Neil Patrick Harris' Home Has One Weird Feature

A well-appointed home always reflects the personality of its owners. So why should the multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris be any exception? "No one loves the extreme more than me," Harris said in an interview with The Guardian. 

As an actor, Harris has been known to millions since "Doogie Howser, M.D." catapulted him into the public eye in 1989. Since then he's won a string of awards for singing and dancing as well. Additionally, Harris has starred in a wide variety of hits over the years, ranging from the very mainstream CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" to playing the creepy Count Olaf in the Netflix program "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

Harris and his husband, David Burtka, had listed their prized Harlem brownstone for $7.325 million, which has been the family residence since 2013. However, they have since removed it from the market. Their 8,000-square-foot, five-story home includes not only four bedrooms and bathrooms — but boasts a secret hidden room on the top floor.

In an interview with The New York Times, David Burtka tried to capture the essence of what he and Harris created in their Harlem brownstone. "We think of it as Willy Wonka meets the Magic Castle," he mused.

Reporters visiting the brownstone have used kind words to describe its interior, which has a positive energy. As befits the gents who own and restored the place, it's also colorful and crazy-quilt eccentric. There's a vintage bar the couple found at an old hotel in Connecticut, any number of taxidermized creatures real and fantastical, and one-of-a-kind pieces scattered throughout. Prized among them: a Carolina Fontoura Alzaga chandelier in which the expected crystal ropes have been replaced by bicycle chains.

Since Burtka is an experienced chef who loves the Zen of preparing family meals, the kitchen is an expansive affair with a great kitchen island and barstools for helpmates or company who drops by to watch him at his craft.

Also on the second level: a deck with a nearby barbecue. On the floor above sits the master bedroom, which includes a bathroom-as-home-spa creation and just outdoors, a hot tub. But it's the ascent to the top that delivers the greatest delight of them all. It takes the pressing of an eyeball on a vintage poster to unlock the hidden door to Neil Patrick Harris' office. The inside is festooned with a fanciful assortment of magic memorabilia. By intention, that entry-eyeball was placed well above where the kids could reach, because many of the items inside are rare and irreplaceable, and the couple didn't want their children to have access until they could appreciate them.

Of course, there's more to attract a visitor's eye on this floor as well — including yet another deck, a terraced garden, and a private rooftop. And, if all that wasn't enough, there are several treasures located on the lower levels, too. One is an at-home cinema, and the other a wine cellar. In an interview with The New York Times, Harris and David Burtka admitted they were bittersweet about leaving the eclectic residence. "The Harlem brownstone holds some of our dearest and fondest memories," Harris revealed. "Our kids have spent the majority of their lives there. It's a legitimately special place." Burtka can only echo those sentiments: "It will always have a soft spot in my heart," he added. Perhaps that's why the couple never ended up selling.