The Practical Magic Victorian House that Never Really Existed

San Juan Island, Washington, United States

It’s been 24 years since the crew of the 1998 film Practical Magic swept into the Pacific Northwest temporarily taking over San Juan Island and Whidbey Island. The production is said to have injected up to $3 million into the coastal communities and is credited for building one of the most memorable movie homes of all time. The production hired New York-based design studio Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors to design the Owens House inspired by late 19th century scrollwork, East Coast lighthouses and Victorian homes. The production rented an empty piece of land on San Juan Island and crews spent 6 months building the elaborate shell and landscaping the gardens and grounds. 

Roman and Williams revealed, “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.’ ‘It’s fictional,’ Robin told her. ‘And unfortunately it’s been torn down.’ The interiors were designed and built on sound stages in Los Angeles with History Link revealing that the kitchen and conservatory were transported to San Juan Island for some scenes. Originally panned by critics, the film has become somewhat of a cult classic with many fans refusing to believe that the house is actually a work of fiction. History Link said it best, “The house, with its remarkable kitchen, conservatory, interior staircases, widow’s walk, gardens, and nooks, continues to be an inspiration for decorating websites and blogs. To this day some refuse to believe that it was all film illusion.” Also be sure to check out a kitchen that was inspired by the one from the movie! Hooked on Houses shared the photos in a post from 2010.

Practical Magic synopsis: Bullock and Kidman play sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who have always known they were different from other people – they are witches. Raised by their aunts after their parents’ death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but normal — their aunts fed them brownies for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But being a member of the Owens family carries a curse: The men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that could take away all the Owenses’ lives.

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