Long, private driveways. Expansive mirrored pools that are just part of the garden. Penthouses with 360° views. Free-range exotic animals. These are just a few of the defining characteristics of the world’s most luxurious and expensive homes. Every era and each corner of the globe has an entry on this distinguished list, and some of them will look familiar to you.
Fit for a Queen
Returning home, such a list wouldn’t be complete without including Buckingham Palace. According to the Nationwide Building Society, the palace was worth $1.55 billion dollars as of 2012, making it the most expensive home on this list. The notoriety alone is part of the value, but the 19 state rooms, 52 bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices and 188 rooms for staff and service people (all included in the grand total of 775 rooms) also might have something to do with it. You can enjoy the palace as a tourist, visitor or historian; however, the current occupant has no plans to sell anytime soon.
Home ownership for many is only a dream. For others, the only limits presented hinge on time, materials and the laws of physics. Such dreams can become a luxurious and stunning reality. Whether your preferences are private menageries, sweeping mountain vistas, oversized pool houses or curated art collections, you can bet some millionaire has thought of it first and built it into an awesome home in an equally opulent environment.
American Entrepreneurs
Moving away from the American Midwest, there are some impressive homes on both the east and west coast. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are some impressive fortunes in both New York and California, and this has led to equally affluence-jeweled homes.
Four Fairfield Pond, in Sagaponack, New York, is valued at $250 million dollars US. This property occupies no less than 63 acres of land, which makes perfect sense when you take into account the basketball court, bowling alley, 39 bedrooms, three swimming pools and a 90 feet long dining room, just to name a few of the home’s features. A unique but practical feature is the private power plant used to take the whole estate off the grid, so residents can feel even more secure and secluded. The owner of this home is manufacturing and steel magnate Ira Rennert, the owner of the Renco Group holding company.
California is famous for expensive luxury homes, with notable neighbourhoods like Malibu and Beverly Hills. The most notorious one of all, however, is in the fairly quiet neighbourhood of San Simeon. This is where you can find the Hearst Mansion, the epic home of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The famous film Citizen Kane, the unofficial story of Hearst’s life, opens with a narration sequence that focuses on this residence. Referred to as “Xanadu” in the film, it is every bit as opulent as the excited narrator suggests, including Hearst’s famous collection of statues, his exotic animals and marble cathedral ceilings. Valued at just under $200 million dollars US, the home was donated to the California State Park System by Hearst’s trustees upon his passing. Tourists can stroll through the house and its vast grounds, or take a narrated tour of the interior.
Schooled in Luxury
Close to home in London, there’s the relatively inexpensive 7 Upper Phillimore Gardens, valued at the bargain price of $128 million dollars US. This former prep school has been extensively renovated as a residential mansion that includes an indoor swimming pool, gym, theatre and of course, a panic room. All of this is lined with wondrous marble and gold interior decor, and is crowned with priceless artwork. The owner, Elena Pinchuk, isn’t exactly a household name, but the ANTIAIDS Foundation, which she founded, is quite famous, not to mention her close friend Elton John.
In the nearby neighbourhood of Kensington, there’s the even more inexpensive, but equally beautiful penthouse that once was used as the show home for one Hyde Park. Enjoy the highest quality furniture, posh decoration and 360° views from the entire top floor of this impressive West End property. These and similar properties are for sale, so browse a local high end website like Freeman Forman if you’d like to make a purchase or even just browse similar listings to be equally awestruck.
Europe and Asia
Turning to another corner of the globe, some of the homes in the French Cote d’Azure could make an American billionaire weep. Villa Leopolda, valued at over $750 million US, has all the standard wealth features that one would expect (swimming pool and massive guest house, for example) in addition to several other unique luxuries. The grounds also include a full-size greenhouse, a helipad and an expansive outdoor kitchen. For a closer look, check out the classic Hitchcock film, To Catch a Thief, which was filmed on the grounds. Owner Lily Safra is a Brazilian philanthropist and widow of Lebanese banker William Safra.
The expanding economy of India has produced a number of billionaires, and they’ve built homes to reflect their vast fortunes. Antilla is the billion dollar home in Mumbai that is the residence of Mukesh Ambani, the head of Reliance Industries and India’s richest man. The “home” is actually a 27 story building that includes six floors of parking, three helicopter pads and a staff of 600 just for general upkeep and maintenance.
Land of the Big Sky
Across the pond, in the land of untouched frontiers and big sky, you’ll find luxury that only the nouveau riche of America could dream up. These are homes that encompass entire resorts, house menageries of exotic animals and even have their own power plants.
Montana is a state known for its independent spirit and sweeping mountain vistas. It’s here that you’ll find Seven the Pinnacle. This massive estate is just one piece of property inside The Yellowstone Club, a sprawling gated community designed for the wealthiest of the wealthy. Residents enjoy a private golf course and ski resort. Many of the homes here, Seven the Pinnacle among them, have their own private ski lifts. Seven the Pinnacle is the biggest piece of property within this community. Valued at $155 million US, this home has a number of indoor pools and an extensive wine cellar. The owners, Edra and Tim Blixseth, co-founded the Yellowstone Club.
Photo Credits
Ira Rennert Mansion – Wikimedia Public Domain
Villa Leopolda – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Antilla [Mukesh Ambani Residence] – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Buckingham Palace – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Guest Author Bio
David Peters
David Peters works in wealth management and enjoys talking about all aspects of luxury living with an online audience. He writes for a number of property and lifestyle websites.
Recent Guest Author Articles:
- From License to Lifestyle - How State Choice Impacts Nursing Journeys
- Your Online Reputation Is Everything (Here's How to Build It Fast)
- 5 Spiritual Resources to Help Humanity in Times of Crisis
- Between Judgment and Hope: Navigating the Gray Areas of the Justice System
- Empowered to Advocate: How to Become the Voice for the Silent
I’m glad to see that Queen Elizabeth still tops the list. Given Buckingham Palace’s history and the fact that the public gets to enjoy it I don’t think we can criticize our good queen for living there. After all, if she signed it over to the state and moved into a flat in Soho it seems unlikely that England would tear the palace down or break it up into condos. Besides, the Royal Family gives England billions of dollars worth of PR and tourism revenue. I get the feeling most of my American friends are envious that we Canadians have a monarch and they don’t!