well as produce the movie alongside Denise Di Novi. But the real question is, where will the Owens sisters live? And what will their new homes look like? When asked if she and Alesch would be open to working on the sequel, Standefer tells AD, “Roman and Williams and Roman and Williams Guild are pretty all-encompassing but I would love to. I love Griffin, who will executive produce, and I love Denise Di Novi, who is behind it, and we can’t wait to visit them.”

Here’s hoping next year’s rewatch of Practical Magic will entail the sequel.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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