When I started this blog at the beginning of the year, I asked you which movies you watched over and over again because of the houses in them. Tracey B, my real-life friend and faithful reader (at the time, one of my ONLY readers), commented: “I have to admit to watching “Home Alone” at least 20 times, strictly for the house. John Hughes always picks a beautiful Chicago suburb house for his films. I realize that the movie was filmed in the ’80s and has outdated decor, but I redecorate in my head each year as I watch. A classic shell of a home never goes out of style!”
Since this is Christmas Movie Week at Hooked on Houses, I watched “Home Alone” again and took lots of photos of the house, which is so much a part of the story that it’s almost like one of the supporting characters. Tracey, this post is for you!
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- The house lit up at night to deter (bungling) burglars.
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- Detached garage behind the house. Kevin’s parents forgot to close the garage doors, so at first Kevin thinks they’re still home.
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- Close-up of the front door.
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- The bathroom, like the rest of the house, is very ’90s. I worked for an interior designer in the ’90s, so seeing the wallpaper and the colors and gold faucets brings back memories of how we were decorating peoples’ homes then!
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- Kevin’s “Battle Plan” shows the home’s floorplan. Sorta.
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- Director Chris Columbus lovingly photographed every inch of this house, making it easy for me to get pictures of it. He treats the house like another character in the film.
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- One of my favorite parts of the house: the landing with the window.
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- Kevin in his parents’ room, wishing they’d come home.
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- Kevin gets his wish–Mom returns!
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- Kevin was sent to the attic for bad behavior.
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- Kevin comes out of the attic to find the house empty and quiet.
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- Upstairs landing.
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- Kevin’s brother’s bedroom. That gun on the wall’s gonna come in handy!
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- The huge gravity furnace in the basement. We had one of those when I was growing up, and it always freaked me out when I was in the basement alone!
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- Does anyone else fantasize about having a back staircase that comes down into the kitchen like this, or is it just me?
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- Kevin decides to take a sled ride down the stairs.
The actual home used for the film is located North of Chicago in Winnetka, Illinois. It’s apparently a popular tourist stop because I found a lot of snapshots of it on the Internet taken by people who tracked it down. Here’s one of them (found here):
And here’s how the house looks when the yard is all leafy and green in the summer (found here):
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I loved the house when the movie came out. At the ime I noticed that a lot of the plant stands (with pointsetas upstairs hall), hall table (top of front stair landing) and other tables by (christmas tree) were Bombay company pieces. They were fairly common at the time and not expensive.
I did notice in the pictures on your site that the bath faucet with Kevin in the picture is by Kohler and it’s model name is “Antique”. I have the same shiny brass as well as 2 chrome ones in my 1978 house. They are still made and are over $1,150 in the brass.
Love the site
I absolutely LOVE this house!
I love this house! Another fave of mine is the house from “Zathura”.I can’t stop watching it either. I just love that Craftsman style. And all that real wood.Does anyone have real floor plan drawings of either of these? Thanks!
I adore this house! Some years back, I came across an article that did a few shots of the “real” interior. (Which was hopelessly bland an “undecorated”)I feel certain there was mention of how the house was redecorated for the film (and possibly mentioned the “trashing” someone noted above)…but alas, I cant find that article online.
One house Ive always loved…and wished they’d shown more of the “after” is the one from “Money Pit” the few glimpses we got once the house was actually finished were gorgeous.
TheVinylVillager’s last blog post..Monday Morning Mish Mash
Hello…. I stumbled onto your blog looking for decorating ideas and was thrilled to see my favorite movie houses! I absolutely love the Home Alone house and saw the owners interviewed years ago. They said the movie company completely redecorated and made everything red and green for Christmas. They personally would never do the whole house like that, but it looked good. Did not hear that the place was trashed, but movie equip. is rough on houses. They drag heavy stuff all over the place with lots of cables etc.
I’m not sure, but I think Chris Columbus used this same house for “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (Steve Martin’s house at the end of the movie) or at least the same neighborhood. Columbus seems to love Winnetka and especially Lincoln Street.
Sorry this message is so long!
I read that when the movie makers got the house, which had all painted walls, they wallpapered all those rooms for the first movie, then took out the wallpaper when they finished. Then, they had to go back in and wallpaper again for the second movie, and once again, take it all out when done.
I have always loved this house! I know a few have asked, but are there any house plans to rebuild this masterpiece? Surely someone should try to re-create this! Love your site, thanks!!
