Everyone has a fantasy of having a big house. However, creating one takes years of work, finances, and meticulousness. You may frequently encounter questions like “Who has the biggest home in the world?” or “Which is the biggest house in the world?” when looking through images of these extravagant houses around the world. There must be an answer to every question that has been bothering you.
These largest houses in the world contain everything you could want inside of them, whether you want ideas for building your own home or just want to take in the beauty of infrastructure throughout the globe.
Square Yards has accumulated a thorough grasp of the building of the biggest houses in the world in this piece. This article will provide thorough but conclusive answers to all of your queries.
Table of contents
What Are the Largest Houses in the World?
Which is the biggest house in the world? Is it in the U.S., the U.K., or India? The answers to all these questions are answered here. With their elegance, the top 12 biggest houses in the world are pictured in the words below.
Istana Nurul Iman Palace, Brunei
Istana Nurul Iman Palace, also known as Light of Faith, holds the title of the biggest house in the world owned by a state head, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The 29th Sultan of Brunei is the owner of this lavish and large home. The beautiful palace is near Brunei’s capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan.
After British rule ended in Brunei after 500 years of reign in the 1980s, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and his son, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (the current Sultan of Brunei), started the construction of an immense palace. With Independence coming to light in the late 1970s, this seemed to be the perfect time to construct an admirable national palace to welcome the new era in the country.
This palace features 1,788 rooms spread over a sprawling land area of 2,00,000 square feet. With 257 bathrooms and a banquet hall with the capacity to host 5,000 people at once, Istana Nurul Iman Palace truly defines its title as being the largest house in the world. The lavishness of this palace does not end here. It also has a capacity of 110 parking spaces. What is a palace without a stable? Boring. This magnificent palace has about 200 air-conditioned stables along with five large swimming pools. Istana Nurul Iman Palace also features a helipad that accommodates a helicopter and a pleasant mosque. The mosque is large enough to accommodate about 1,500 people at once. Wait. There’s more to this than the largest house in the world. It has 44 in-built staircases constructed from 38 types of marble. The final look and feel of the Istana Nurul Iman palace show the effort that the constructor and labour put in for two years to complete it.
This palace’s facade is coloured with a pure white hue, and the golden-coloured dome is endowed with 22-carat gold. The faulty roofs of the Istana Nurul Iman Palace blend the beauty of Brunei’s culture with the costumes of Malays. Khuan Chew contributed to the construction of the palace. He has also been a part of the development of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Gold and marble, used for the biggest house in the world, are the major attractions of the property.
Built In: 1984
Owned By: Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
Total Area of The House: 2.15 million Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $25.5 Billion
Buckingham Palace, London
Serving as the residence of the United Kingdom’s sovereign since 1837, Buckingham Palace is among the biggest houses in the world. In the new era, this enormous palace is the headquarters of the UK’s monarch. The palace is used for official gatherings, events, and more by the king. However, many State Rooms of the palace are open for public visit. With about 775 rooms, Buckingham Palace is enormous and one of the biggest houses in the world. These rooms are further divided into 19 state rooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, and 92 offices. The building is spread across 108 metres in length and 24 metres high, with a depth of 120 metres.
In the recent era, Buckingham Palace, one of the biggest houses in the world, has more working infrastructure. It works as the United Kingdom’s centrepiece for its constitutional monarchy. Many royal events, official meetings, and even celebrations are held in this beautiful palace, which includes welcoming foreign state heads and celebrating achievements for the betterment of the country.
The number of people visiting one of the largest houses in the world is more than 50,000 as guests for the dinner invitation, lunch parties, garden parties, state banquets, and receptions. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to hold weekly meetings and audiences with her ministers as well as newly-appointed foreign ambassadors in Buckingham Palace.
King George III bought this lavish palace for his beloved wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1761. The palace was intended to be used as a comfortable home for their family near St. James Palace. Later on, this biggest house in the world came to be known as the Queen’s palace by everyone. Buckingham Palace is the major focus for all the commemorations and celebrations being held by the monarch. Buckingham’s balcony, the most famous spot in the world, let the world see the first royal balcony appearance in 1851.
In 1820, King George IV reconstructed the infrastructure of the house into a palace with the help of his architect, John Nash. State rooms and semi-state rooms were remodelled and are still unchanged virtually since Nash’s time. Moreover, the southern and northern wings were demolished to construct a triumphal arch on a larger scale. The main floor of the building is covered with an attic floor and marble friezes. The gates of Buckingham Palace were fully constructed in 1911. Today, the North-Centre gate of the palace is the everyday entry point, and the Central gate opens only during state junctures.
