Inside Elizabeth Taylors Home Which Was about Family, Not Fame & Is in Danger of Being Demolished

Elizabeth Taylor | Her home in Los Angeles | Source: Getty Images | Twitter.com/Slate

Elizabeth Taylor lived out her last years in her Bel Air home, which boasts a beautiful garden and unforgettable memories of time spent there with her grandchildren. The unique photos of the home, whose personal taste set it aside from others, were revealed after her death. Despite fame and wealth, Elizabeth loved the cozy atmosphere and hanging out with friends and grandchildren — they spoke out about her as a grandmom.

Elizabeth Taylor was born to socially prominent American parents, and when she was only seven, her family moved to Los Angeles. She began her career as a child star in the '60s, making her acting debut in "There's one born every minute," then becoming a popular teen with her role in "National Velvet" in 1944.

The '50s saw her transition into more mature roles, appearing in the 1950 comedy "Father of the Bride" and "A Piece in the Sun" the following year. Her other acting credits include the epic drama "Giant," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and "Suddenly, Last Summer," for which she won a Golden Globe.

Elizabeth Taylor. Circa. 1950s. | Source: Getty Images

She rose so fast in her career that she had become one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema by the time the '50s clocked in. She carried the torch for years until her career started dwindling by the late '60s. Nevertheless, she continued starring in films until the mid-70s, after which she focused on supporting her sixth husband, United States Senator John Warner's career.

For a woman that grew up and lived in the limelight all her life, Taylor was an exceptionally wonderful mother to her children, Michael, Christopher, Elisabeth, and Maria Burton, an achievement she was incredibly proud of.

Taylor was a doting mother to her kids and a loving grandmother to their children until she waved the world goodbye. But that was only part of her charm. She also remained a popular public figure for the rest of her life, not only for her unmatched contribution to the industry or her boldface persona but also for her unbridled natural beauty — one of the main reasons people remember her today.

People who met her remember her for her authenticity, passion, and amazing violet eyes. Designer Valentino, who met the actress in the '60s, recalls Taylor as a woman who would dress up for any occasion with the most fabulous dress and jewelry, but when she was home, she loved a laid-back life with friends and good food.

Elizabeth Taylor with Richard Burton and children Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Elisabeth Todd and Maria Burton in 1967. | Source: Getty Images

But besides her beauty, Taylor loved a stylish and colorful home that reflected her care and embrace of her children and friends. Many photographers and designers she met in her life attest to how full of love and warmth she was.

Waldo Fernandez, an interior designer, remembers when he came to see her in 1984, and she told him her desire to have a white theme all across the home, including white carpets and furniture. Despite his attempt to talk her out of it, noting that white was not ideal for her home because she had dogs and cats, she was adamant, and that's what she got. Fernandez recalled:

"White doesn't stay white for long, though, so we had things cleaned and recovered a lot."

Actress Elizabeth Taylor at home with her baby son Michael. September 1953 | Source: Getty Images

She loved to change up the home's style, and Fernandez recalls once again redoing the actress's bedroom in Porthault fabric with yellow and purple flowers, then changing that to blue a few years later.

He says she loved purple, and he got to help her upholster her home in purple colors a few years after that. Doris Bryner, a friend of Taylor, remembers the actress's love for flowered cotton and also recalls redoing Taylor's bedroom in green and white with a fabric patterned with white peonies and green leaves.

Despite being a star, Taylor's home was marvelously casual and cozy enough to accommodate children, family, and animals. "It was just a house house, not a showy house," Brynner described it.

Theater producer Zev Bufman toasts to actress Elizabeth Taylor (C) during her 50th birthday party at Legends, Others are (2nd L) son-in-law Steven Carson, and his wife, Maria, daughter of Liz and Richard Burton, daughter Liza Todd, Hap Tivey and Aileen Getty-Wilding, | Source: Getty Images

The home was never about her fame or social status but about fun and family. Naomi Wilding, Taylor's granddaughter, says her grandmother loved having her grandchildren around and knowing they were living their best lives. Wilding remembers her as someone she could share her secrets and gossip about boyfriends or other taboo subjects to discuss with her parents.

The "Cleopatra" actress loved it when her grandbabies, animals, and birds ran around the home. An ardent art collector, she owned many art pieces, but even those, as pricey as they were, could not replace photos of her children and grandchildren in her home.

British-American actress Elizabeth Taylor with her two sons Michael Howard and Christopher that she had when she was married to Michael Wilding | Source: Getty Images

Tim Mendelson, her assistant, disclosed that Taylor's art collection, which included paintings by Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro, was kept in her trophy room on the ground floor. In contrast, those of her children and grandchildren were kept upstairs in her more personal space.

Her sense of style appealed to many of her peers and her family, but it was her smile that resonated with everyone. Singer Cher says Taylor's style was beyond what many know it to be, but whenever she visited the actress, it was not the house decor nor her sense of style that stood out, but her smile and warmth.

Her dedication to family was a breath of fresh air. And despite being a celebrity of her caliber, and status, she raised her babies with good ethics, morals, and manners and was a mother and grandmother first before the fame.

