All About the ‘Practical Magic’ House—and the Celebrity Who Tried to Buy It

Bailey BujnosekWed, September 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in the 1998 movie ‘Practical Magic.’Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist -

Practical Magic 2 brings viewers back to the enchanting Victorian-style home from the 1998 cult classic.

Unfortunately for fans of the whimsigoth dream house, it was never real. Designers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch built the exterior, which was torn down after filming.

The interior rooms were constructed on Hollywood soundstages. They were decorated with a mix of handcrafted objects and antiques.

It’s been almost 30 years since Practical Magic first hit screens, casting a spell on all who watched it. With Practical Magic 2 ready to join its predecessor as must-watch fall viewing, fans are reflecting on a beloved part of the original film: the Practical Magic house.

A white Victorian with supernatural curb appeal, the home was pretty much a character of its own in the 1998 adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel. Practical Magic sees Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play sisters Gillian and Sally Owens, who are raised by their aunts in the iconic Victorian mansion before going their separate ways. Without spoilers, the witch-approved plot eventually brings the sisters back to Massachusetts and to the dreamy gothic dwelling of their childhoods.

While teasing the sequel at CinemaCon in April 2026, Bullock said filming “felt like we came back to a home that we once lived in” for her and Kidman—perhaps because they did return to the Owens family home. “We rebuilt the original house on the cliff,” Bullock explained, per Deadline, adding that it was filled “with many old and new characters” for fans to love.

The cast of ‘Practical Magic 2’ at the London premiere on August 26, 2026.Credit: John Phillips/Getty Images for Warner Bros.

Her phrasing gives away the fact that the original house is no more. That’s because it wasn’t ever a real place, per se—design duo Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of firm Roman and Williams crafted the exterior from scratch for the 1998 movie, and it was torn down once filming wrapped. Those gorgeous whimsigoth interiors, meanwhile, were built on a Los Angeles soundstage.

Fictional as the house may be, that hasn’t stopped it from inspiring decades of fall decor trends and real-estate wishlists. Ahead, learn more about the Practical Magic house, including which celebrity (relatably) thought it was real and inquired about buying it.

No, the Practical Magic house isn’t a real home.

Sandra Bullock in a scene from ‘Practical Magic.’Credit: Getty Images

Hollywood magic made the Victorian abode look as real as any property you’d see on Zillow, but the home’s exterior was just that—an empty shell of an exterior, built in six months in 1997. Another detail that wasn’t real? The setting. Rather than filming in New England, the production rented a spot for its faux home on San Juan Island, Washington, according to Elle Decor. They also created the house’s iconic conservatory in California, disassembling it so it could be shipped up to Washington and rebuilt there.

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During the six months spent building the movie house, the designers landscaped the grounds and the gardens. Per HistoryLink, an encyclopedia of Washington state history, the on-screen gardens featured a mix of real and artificial greenery. The filmmakers reportedly couldn’t dig in the soil because it was sacred Native land, so they built the house on a platform and had to promise to dismantle it the day after they wrapped.

Designers Standefer and Alesch took inspiration from lighthouses and Victorian homes.

Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer at the WSJ. Magazine 2025 Innovator Awards on October 29, 2025.Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

On the moodboard for the Owens sisters’ house were stately Victorian homes brimming with character, East Coast lighthouses that had a dash of mystery to them, and “late nineteenth century scrollwork,” according to Realtor.com. One of Alesch’s original sketches of the home’s exterior, published by Architectural Digest, shows that their vision was nearly identical to what they built. Practical Magic director Griffin Dunne told the outlet, “I didn’t consider anyone but Robin and Stephen to bring their magic to the iconic look of the movie.”

They filled the interior sets with handcrafted items and antiques.

Sandra Bullock (R) and Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic,’ 1998.Credit: Getty Images

When the characters are inside the house, it’s hard to decide what to look at. Each shot is packed with witchy wonders, from the eerily urn-like vessels lining the kitchen shelves and the botanical-themed floral wallpaper in the main room to the intricate rugs placed throughout the home. The set designers made some pieces, like tincture jars, by hand, they told AD. Other items were plucked from antique stores and flea markets around the globe.

“It was beautiful to collect many generations of furniture,” Standefer explained to the outlet. She added that her favorite part of the Practical Magic house was the kitchen.  “We always had an obsession with those massive, remarkable English kitchens and were so inspired to create one of those,” she said, with director Dunne adding that he’s “still asked about [the kitchen] to this day.”

Barbra Streisand allegedly inquired about buying the house.

Barbra Streisand at the Tony Awards on June 12, 2016.Credit: Getty Images

Just as starstruck by the house as the rest of us, singer and actress Barbra Streisand allegedly called the team behind the film to inquire about purchasing it, the designers once shared on their website (via Realtor.com). Like the rest of the Practical Magiccoven—er, fanbase—she was disappointed to learn that it was a fictional property.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”