Built In: 1703
Owned By: George III and The Queens
Total Area of The House: 828,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $4.9 Billion
Antilia, Mumbai
Antilia is one of the largest houses in the world and the biggest in India, owned by the billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The bold structure of this multi-storey home stands out in the sprawling skyline of Mumbai. Antilia is everything bold and spectacular that you would love to find in a business tycoon’s house. Built on 400,000 square feet of land, the lavish Antilia has a total of 27 floors, of which 6 floors are solely dedicated to car parking. Six floors of car parking have the capacity to accommodate around 168 cars. Some of these cars include the Mercedes SL500, Maybach 62, and other lavish cars. From 2006 to 2010, it took four long years to complete the construction of this biggest house.
Mukesh Ambani’s house was given the name ‘Antilia’ after the Phantom Island. The beautiful house also has many key specifications. Antilia has a separate movie theatre for the family to enjoy their time. It also has 3 helipads, one ice cream parlour, a hanging garden and many more. Nine elevators are present in the house that have been assigned to different floors of the house, making it easy for the staff, guests, and other people to navigate into the space easily. The 27-floor Antilia is being built under the guidance of Nita Ambani by Perkins and Will (a USA-based architectural firm) and Hirsch Bedner Associates (a Los Angeles-based construction company). The extra-high ceilings of the house give a spacious touch similar to double-storied buildings. Moreover, a few floors of Antilia are cantilevered, so it withstood an earthquake of 8 magnitudes.
The house is wholly covered in beige, wood, and cream shades, seamlessly paired up with ultra-luxurious interiors. No two rooms inside the house will have a similar look. This is what we call living like a king. The ceilings are equipped with yellow-tone LEDs. A temple inside Ambani’s house is as magnificent as the rest of the house. The Ambanis keep the ambience of their house fresh and beautiful by decorating it with colourful and refreshing flowers.
Built In: 2010
Owned By: Mukesh Ambani
Total Area of The House: 400,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $1.2 Billion
Biltmore Estate, Asheville
The Biltmore Estate was launched by George Vanderbilt in 1895. Since then, this has become one of the major attractions in Asheville and has come to be known as one of the biggest houses in the world. The diversified cultural aspects are the major attraction of this house. Along with his architect, Hunt, Vanderbilt travelled throughout Europe and the Orient to buy carpets, paintings, furniture, porcelain, and other decorative materials.
The biggest room in this estate is 70 feet high, which is a banquet hall with three large fireplaces along with a 1916 Skinner pipe organ. Moreover, the dining table has the capacity to welcome 38 people at once, along with a number of small dining tables inside the largest house in the world. The Biltmore Estate is built on 178,000 square feet of land. It has 33 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The house is covered in about 10 million limestone tiles to make it look and feel lavish. Upon entering the biggest house in the world, the first room is the Winter Garden. One can visit the three floors and basement of the house with self-guidance, but to explore the rest of the house, one needs to enlist the help of a tour guide. Most of the invaluable decorations seen inside are from the official collection of Vanderbilt and his wife Edith’s collection from the 16th century. In about 250 rooms inside the Biltmore Estate, the two-storey library of George Vanderbilt is the public’s favourite. The collection comprises 24,000 volumes of Vanderbilt’s favourite reading. The 16th century built house is so much more than lavishness; it is beauty that needs time and attention for it to be adored to discover its detailing and cultural references.
Built In: 1895
Owned By: The Biltmore Company
Total Area of The House: 178,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $300 Million
Safra Mansion, Brazil
Safra Mansion is one of the largest houses in the world, owned by a prominent family from Brazil. This lavish house has more than 130 rooms, with multiple indoor as well as outdoor pools. The multiple rooms and pools cover the 117,000 square feet of land lavishly and seamlessly. According to reports by Forbes, Safra is one of the richest bankers and the second-richest Brazilian, owning one of the biggest houses in the world. However, even after being a prominent and rich family, they have always kept their private life low. Therefore, there is not much information about the biggest house in the world, Safra Mansion, located in Brazil.
Built In: 1895
Owned By: Joseph Safra
Total Area of The House: 117,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $750 Million
Fairfield, Sagaponack
Launched in 1997, Fairfield is yet another of the biggest houses in the world. This Italian Renaissance-style house covered in limestone has 21 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms. It also includes other buildings on the house land that include two pool houses and a playhouse.
Entertainment is another aspect of Ira Rennert’s house, with a 164-seater theatre inside, which is large enough to put on a Broadway production. The dining room is spread across 91 feet with a seating capacity of 105 people at a time. Large systems are installed in the house that include an 8,000-gallon water tank and a 5,000-gallon drinking water tank.
