Inside Oakland’s Most Unique House: The Moonlight Manor

The Moonlight Manor is Oakland’s most unique house with artistically themed rooms built by a community of talented Bay Area artists. Last week, I had the privilege of touring this space and sitting down with the owner to unveil the fascinating and touching true story behind this exceptional home and how it came to be. Once you catch a glimpse inside, you’ll be tempted to linger inside a little longer yourself, and fortunately, you can!

Moonlight Manor is  the most unique house in Oakland – photos courtesy of The Moonlight Manor & Marissa Joy Clark

Learn about owner and artist Christina Molcillo as she discusses the origin story of Moonlight Manor and its transformation into an Hotel/Airbnb. She mentions her initial fascination with the house and how she purchased it after a vivid dream. She also recounts her creative partnership with her best friend, Michael Aiello, who was a talented artist and how they turned the house into a hub for artistic projects, particularly elaborate Halloween decorations.

Dante’s Inferno is at Moonlight Manor – photo courtesy of The Moonlight Manor

It All Started With a Haunting Dream:

What prompts someone to fashion a house adorned with such whimsy and artistic charm? For Christina, the genesis of The Moonlight Manor unfolded through a series of compelling moments. It all began with a dream, a vivid vision urging her to leave the home she currently occupied. Subsequently, a sequence of serendipitous occurrences reinforced her sense that she was on the right path. Then, following the tragic passing of her dear friend, she found herself contemplating what lay ahead, and her gaze naturally fell upon the house she had acquired from friends.

Inside the Dining Room – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

Christina’s inspiring story of how The Moonlight Manor came to be is a story of loss which inspired a new creative path shortly after she become a mother: 

“I purchased the house in 2011 after waking up from a nightmare that I had to get out of the house I was currently living in at Fremont at the time. My friends owned it, and when I found out they were selling it I had to have it. I had seen it 7 years prior when they first purchased it and I was obsessed wishing I could own something like that one day. I put my offer in and was still terrified of making such a huge move. I went to the house and stood outside, asking the sky/universe/whatever to please give me a sign. A man walked up.. asked me in a sarcastic tone “what the hell you looking at??” I replied.. I’m trying to decide if I should buy this house.. he said.. ‘you should.. you look like you already live there’

All of the details are spectacular in The Moonlight Manor – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

That neighbor is still my friend to this day. 

A year later after living there. I moved in with my best friend Michael Aiello. He was an extremely talented set designer, videographer, artist, actor, musician… you name it, he could do it. And all on a shoestring budget.

Together we build sets every Halloween that just.. well basically went too far. We’d spend months and 1,000s of dollars transforming the entire house. Little did I know I was paying for my own art school and building a portfolio that would later land me paying jobs. This was how I learned to build sets, trial and error and from watching him. Before this I was only a costume designer and a very amateur crafter. 

It’s all about the details inside this beautiful space – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

For almost 10 years we lived there with other friends/artists/roommates. We bickered often and well about everything. He was stubborn and crotchety but at the same time loyal and hilarious. He was the miserable grumpy character in movie you fall in love with.  In 2019 he started to go down hill. He was born with HIV and decided he no longer wanted to take his medicine and let the disease take him. It was a heartbreaking month of visiting him in the hospital every.. day… He only let 2 friends in during his last days. I was one of them.

One of the many murals in The Moonlight Manor – Photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

The day he died I returned home and fell on the front steps hysterically sobbing. I was absolutely devastated he would never come home. I thought for sure our home wouldn’t survive without him either. But.. I just hung in there.

2 years later my son was born and I turned the house into an Airbnb to support us. Without my little boy I probably would have never done this. It was my motherly instinct to try and build a business that would let me stay home and raise him. During the build I definitely was scared we went too weird.. but lucky for me.. people like weird,” says Christina in our interview.

Let’s Tour The Moonlight Manor

As mentioned, Christina’s collaboration with her close friend, the versatile artist Michael Aiello, gave rise to the creation of intricately themed rooms within the manor. These include a living room inspired by Beetlejuice and a Moonrise Kingdom room complete with a charming treehouse. Each room boasts unique details that immerse guests in the thematic experience. The guest book is a Beetlejuice reference as a “Guidebook for the Recently Deceased”. For every room, your key comes with a keychain that speaks to the theme for that room. It’s the little details all over the house that had me awe-struck.

You can rent the top floor or the entire home by booking through their Airbnb page. The main Airbnb rental is for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath top floor with unique kitchenette. You can also rent the entire house if you’d like.

