Practical Magic Home Decor Ideas: How to Decorate Like the Iconic Owens Witches
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Why is it that the Practical Magic house has us all in such a cozy, enchanting, nostalgic chokehold?
It’s so beloved that, decades after the first movie, they built the house from the ground up again for Practical Magic 2. So what exactly is the magic of the Practical Magic house?
It's a spellbinding concoction of a lot of things. And today, I'm sharing some ingredients for that beautiful interior spell by giving you a bunch of Practical Magic inspired decor ideas!
So grab yourself a cozy cup of tea or a midnight margarita (or a midday margarita if you're feeling fun 😉) and let's talk about the iconic Owens witches’ home!
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
The Practical Magic House Isn’t Real
Of course, when using the Practical Magic house for inspiration, I'm not under any illusion that we'd be able to achieve a beautiful coastal Victorian home with just a few decor pieces. Obviously, that's not realistic.
The Practical Magic house itself isn't even real. It was built as a set for both movies.
And yes, it's a little sad when you find out that such a stunning and iconic home doesn't exist. Sort of like finding out the tooth fairy isn't real and it turns out it was daddy Hollywood all along fabricating the fairy tale.
But in a way, the house's unrealness works thematically. It's all magic. Practical sets, practical magic.
So if all of this isn't real, then who says you can't fabricate your own fairy tale in your average apartment or house? We may not have the Hollywood budget, but this is where the magic of creativity comes in.
Now as we go through these Practical Magic decor ideas, keep in mind it's not about copying the house one to one. It's about tapping into the magic of it, the spirit of it.
Practical Magic Kitchen Stuff
The Practical Magic kitchen countertops are delightfully packed. One could even say cluttered, although I personally would describe them as abundant. Layered. Bountiful. It's the kitchen of people who actually use their kitchen for cooking. Or spell casting. Either way, it's a well-loved kitchen.
So, you can really go for it with little countertop canisters for sugar, flour, coffee… mugwort, belladonna, eye of newt… you know, the essentials. 😉
Whatever you put in them, kitchen canisters serve the dual purpose of ease-of-use storage and cute decor. I mean, if you're going to need your Belladonna readily available at all times, it might as well be stored in something pretty. 😏 And I think the Owens sisters would agree.
And copper pots and pans, in my opinion, are a huge part of why the Owens kitchen looks so homey. There's just something about a row of exposed pots and pans. It's just pretty magical, honestly. Same with anything copper. Not only is copper itself beautiful to look at, but there's something ancient and primal about it. We've been using copper for thousands of years. There's a primordial beauty here. It doesn't get witchier than that.
Simply put, copper pots and pans are easy way to add a cute rustic cottage vibe to a kitchen. You know, I can wax poetic about the primordial beauty of copper pots all day, but through a simpler lens, they're just pretty and useful.
Another thing about the Practical Magic kitchen is it always looks ready for a cooking, spell-casting, and midnight margarita making, of course. And whether you want to cook dinner, cast out a demon spirit, or simply salt the rim of your margarita glass, having a little apothecary box or spice and herb rack is bound to suit your needs.
And we know that midnight margaritas are a huge part of the Practical Magic ethos, so it only makes sense that you would have gorgeous vintage margarita glasses. It's only appropriate, no?
Then, just as a Practical Magic fan piece, I thought this mug was also quite appropriate. It's cute, it's cozy, and Aunt Jet had it right: there's a little witch in all of us.
Practical Magic Decor Accents
With these decorative accents, I'm really leaning into the botanical side and channeling that stunning conservatory in the Practical Magic house.
For one thing, you can go really crazy with little bottles here. Bottles everywhere! For plants, for flowers, for herbs, for nothing but decoration. If there is a blank space on any surface, put a bottle there.
Same with cloches. The Owens sisters love a good cloche as much as they love a good bottle. This is just part of the bountiful (not cluttered!) vibe of the house in both movies.
Of course, if you want to tap into the Practical Magic conservatory look, that means having lots of plants and finding interesting ways to display them. And plants and flowers can come in different forms, like curtains, bookends, and candlestick holders.
