(We have been inside the Dakota several times). We were lucky to have had several clients who lived there. We never toured Lauren Bacall’s apartment. The minute I saw this story, I knew I had to share it with you.—LWH)

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Lauren Bacall was more than just an actress and singer; she defined an era with her timeless style. Her distinctive voice and sultry looks placed her in the top 20 of the greatest female stars in Classic Hollywood Cinema.



While the name may not ring a bell to some, her films such as The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, as well as Key Largo are classics, and her romance with fellow acting legend Humphrey Bogart has gone down in the history books. During her career, she won several prestigious awards: a Golden Globe, Tony, as well as several Academy Award nominations. She was a legend in her own right, and her multi-million dollar home where she spent decades of her life is more than worth a look into.

The Most Coveted Real Estate in New York City

It’s no secret that some of the most expensive and luxurious apartments in New York City are the ones directly across from Central Park. And it’s not surprising that with all the success she experienced in her life, Lauren Bacall had the financial ability to own one of them – one worth $26 million. For 53 years until her death in 2014 at age 89, she lived in the Dakota Building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. After her death, people got to glimpse inside her apartment for the first time when it was put on the market before all of her possessions were sold at auction.



The $26 million price tag certainly has something to do with the history of the Dakota Building, which has been home to many well-known figures and much history. Not to mention, her apartment was more like a standalone home thanks to its nine rooms.

Nine Rooms

Some may say that having a place with nine rooms shouldn’t be counted as an apartment, and it shouldn’t. At 4000 square feet, Bacall’s place was so huge that it is one of the most historic and famous properties in all of New York City’s history. If you take a look at just the master bedroom, you’ll see that it is a staggering 22 feet wide with doors that open into a study room, and its own bathroom and walk-in closet.

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As for the rest of the apartment, you’ll find a huge balcony overlooking the iconic Central Park. As for the kitchen, it wasn’t some hole in the wall with minimal space. Nor was it shoved into a corner of the living room. Bacall’s kitchen was huge and opened up into the 24-foot by 19-foot dining room that was linked to the family room. But that’s not all. This place included a guest bedroom, a gallery, and a library – everything you could ever want or need in a home all inside an apartment.

The Dining Room

Being rich and famous gives you the ability to buy whatever you want. For Bacall, she was in love with French-inspired designs. Many of her furnishings were of French design based on the Louis XIII style.

As for Bacall’s dining room, she managed to bring her love of French design into perfect harmony. The color pallet she used was nearly flawless with its deep blues in the rug highlighted by the rustic reds that can be seen in the wall hanging. Incredibly though, the wall decor is the highlight of the whole room. The poster created by Jules Cheret actually sold for $7,000 and is called The Belle Epoque.

French Posters and Fine China in the Dining Room

The Belle Epoque poster isn’t the only decor on the walls in Bacall’s lavish formal dining room. There were several hanging around the room that showcased her love for French design. Although these posters were beautiful and fabulous, Bacall’s style paired the French with collectible china that she placed under the stylish posters.



This corner of Bacall’s formal dining showed just how much of a collector she was. Instead of using the fine china for dinners, she proudly displayed them. But it wasn’t just plates that she admired – she lavished the room with pristine lamps and other art pieces that rested on nearly every piece of furniture. 

Bacall’s Unique George III Dresser

Despite the fact that Bacall favored the French style, she also collected pieces from all around the world and different times. She had a beautiful George III oak Welsh dresser that held some of her china collection that dated back to the late 18th century.



While the Welsh dresser was in fact from England, it was designed to mimic French style. The dresser was made from oak which was unique for furniture during that time period. Typically, furniture was created from mahogany or sometimes satinwood or giltwood, but very rarely oak, which is why this piece sold for a whopping $6,875.

The Pretty Pink Master Bedroom

Just like the rest of Bacall’s home, her bedroom features prized collections and various artwork. You’ll find behind her bed one of the many gallery walls that she has decorated with her best collection. But the artwork that is on the walls isn’t what makes this bedroom so stunning: it is the unobstructed view of Central Park.



What also makes this bedroom stand out among the other rooms of this lavish apartment is the color scheme. Throughout the rest of the house, Bacall chose blue, white, brown, and rustic red, however, with her bedroom, she used softer tones of lavender and pink which are not found anywhere else in the rest of her home.

The Master Suite

One thing is certain: Bacall loves to fill every available space in her home with antique furniture, collectibles, and fine art. Unlike some places that appear to be crowded with collectibles, Bacall made it cozy. Take the master suite for example, where the working fireplace is adorned by metal plates and figurines that she collected over the years is highlighted by a very modern lounge.



Surprisingly the lounge does not throw the scheme of the room off but ties everything together quite nicely. But what good is a lounge without books? Here you will find a large bookshelf filled with knickknacks, and her favorite books.

Gallery Walls in the Master Suite

While the fireplace is the perfect spot for Bacall to feature her candlesticks and decorative metal plates, you’ll also find yet another gallery wall. Here she has featured portraits of ships as well as floral designs with the splash of accent colors.

One of the main reasons why this apartment can feature so much fine art is the fact that the walls are 13 feet high. This of course gives an art collector all the space they need to showcase the work that they have.