Adding to its lavishness, Rennert’s house has the capacity to park 100 cars and has a 10,000 feet magnificent museum inside. Moreover, this largest house in the world has an extensive collection of art worth $500 million. To cool off all the heat, this house has three large pools, too. The biggest house in the world also has a helipad and a private helicopter. The ample amount of interior and exterior decorations and facilities makes the Fair Field house fun and relaxing simultaneously.
Built In: 1987
Owned By: Financier Ira Rennert
Total Area of The House: 110,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $248.5 Million
The One, Bel Air
The one in Bel Air is believed to be the biggest house in the world and the largest one with modern features in the U.S. The film producer turned real-estate developer, Nile Niami, is the man behind this spectacular construction. In the recent bidding for the largest house in the world, Richard Saghian, Fashion Nova’s CEO, won the house for $295 million dollars. The One Bel Air has 21 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms (what a different ratio of 1:2). The sprawling yard of the largest house in the world is decorated with a beautiful blue-purple shade sculpture by famous glassmaker Simone Cenedese.
The main entrance of the house is welcoming, with rotating sculptures inside the doors. The floor-to-ceiling windows are gigantic and bring in the bright rays of the sun directly into the house. The biggest house in the world has a 10,000 wine bottle cellar inside its dining space. The lounge area is large and is perfect for families and friends to enjoy their time. The Nile Niami is relaxing by adding a hair and beauty salon inside The One. The glossy red walls are the vibrant part of the house, with a rejuvenating feel. It also has an entertainment room with a separate bar area and a private bowling area nearby. The private nightclub inside the house is an advantage for the owner to throw parties without any worries. The One, being the largest house in the world with a modern touch, is definitely a house with everything inside.
Built In: 2021
Owned By: Nile Niami (Old) Richard Saghian (New)
Total Area of The House: 105,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $295 Million
Witanhurst Mansion, London
Built on an 11-acre of land, Witanhurst Mansion is one of the largest privately-owned houses in the world. This mansion is built in the Queen Anne design, incorporating twenty-five bedrooms inside the mansion. The 70-foot-long oak floor ballroom is a major attraction in this house, with a glass rotunda constructed inside. The view of London from this rotunda, over the gardens of Witanhurst, is as pretty as a picture.
For many years, this lavish palace attracted royals and sovereigns from around the world, including the future Queen of the UK, Elizabeth, in 1951. For half a century, there have been no parties in this mansion, which has also not been occupied by anyone since the 1970s. This expensive residential pad is an address that you would expect a Russian billionaire to live in. The house was later sold to Saffron Holdings in 2008 for $450 million. In 2011, an application of 50 million euros was submitted for further construction that includes a 70-feet long swimming pool, massage parlour, hairdressing salon, and sauna, along with a massive two-storey suite as a cinema. In the early 2000s, this lavish, biggest house in the world was not in good condition. After a thorough cleaning and renovation, the Witanhurst Mansion again became a glamorous destination. Witanhurst continues to be 600 times pricier than the average price of a house on sale in London.
Built In: Between 1913 and 1920
Owned By: Saffron Holdings
Total Area of The House: 90,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $450 Million
Modern Versailles, Florida
The construction of Modern Versailles was put on hold due to the recession in 2008. However, construction again started after the hardships of accumulating funds and is still under construction. The biggest house in the world is spread across 90,000 square feet of land, which excludes guard rooms, a tennis hall and other external amenities. The size of the premises kept on growing unknowingly. The family of Siegel wanted to build something that felt like home (France) in the U.S. The eight children kept adding new elements to the construction and so increased the size of the property.
The construction took many years, and more than half a million was spent only on the architecture of the Versailles dome alone. The flooring of the ballroom reflects the beauty of the dome, adding a romantic aurora feel to the whole environment. The two-storey cinema theatre inside also has a separate balcony, constructed with the inspiration of the Paris Opera House. This largest house in the world features 14 bedrooms, 34 bathrooms, multiple outdoor and indoor pools, yoga studios, a wine-cellar area to carry 20,000 bottles, a fitness centre with a 10,000 square foot spa inside, and an elevator connecting the master bedroom closet. The abundant space of the biggest house in the world has 11 separate kitchens and 10 staff quarters with a kitchen and jacuzzi attached. It is pleasant to see how the couple, David (owner of the time-share provider Westgate Resorts) and Jacqueline Siegel (former beauty queen), kept the comfort of their staff in mind along with the lavishness of the house. If put on sale, the market is going to go bonkers over this property.