Kim–
If there are any house plans, I don’t know about them. If anyone else does, let us know! -Julia
I’ve loved this house from the very first time I saw this movie. It was the house “on tv/movies” that I wished I could live in. The three stories and that fabulous staircase with the landing mid-way. Absolutely beautiful!
And is it just me, or from that view, wouldn’t he have slammed into that wall while sledding down the stairs? haha, I know, it’s just a movie.
And also, they seem to live in an affluent neighbourhood and in a very nice house, but drive, well, not the nicest vehicles. I was very young when this movie was filmed/set, so were these vehicles nice/average for that time, or are they on the junkier side?
Actually I have some devastating news. Ive been obsessed with this movie/house since I was 4. I did some research, and since I am very familiar with architecture, this makes sense. I found out that the interiors of the house are completely fake. The film makers used the house at 671 Lincoln Ave for exterior shots only. The interior shots were filmed in a high school gym. They built a fake 3 story Georgian home inside a gym! (the basement was built separate). The family who owned the real house at the time was renovating, and rented out the house to Hughes. The film makers felt the house was definitely large enough but did not have high enough ceilings (something that obviously cannot be altered). They wanted Kevin to appear even smaller and more alone in the house. Im assuming since the real house was built over 40 years ago it has 8 foot ceilings. More affluent houses of the 90’s and today have 9′ ceilings (generally on the 1st floor only and standard 8 foot ceilings on the 2nd floor), which the interior of the house in the movie has. In the movie, look closely at the distance between the top of doors or doorways and the ceiling on the first floor and second floor of the movie. It is clear there is a greater distance on the first than second, because the first floor is higher. Now look at pictures of the outside of the real house, notice the distance between windows doesnt allow for their to be 9 foot ceilings on the first floor. Also, is there any part in the movie that shows a sequence of going in and out of the house in one scene? There isnt! The scene where Kevin sleds out the front door is two different shots, as is the scene where Harry goes in the kitchen and has a run in with the blow torch. Also, in order to make the flooded basement scene at the Murphy’s house at the end of the movie, the film makers built a separate set under the pool of the school. Water was released from the pool into the set to flood the basement. Completely useless information but for me, who is obsessed with this house and has recreated it a dozen times on my architecture software, this was VERY INTERESTING!
Okay you’ve probably done heard this request but here goes, The Walton’s house. Loved the big porch and the dormers, and the screen doors.
i love how the whole set is red & green! (well… maroon & teal). for such a popular color scheme of the 90’s, it really worked to make the perfect festive backdrop for almost every scene! best christmas movie ever.
Have you considered doing the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation house as a special holiday home? Clark Griswald over does the lights but it still looks adorable and you get some great shots because almost the entire movie takes place at the house. I love that movie, its so heart warming and all about loving your family no matter how crazy they are. I’m sure it’d be a big hit for you! Keep ‘em coming!
Hi. I found a site with pictures of the house’s real interiors next to stills from the movie and thought you guys might be interested…
http://afb.com/homealone/
You can tell the ceilings are lower in the actual house like Eric said a few posts ahead of mine.
Nice site by the way.
Its very cool to see that I am not the only one who just LOVES this house!!!
I live near this house, and I can’t help but mention that the garage is not all brick, as shown in the movie. It’s actually a gray-colored siding. Hughes must have had a facade put over the original garage.
The house from Risky Business is also not too far from the Home Alone house — and Cameron’s house from Ferris Bueller is just a block from the Risky Business house as well.
Gavin–
Thanks for the additional info on the house! I did a post about Cameron’s house from Ferris Beuller, but I didn’t realize how close it was to this one. -Julia
Hi. Do you know where the ice skating scene in Home Alone was filmed. It was a brief scene, where Kevin is being chased by a police officer and he slides across the ice. This is my girlfriend’s favorite movie and I would like to take her there on Valentine’s Day.
Phil–
I’m sorry, I don’t! What a nice idea, though. You could try watching the movie with the commentary to see if they mention where they filmed it. Good luck! -Julia
Phil-
I am from Winnetka, my parents live three blocks away from the house they filmed it in the summer (all that snow is fake). I love watching that movie it makes me feel like I AM HOME LOL.
But in answer to you question. they filmed that scene in hubbard woods (an area of winnetka Illinois) right across from the hubbard woods post office on greenbay road.
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