When people talk about Hollywood royalty, they usually mean the gloss, the red carpets, and the flashing bulbs. But 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air was different. It wasn't a "show house." It was a home. For nearly thirty years, this was the private universe of Elizabeth Taylor. If you're looking for a sterile, modern minimalist mansion with white marble everything, you're looking at the wrong address. This place had soul. It had lavender-colored walls to match her eyes and thick carpets that felt like walking on a cloud. It was tucked away on a 1.15-acre lot, hidden by high gates and lush greenery that kept the paparazzi at bay while Taylor lived out her final decades in relative peace.
Most celebrity homes feel staged. You walk in and you know a designer picked out every single book on the shelf. Not here. At 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air, the clutter was the point. We're talking about a woman who kept her Academy Awards in the living room like they were casual paperweights. She had a collection of Impressionist art that would make the Getty jealous—Renoir, Pissarro, Degas—hanging right next to framed photos of her kids and her many, many dogs. It was lived-in luxury. Honestly, it's rare to see that level of authenticity in a neighborhood where most houses are sold every five years to the next tech billionaire or hedge fund manager.
The Architecture of a Quiet Icon
The house itself is a ranch-style 1960s build. It’s not a soaring mega-mansion like the ones being built in Bel Air today that look like glass shoeboxes. It has a footprint of about 7,000 square feet. Big? Yes. Obscene by 2026 standards? Not really. It was originally designed by architect Paul Williams, a man who basically defined the look of Los Angeles for the elite.
Taylor bought the property in 1981 after her split from Senator John Warner. She paid roughly $2 million for it at the time, which sounds like a steal today but was a serious chunk of change back then. She didn't want a palace; she wanted a sanctuary. The house is U-shaped, wrapping around a central brick courtyard. This layout is classic Southern California. It blurs the line between indoors and out. You've got these massive floor-to-ceiling windows that let the light pour in, reflecting off the crystal chandeliers she insisted on having in almost every room. Even the kitchen had a chandelier. It was basically her signature move.
The Garden of Taylor
The grounds were her pride and joy. She didn't just have a lawn; she had an ecosystem. There’s a "jungle" path that leads down to a pool and a cabana. She had a dedicated rose garden because, of course she did. It was a place where she could host small, intimate dinners for friends like Michael Jackson or Richard Burton (when they were on good terms).
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The greenery acted as a natural sound barrier. Even though you’re in the heart of one of the most expensive zip codes in the world, once you passed those gates at 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air, the city vanished. It felt like being in the middle of a forest, albeit one with a world-class security system and a full-time staff.
What the Public Never Saw
After she passed away in 2011, photographer Catherine Opie was given the chance to document the house before it was cleared out. These photos are incredible. They show the reality of her life. You see the remote controls labeled with masking tape. You see the stacks of VHS tapes and DVDs. It’s a stark contrast to the "Elizabeth Taylor" the public knew.
One of the most famous rooms was her bedroom. It was her command center. In her later years, as her health declined, she spent a lot of time there. It was entirely lavender. The walls, the silk fabrics, the carpets. Everything matched her eyes. It sounds like overkill, but when you see it, it just works. It was her cocoon. She had a massive safe in the dressing room—the "Jewel Room"—where some of the most famous diamonds in history sat on velvet trays. We're talking about the Krupp Diamond and the La Peregrina pearl. Just sitting there in a closet in Bel Air.
The 2011 Sale and the New Era
When the estate finally hit the market after her death, it was listed for $8.6 million. It sold fast. People expected the buyer to be another celebrity, but it was actually purchased by a businessman who, by most accounts, respected the history of the place.
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However, time doesn't stand still. 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air has undergone renovations since Taylor’s era. The lavender is gone. The heavy drapes were stripped away to make room for a cleaner, more contemporary look. That’s the tragedy of these historic Hollywood homes. Once the owner is gone, the personality of the house usually goes with them. You can repaint the walls, but you can't recreate the vibe of a woman who was arguably the most famous person on the planet for half a century.
Real Estate Reality in the Bel Air Enclave
To understand the value of this property, you have to look at the neighbors. You’re situated in the "Platinum Triangle." Just down the street, houses regularly trade for $50 million, $100 million, or more. 700 Nimes Rd is actually on the "modest" side for the immediate area, which is hilarious to say about a multi-million dollar estate.
The value isn't just in the dirt; it's in the provenance. In real estate, "provenance" is a fancy way of saying "who slept here." Having 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air on your deed is like owning a piece of a museum. It’s a conversation starter that never gets old.
- Privacy levels: High. The street is quiet and the foliage is dense.
- Historic value: Extreme. It's the most significant Taylor residence.
- Architecture: Classic California Ranch/Colonial fusion.
- Land: Over an acre of prime, flat-to-sloping Bel Air hillside.
Moving Beyond the Myth
People often ask if the house is haunted or if there’s some lingering "energy" there. Honestly? It was a house of high drama. Eight marriages, health scares, legendary parties, and world-changing activism for HIV/AIDS research all happened within those walls. Taylor wasn't just a movie star; she was a force of nature.
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If you're looking into the history of 700 Nimes Rd Bel Air, don't just look at the floor plans. Look at the stories. This was the place where she finally found a bit of stillness. It’s where she collected her thoughts, her jewelry, and her many pets. It represents the transition from the chaotic "Cleopatra" years to the dignified "Dame Elizabeth" years.
For anyone interested in Los Angeles real estate or Hollywood history, this address remains a touchstone. It’s a reminder that even the biggest stars need a place to hide. While the interior might look different today, the bones of the house—the way it sits on the land and the way the light hits the garden—are exactly as she left them.
What to Do Next
If you’re a fan of Hollywood history or interested in the architecture of this era, your best bet is to track down a copy of the book 700 Nimes Road by Catherine Opie. It is the only way to see the house as it truly was—cluttered, beautiful, and deeply personal—before it was renovated for the modern market.
For those looking at current real estate in the area, keep an eye on the public records for the Nimes Road corridor. It remains one of the most stable and high-value pockets in the country. Properties here rarely stay on the market long because the privacy-to-luxury ratio is almost impossible to beat anywhere else in Los Angeles. If you ever get the chance to drive by, you won't see much past the gates, and that's exactly how Elizabeth Taylor wanted it.
Keep your research focused on verified architectural archives like the Paul R. Williams Project to see how the home's structure fits into the broader history of L.A. design. Understanding the bones of the house helps you appreciate why Taylor chose it in the first place—it was built for a life of understated elegance, even if she did add a few diamonds and some lavender paint along the way.