Built In: 1979
Owned By: David Siegel and His Wife Jacqueline Siegel
Total Area of The House: 90,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $300 Million
Fairwater, Sydney
Mike Cannon – Brookes is a tech billionaire and owns the largest house in the world. This beautiful biggest house in the world was designed by J.W. Manson and John Horbury completed its construction in 1882. Furthermore, it was listed as one of the heritage spaces in New South Wales in 1970. The Fairfax family acquired the ownership of Fairwater in the late 1900s.
After 20 years, the property was sold to Mike Cannon – Brookes in 2018. Mike and his wife Annie own this significant heritage house in Sydney and bought it for $100 million. Constructed over 86,000 square feet of land, this is the biggest house in the world and the richest one in Australia after its sale in 2018. Presently, the Fairwater House is the largest privately owned residence alongside a harbour in the world. This waterfront residence exceeds its presence from New South Head Road up to the mesmerising Seven Shillings Beach.
Built In: 1882
Owned By: Mike Cannon-Brookes
Total Area of The House: 86,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $100 Million
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
The Forbidden City is known as Zijincheng in Chinese or the Purple Forbidden City. The Forbidden City in China was, at some point, the heart of the country. This royal palace was the complex for the Qing and Ming dynasties ruled the country from 1368 to 1912. It is also on this list of the biggest houses in the world, even after 100 years of its construction.
The attentively created walls and corridors of this palace showcase the traditional Chinese fittings, designs, architecture, and details. This palace is the largest imperial palace in the world and is three times larger than the Louvre palace. Inside the Forbidden City, one can find the best and largest created wooden structures in the world. It took 14 years for the construction of this imperial palace, with the manpower of 100,000 craftsmen and 1,000,000 labourers. The Forbidden City saw the rise of 14 Ming Dynasty rulers and 10 Qing Dynasty rulers.
The European and Arabic style architecture of the Forbidden City attracts 14 million every year. Not a single tree is planted in the outer court of this empire as the rulers believed that they had the power to disturb the atmosphere’s majesty. Also, the roofs have specific properties that don’t let the birds land on them and keep them clean. The architects designed it in such a way that it has 9,999 ½ rooms inside it. Half of it is missing in order to avoid upsetting the God of Heaven, as it is believed that he has 10,000 rooms in his palace.
This palace was forbidden from the reach of ordinary people and, therefore, was named the Forbidden City. This 600+ year old palace has so much more to its greatness and enchantress.
Built In: 1406
Owned By: Emperor Yongle (Currently under the Palace Museum
Total Area of The House: 720,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $70 Billion
Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK
Owning more than a thousand years of royal history, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. This beautiful castle is open to visitors to take a glimpse of its magnificence throughout the years. William constructed the largest house in the world in the 11th century. Since then, Windsor Castle has been the home to 40 monarchs. The Queen of the UK uses the biggest house in the world as her residence as well as using it for royal meetings.
Windsor Castle’s beauty starts with the traditional state banquet named St. George’s Hall. The dining space inside the banquet is created with a wide range of styles and sculptural elements. Also, the roof has been equipped with the Knights of the Gartner since the foundation of the UK’s order. The Crimson Drawing Room, the biggest house in the world, is used by the monarch for their private affairs. The beauty of this room is in the spectacular view seen alongside the Berkshire countryside.
The Waterloo Chamber is an imposing room where the end of the Napoleonic War after the defeat of the French in the Battle of Waterloo is shown. It is one of the busiest chambers in the whole castle, which is open for public visits throughout the year. This chamber also works as an Investiture where the people receive an honorary award from a member of the Royal family. There are many untouched parts of the castle with no information. The beauty of the castle lies in its history and the glorifying victories of the monarchs.
Built In: 1070
Owned By: Her Majesty The Queen
Total Area of The House: 484,000 Square Feet
Total Worth of The House: $326 Million
What Can You Expect From the Biggest Homes in the World?
Lavish and unique are the two things that you can always expect from the biggest house in the world. The uniqueness of their architectural design that can not be found anywhere makes them one of a kind. Moreover, the opulence of its furnishing, finishing, and decoration gives the largest house in the world the lavishness that it deserves. Some of the biggest houses in the world have a remarkable history, while the other largest houses in the world have the beauty of modern design and construction. However, their beauty is unparalleled irrespective of the time and style in which they were built. Upon entering these houses, you are likely to get lost in their exuberant style, finishing, design, and furnishings.
Wrapping Up the Affluence High-Life
Living in the biggest house in the world is nothing less than a colossal life. These houses are distinct from each other but have one thing in common, and that is their opulence and lavish style. With years of hard work and tonnes of funds, these houses have been curated in a way that leaves an impact on the world. Be it the question of who has the biggest house in the world or which is the biggest house in the world, these properties answered them all in one go.
