Practical Magic House: The Magical Victorian Home

Table Of Content

• The ‘Practical Magic’ House: The Secrets You Didn’t Know About the Iconic Film Set
• Just because the house isn’t real doesn’t mean you can’t relive the magic
• I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment! Cancel reply
• Filming of movie Practical Magic begins on Whidbey Island on April 6, 1998.
• The “Schitt’s Creek” mansion in Toronto is for sale (again). But you’d need Rose family money to afford it
• Is the Practical Magic House Real? A Throwback to the Magical Movie House that Bewitched Us All!
• Town Park Trail

The John Robertson Houser, which now houses the Seaside Spa, is visible in that scene. A White picket fence the production team constructed between the Little Red Hen Bakery and Toby’s Tavern still stands. In the DVD commentary, Bullock said that Kidman was the one who supplied the “very bad tequila” they drank while filming that scene. It wasn’t just great acting, but the actresses got sloshed, and perhaps that’s why the insults they were slinging around flowed.

The ‘Practical Magic’ House: The Secrets You Didn’t Know About the Iconic Film Set

If you would like to know more about the storyline, Wikipedia has a really comprehensive overview. This post is a detailed tour of the amazing Victorian house that is so prominently featured throughout the movie. While the movie was set in New England, the house was actually built on a burial ground on San Juan Island in Washington.

Just because the house isn’t real doesn’t mean you can’t relive the magic

There is no doubt the Owens would have acquired their own art prints over their family's history. You can decorate your house with similar prints to copy their witchy aesthetic. A gallery wall of prints would bring these lovely pieces to the room's forefront, or you can subtly weave them into your existing decor by adding them sparingly around the room (via One Kings Lane). Incorporating flowers or greenery in small glass vases or votives in a well-lit spot will make it feel like there's a conservatory in your home. Even adding furniture reminiscent of a greenhouse — maybe a metal bistro table and chairs — is a great way to bring this unique idea to the forefront. According to Salisbury Joinery, glass plays an important role in many Victorian-style homes, as the style's intricacies work well when given room to shine.

The True Story of How Practical Magic Got Cursed By a Witch - Vulture

The True Story of How Practical Magic Got Cursed By a Witch.

Posted: Thu, 26 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMT [source]

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment! Cancel reply

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. It sadly isn’t in the actual castle itself, but an overnight stay at this apartment-style hotel is the most straightforward way to gain entry to the magic club. Located right next door, the Magic Castle Hotel can book a reservation at the club for you, based on availability. Toby’s Tavern, known today as a local favorite for Penn Cove Mussels and a beer by the water, was transformed into The Catch and Fry. They used wood paneling for the staircase and foyer to give the home a Victorian feel.

Not in New England where the movie’s set, but on San Juan Island, in Washington. Add in a spooky parlor, an endlessly winding staircase, and an eerie attic room and it’s no wonder so many fans question whether this beguiling home actually exists. Lack of sleep and questionable dental habits aside, I still wish I could live inside the Owens family’s iconic Victorian home.

Use dark, rich browns and gray tones with lighter white or cream colors — you can even use a soft green if you're looking to keep some color on your walls. Use darker wood or black finishes with white or light touches, or vice versa. Any fan of the iconic, highly underrated flick "Practical Magic" is bound to be obsessed with a few things. The spark of magic, the spooky black cats, and undoubtedly the Owen's ancestral home, or what the viewer knows to be the aunt's house in the film.

The “Schitt’s Creek” mansion in Toronto is for sale (again). But you’d need Rose family money to afford it

Once the film was completed, the buildings were repainted to their original colors. One of the most memorable places inside the Practical Magic house is the kitchen. The kitchen in Practical Magic is often used as inspiration by many for their own kitchens. There’s a farmhouse sink, a very charming plate rack, storage for the numerous glassware and dishes to display, and the contrasting dark hardwood floors to the white cabinets. Regarding the wall decoration, Standerfer chose the wallpaper with designs of birds and tangled vines out of the love of nature that Owens’ aunts, Aunt Jet and Aunt Frances, had.

"I want to believe": Alice Hoffman is always seeking magic, practical and otherwise - Salon

"I want to believe": Alice Hoffman is always seeking magic, practical and otherwise.

Posted: Sun, 20 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Is the Practical Magic House Real? A Throwback to the Magical Movie House that Bewitched Us All!

In Alice Hoffman's novel Practical Magic and the film of the same name, the girls grow up in a magical house with two aunts who are practicing witches. Through tragedy, family drama, spells, and curses, the Owens sisters finally find balance. On April 6, 1998, Hollywood arrives in Washington as filming for the movie Practical Magic begins on Whidbey Island.

Bell jars were mostly used to protect delicate plants from frost damage, insects, or even other animals. Dunne hired Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of the Roman and Williams firm to design the house that looked like it could be an ancestral home for witches. The house was so iconic inside and out that it got many people curious, including celebrities.

The seasonal affair is held each fall in the waterfront village of Coupeville, Washington, where Warner Bros. filmed the cult classic in the late '90s. Fans flock to Whidbey Island to re-create their favorite scenes and experience the filming locations for themselves each year, but this fall calls for something extraordinary. This work on the gardens would later inspire their work on their own home in Montauk.

The movie’s centerpiece is undoubtedly the Owens’ Victorian residence. One famous Hollywood starlet, who wasn’t attached to the film, was so enamored by the beautiful abode that she wanted to buy the mansion. There’s plenty more to explore about the Practical Magic filming locations, so let’s get right into it. Aside from the exterior color, most of these buildings still look the way they did in the '90s. Sally and Gillian are sisters torn between their witchy heritage and their desire to live normal lives.

The movie, Practical Magic is based on the book of the same name by author Alice Hoffman. In fact, this film is so beloved that special events and screenings of the film continue to draw crowds even now. Front Street had a refresh with practically every storefront getting painted white. Meanwhile, many small businesses in the area were transformed inside and out to accommodate the script.

So, fans, before you start your trip, make sure to add these iconic filming locations to your itinerary. The location of the Owens home — though never explicitly revealed where — is set on the cliffs of an island. The tall spire of the house looks to be inspired by a lighthouse, plus its proximity to water makes fans wonder if the home was a lighthouse at one time.

According to the October 1998 issue of Victoria Magazine that featured the house, Standerfer analyzed Hoffman’s descriptions of the house. One probably wonders by now where the interior scenes of the Practical Magic house were done. All the interior scenes were filmed at a studio in Los Angeles and modeled after a house on San Juan Valley Road in Washington State. While Practical Magic takes place in New England, the place where the Owens house was built was actually on San Juan Island. It would’ve cost a lot to build a house from scratch that included all the utilities that came with a real house as well.