Elizabeth Had 'A Special Place' in the Garden and 'Always Things Children Would Like'

Taylor's home on 700 Nimes Road in Bel Air, Westside Los Angeles, California, was a sight to behold. Her living area showed the actress's love for priceless art and boasted of art pieces by many renowned artists, including a small one by Vincent Van Gogh and a large landscape by Camille Pissarro.

The couches, upholstered in Holland & Sherry linen, in the North View living room, and the chaise lounges upholstered in Rogers & Goffigon were proof of her unmatched style and a testament to the simple yet cozy life that the actress preferred.

Other living room features included bronze horses that her daughter Liza Todd Tivey sculpted. Her bedroom showed a high bed dressed in Pratesi linens and Schumacher wallpaper. As part of the decor in the room was a painting of a deer, done by Taylor as a teenager.

Her bedside table held framed photos of her parents, while the bedroom sitting area boasted beautiful floral chairs and a table by French artist Émile Gallé.

And her taste in jewelry was no less refined. Taylor always said that a big girl needed big diamonds, and she did not hold back when choosing hers. Her collection of stones, crystals, and pearls was breathtaking, as was one of her engagement rings, a Krupp Diamond. Her diamonds were auctioned shortly after her demise and were reportedly worth $183.5 million.

As the pioneer of celebrity-branded perfumes, Taylor created a collection of fragrances that was a huge success and helped pave the way for the trend in later years. She always featured bottles and bottles of her work in her home.

Also in her home were Buddha figurines and books on attracting angels. She also had a trophy room with mirror-backed built-in cabinets where she stored the awards of her life's work, including Oscars and other humanitarian awards.

While at the actress's house, renowned documentary photographer Catherine Opie, who took on a project to photograph the icon's home for six months, disclosed that she would dine in the kitchen with Taylor's staff, who had a family atmosphere.

Despite her fame, Mendelson says Taylor was "always so private in her home" and "didn't ever want photographs to be done there." However, she changed her mind during the final months of her life, allowing Opie to take numerous photos of the house that had become a haven for her and her family.

Her home was not rooted in extravagance. Instead, what stood out was her love of family, evidenced by the numerous photos of her twice-married husband, Richard Burton, and other family members. Countless photos of her children and grandchildren adorned many a surface in the home.

The outside of her home was not any less elegant. She took pride in her garden, perhaps as a homage to her English roots. It started with her telling the landscape designer Nicholas Walker that she wanted to duplicate an authentic English herbaceous border.

She specifically wanted delphiniums all year round, but the weather in California could not allow that. However, Walker made adjustments, so she experienced them in short truncated moments.

She desired color and more color, and she had big wood planters built for her garden where she had annuals planted. During winters, she would fill them up with pansies. She loved Easter egg hunts and hosted parties in her backyard every Sunday.

The star's garden also boasted a variety of flowers, including red and white snapdragons, a pink hybrid tea rose, a pink Cestrum, and a gold breath of heaven. All these made the garden perfect for chilled-out Sunday afternoon parties, as did a teak table and chairs that stood under a thicket of giant-timber bamboo.

During Easter, she would set up a special place in her garden as a petting zoo spot for the children, and sometimes she would book performers for outdoor acrobatic entertainment.

The Thanksgiving holiday was no different. It meant that Taylor would be hosting one of her famous fancy holiday meals, and fifty or more people would be gathered around the table to experience the greatness that was her meals. Mendelson recalls:

"She was a serious matriarch."

Her buffets comprised chicken and lobster, and she always made sure she had everything that children liked. She had a reputation for always going all the way for the people she loved and never doing anything halfway.

Other intimate details of the electrifying performer's home included her shoe closet, which boasted rows and rows of identical Chanel shoes, thousands of other designer pieces, and numerous small designer handbags. She had enormous dressing rooms to accommodate all her clothes, a fact that still amazes Brynner:

"The second floor of the house in L.A. was for clothes and jewels."

Wilding says the house originally had four guest rooms with one upstairs where she slept whenever she visited. She, however, recalls that she came to visit one day and found that her room had been turned into a closet.

She says in the years before her grandmother's demise, they all squished into the house as the family had grown, and she remembers sleeping on the couch a few times; however, what remained clear was that it still felt like home: "It was a family house, our house — she made that very clear."

What Could Happen to Elizabeth's Family Home in the near Future?

Taylor's family home may have been a source of happiness and togetherness for the family for years, but things may soon change. The abode, a source of many beautiful memories for Taylor's children and grandchildren, sold for $11 million in August 2021.

Purchased by "The Driver's Seat" actress in 1981 for $2 million, the property, which sits on 1.27 acres and boasts an impressive 7000 square feet, acted as the actress's home for three decades before her untimely demise in 2011.

And now, the new owner, Los Angeles estate developer Ardie Tavangarian is looking to demolish the six-bedroom six, bathroom property and build a new home in its place.

The demolishing of the home may be sad for Taylor's family, as a part of their lives gets torn away, but the numerous photos taken by Opie will ensure that the memories of the home — much like Taylor's — stay alive for a long time to come.

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