When it comes to decorative accents, you can just default to florals, which makes sense for a witchy house. Plants, herbs, flowers, gardens, conservatories… these are all useful to a witch. So, it only makes sense for them to be reflected in a witch's interior styling.
Practical Magic Wall Decor
From what I've observed, the artwork in the Owens house can pretty much be simplified into two categories: botanicals and portraits of women.
A gallery wall of botanical prints is exactly what we're going for. Just create a few rows of vintage botanical prints on one of your walls, and you'll already be well on your way to the Practical Magic aesthetic. Same with finding various ways to incorporate dried flowers. This is all just witchy decor 101.
Then there’s the other main category of wall art in the Owens home: women. There is such a clear reverence for women in the Practical Magic house. We can infer that they are portraits of Owens women throughout the years, which adds so much history and depth to the overall aesthetic of the home. You may or may not have old paintings of your ancestors, but you can always turn to an antique store or Etsy seller for vintage portraits in a similar style to the ones in the movies.
And this Picasso print may not be the exact style, but the essence of it reminded me so much of Maria Owens, their ancestor from the 1600s. Don't they actually look alike? And they both have this wild defiance about them.
I suppose that's really what we're going for here: wildness. Wild flowers and wild women. The misfits who can't be tamed.
Stylish Misfits
That's really what's at the heart of this aesthetic and the movies themselves: being a misfit and doing it in style.
The Owen sisters are the ultimate Moda Misfits. Their decor and fashion are so iconic that people have been emulating their style for years. Yet, the Owens sisters are misfits. Social outcasts, unmarried women, free-range weirdos.
Practical Magic is a perfect example of how stylish it is to just be yourself and not try to fit into the status quo. It's more stylish to be a little weird than it is to be like everyone else. Not to mention more liberating, more interesting, and more fun.
And when you decorate with your misfit quirks in mind, it inevitably leads to a more beautiful home, a more authentic aesthetic. And beneath that aesthetic is the magic of self-acceptance in the face of suspicion from others.
Because there's nothing more suspicious than just a woman being herself. But when we accept our inner magic and stop trying to oppress it, we can be free.
That's what Sally learns by the end of the first movie. All she wanted was to be normal and blend in. But Aunt Frances put it best:
“My darling girl, when are you going to understand that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.” - Aunt Frances, Practical Magic
Exactly, Aunt Frances.
And frankly, the ones who are suspicious of you are often the ones who envy your freedom and self-expression.
In the first movie, the judgmental PTA mom said it herself: she had wanted to see the inside of the Owens house since she was a little girl. Everyone wants the freedom to be their own brand of misfit, but it takes a level of courage that most people aren't comfortable with.
But the moment PTA mom let go and allowed herself to be magical with the girlies, she was not only embracing her own inner magic, but she was also able to help expel the evil demon spirit of Gillian's abusive ex-boyfriend. That's just the kind of thing that happens when you stop suppressing your inner witch.
And nothing brings women together like a good old-fashioned exorcism of a shitty ex-boyfriend spirit. 💅
The Practical Magic house is a symbol and sanctuary for this kind of magical radical sisterhood and self-expression. And like the Owens' house, your home can be a soft space to land in a world full of demons.
Home as Sanctuary
Let's be honest, radical self-expression and living outside of the status quo comes with a certain level of danger. And it seems more and more so these days.
I'm a 38-year-old happily unmarried, child-free by choice woman who lives by herself with her cat. As normal as it is to me, my lifestyle is genuinely disturbing to some people.
Expressing your unique inner magic comes with risks. Most likely social risks like the Owens sisters dealt with - judgment, rejection, and suspicion from the town.
But Gillian lived her life so freely and so recklessly that it almost got her killed.
On the one hand, you have Sally who suppressed her true self, and on the other hand, you have Gillian who expressed herself so hard it actually got her in trouble. And then the house became her sanctuary. A bit haunted by the aforementioned evil demon abusive ex-boyfriend spirit… but a sanctuary nonetheless.
So, as you're decorating your space, think about what the Practical Magic house gave to the characters, aside from just being a pretty place to live. It was a sanctuary for misfits.
In a world full of demons, your home is your sanctuary where you can safely express your magic with reckless abandon without the consequences of outside forces. Comfortable like Sally, free like Jillian.
