Take a look inside the world's most expensive dolls' house - worth a whopping $8.5 million!
Rarely available to view by the public, take this unique opportunity to snoop around the Astolat Castle Dolls' House
She has her own Wikipedia page, is embarking on a world tour and is worth $8.5 million.
You'd be forgiven for thinking we were talking about a celebrity, but no, this is the world's most expensive dolls' house.
Built over a 12-year period between the 70s and 80s, Astolat Castle Dolls' House is the visionary masterpiece behind acclaimed miniaturist Elaine Diehl and a team of specialists from around the world.
The doll house tradition dates back to the Victorian century when everyone became obsessed with the child and infancy.
Esteemed architects and famous craftsmen would be hired by wealthy families to complete masterpieces worthy of their daughter's playing time, and Astolat is no exception.
Named after Elaine of Astolat who fell in love with Sir Lancelot, this romantic castle towers at 9 ft tall and weights approximately 850 pounds!
The privately owned dollhouse has rarely been sighted by the public (she really is a celebrity), but this year she is going on an international tour so her Museum-worthy interiors can raise money and awareness for children's charities.
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Made up of 29 rooms and built over 7 levels, this is the kind of castle you can only dream of living in. Not only is its size absolutely immense, but so is the attention to detail.
The castle has 3 times as much furniture that can fit in it at any one time (in case the princess fancies an interior revamp) and includes miniature readable books, tiny oil paintings, polar bear rugs and gold-plated dining room chairs just to name a few pieces.
The rooms include a formal sitting room, 2-storey library music room, 5 bedrooms, a ballroom, kitchen and butler's pantry.
Not only is it grand and intricate but it also includes architectural styles from across many periods and ages, making this house a truly unique treasure and the world's best dolls' house.
Heather Young has been Ideal Home’s Editor since late 2020, and Editor-In-Chief since 2023. She is an interiors journalist and editor who’s been working for some of the UK’s leading interiors magazines for over 20 years, both in-house and as a freelancer.
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