Bedrooms are cozy, beautiful – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

The bedroom themes include Grand Budapest Hotel and (my favorite) The Moonrise Kingdom room. When you walk into the Moonrise room, you notice that the bed is actually a treehouse and there’s a small seating area with functioning guitar and even a copy of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”. There are many decorations within the space which encourage you to play and interact with the environment such as twinkling lights above your head that you control yourself, record players in every room and masks or instruments with little signs encouraging you to dress up, play and have fun.

The Moonrise treehouse and details inside the room- photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

Inside the Moonrise Kingdom room – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

The kitchenette and living room are straight out of the Beetlejuice movie. Complete with a sandworm and high-quality movie props that perfectly capture the essence of the film. The mural in the kitchenette is particularly noteworthy, as it was meticulously hand-painted by Talon Geer. The sandworm is striking and, for any of us Beetlejuice fans, for sure will bring a smile to you the second you see it.

Mural by Talon Geer – Photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

Note: if you were to rent the entire house, you have full use of the Dia De Los Muertos themed kitchen on the first floor.  

The Moonlight Manor: a Collaborative Creative Effort

What I love so much about Christina’s origin story is that she had a lot of help from her community. Whether it was their encouragement to venture into uncharted territory or their willingness to impart new skills, The Moonlight Manor stands as a testament to the collective effort of incredibly talented individuals. Christina loves sharing all of the creative folks who have contributed to the space and as she walked me around the home she would point out different details and who made each item.

Inside the Dining Room – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

Here are some of the top artists who have left their mark on this enchanting place:

Daniel Silva @drasticshift- incredible builder. According to Christina, without him these crazy ideas within The Moonlight Manor wouldn’t be reality. He made the Dante’s Inferno, fireplace, Beetlejuice sign & constantly fixes things around the house. 

Freddy Fabrication @floralfabrication – talented prop maker who made the tombstone within the Beetlejuice room (see image below)

Talon Geer @taloniusg – An artist who did the majority or mural work in the Airbnb including the epic Beetlejuice sand worm.

Tombstone by Freddy Fabrication – Photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

All Hallows Eve, Every Day

The Moonlight Manor isn’t just a community art project but it has also become a hub for community engagement, particularly during the pandemic. Christina organized outdoor displays and activities for neighbors and kids, bringing joy during difficult times.

“6 months after Michael’s death the pandemic hit. Needless to say I was in heavy grief and depression. I lost my job working in events and touring with a band. I lost my best friend. Nobody needed costumes. There were no stages.

But then I realized we do have a stage, right in our yard. So many families were out of work, kids were out of school. They were out walking a lot to get out of their homes. 

Bathroom (left) in a dreamy pinks and mint combo and your author + photographer in the Haunted Mansion Room – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

I dedicated the majority of my time during lockdown making displays in our yard and things for the community to interact with. I began to really connect with a lot of neighbors and the kids through doing this. When I would  work on the deck I could listen in when families walked by our displays. Hearing all the nice comments or the kids getting excited helped get me through and out of those pretty dark times. 

Halloween 2020 I taught myself how to do light shows and I organized outdoor gatherings. I shared all my props in our basement with the surrounding neighbors and decorated the yards with the little ones. They were just so funny and excited. I love hearing their ideas. 

The Manor is being decorated for Halloween right now – photos by photographer Marissa Joy Clark

It was truly the kids that really just made me so incredibly  happy and I knew what I was doing was beneficial to everyone. It’s continued every year since. 2021 we built Dante’s inferno and Beetlejuice displays and let everyone in our backyard. 

2022 we made a tiny haunted house we threw together in 2 days. I didn’t expect we’d have a line for hours! And by the end of the night the kids took it over and we just let them. By the end of that Halloween I knew I wanted to do this year with them. So I gathered them for an all kids meeting to hear their ideas and my goal is to take them through the entire process from idea to finished product,” says Christina in our interview.

What’s Next For The Moonlight Manor?

Haunted House and block party is Oct 28th.

Well, Christina would love to start her own themed camp. “I’ve been dreaming of a themed campsite for like 8 years now. Someone needs to give me money to do it,” she says. But before that happens, you can expect a haunted house in the near future at The Moonlight Manor. Christina is working with the neighborhood kids to dream up the haunted house of their dreams. You can get more details about the haunted house via the Moonlight Manor instagram to learn when it is and maybe how you can also help support this wonderful place.

A heartfelt appreciation to Christina for sharing her story with such vulnerability. It’s a poignant reminder that even amidst loss, beautiful things can emerge. Her journey is truly inspiring, demonstrating how she persevered and channeled her emotions to create this remarkable place.

FOLLOW MOONLIGHT MANOR HERE: @The_moonlight_manor|
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all photos (other than Dante’s Inferno) were taken by Marissa Joy Clark