Yellow Walls in the Guest Bedroom

When it comes to the guest bedroom, you won’t find the typical color scheme. Here Bacall decided to use bright and cheerful colors. The yellow walls and the highlighted blues allow this room to have a whimsical feel. Once again you will find expensive art hanging on the walls. The painting behind the bed which depicts a woman holding a basket of fruit was created by Andres Segovia from Spain back in the 1920s and was sold at auction for $18,750.



Although the walls are a cheerful shade of yellow in this guest bedroom, the blue bedspread and rug just so happen to match her living room couches and walls. The unique tiered shelving piece that rests in the room’s right corner definitely adds an interesting touch to the overall look and feel of this room.

The Blue Living Room

It’s very clear that Bacall was known for her style, and despite the living room being quite formal, she managed to pull off a refreshing color scheme with her choice of baby blues alongside robin’s egg blue. Due to the choice of colors, the room is not stuffy or dreary but in fact works wonderfully with the natural light.



Here you will find the soft blues really tie into her collection of statues and knickknacks. The actress who liked to collect things from all around the world has placed Indian-inspired elephant statues alongside a rustic table that features crane and the camel.

The Baby Grand Piano

When you have the money to burn why wouldn’t you get yourself a baby grand piano? Although Bacall was known for her musical skills, it’s clear that she didn’t play much in her older years. The baby grand piano works more as a tabletop that showcases family photos.

This particular piano was created by Mason and Hamlin which was a New England-based piano company founded back in 1854. Due to Bacall’s status, her piano sold for $6,875 which is just above the starting price for a new piano. We can only imagine how difficult it was to get that into the apartment or out of it.

One of the things that makes this apartment so unique is the five working fireplaces scattered about the apartment. Many apartments in New York do not have such lavish comfort. Add to that, each of the fireplace mantles offers detailed ornate carvings.



Here in the sitting room, Bacall gives a nod to the overall theme of wildlife that is showcased in many of her other rooms. And while the couches are not your average grandma couches, they are quite comfy. Many will say that trying to pull off patterned couches is hard to do these sofas not only ground the room but the white actually offset the dark wood of her coffee table as well as the fireplace.

French Style Mirrors

Bacall’s apartment offered a stunning nine-room living space. This allowed her the freedom to obtain as much antique furniture and art as her heart desired. In the sitting room, you’ll find an ornate French-style mirror that highlights and expands the Regence Provincial Walnut Commonde. This piece of furniture is estimated to have been created in the mid-18th century and sold at the auction for $3,750.

Another stunning feature is the secretary desk that was also crafted in Bacall’s beloved French Style. The walnut Louis XV provincial bureau, which was also created around the 18th century, sold for a whopping $5,000. Both pieces of furniture that Bacall had tied in with the hardwood flooring making them a lovely addition to this room.

There is no doubt about it, Bacall loved her art. She moved into the Dakota at the age of 36 and remained there until she was 89, during which she had plenty of time to decorate the lavish apartment and build her astounding collection. Some will even go so far as to say that Bacall’s apartment was more of a museum than a home.

You’ll find that nearly every inch of the walls within her home was covered by framed artwork. Some pieces were a pretty penny and somewhere just works that the actress admired. Although, not all of her pictures were pricy paintings, many of them were photographs and posters.

The Pelican Painting

It’s not surprising that the collection Bacall had was priced more than her furniture. The painting Bacall owned from painter James Audubon of an American White Pelican sold at the auction for $173,000.



James Audubon was more than just a painter though, he was an ornithologist and a naturalist. His works often gravitated to birds, and he wanted to paint them in their natural habitats. One of his more astonishing accomplishments was his book called The Birds of America in which he set out to paint one page a day and identified 25 new species of birds.

Louis XIII Walnut Fauteuils

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine dropping two grand on just a couple of chairs. But for those who collect antiques, two grand is a reasonable price for these Louis XIII style chairs. Bacall managed to keep this pair in pristine condition. With the light blue stitching in the upholstery, these chairs complimented her already lavish home.



The chairs priced for $1,875 at the auction and are considered the top tier of French design and decor. The chairs featured veneer turned wood and leaned towards the architectural, making them works of art in their own rights.

Louis Vuitton Luggage

The very name Louis Vuitton has a ring and style all of its own. For many, they won’t carry around anything else. Celebrities from all generations have fallen in love with Louis Vuitton ever since the company first came on the scene back in 1854. But Bacall’s collection of Louis Vuitton luggage is a class all to itself.

A single duffle from Louis Vuitton can run around $2,000, however, Lauren Bacall’s collection is vintage and rare which also implies very expensive. Her luggage set sold for $37,500.

Director’s Chair

Lauren Bacall was an actress and talented singer so it’s no surprise that her apartment would reflect her career. While many of her things dwell around the fine arts, there are some that directly relate to her job. Take her Director’s Chair for example. This is but one of the many pieces of Hollywood history she had. And while many may say that such an item is priceless, it sold for $4,750.



While everyone knows her as Lauren Bacall, she was born Betty Joan Perske. After she changed her name and starred in To Have and Have Not, her whole world changed and she rose to stardom. Bacall acted alongside some of Hollywood’s best such as Marilyn Monroe, and her husband, Humphrey Bogart. 

Bronze Statues

Most of the items in Bacall’s home should be in a museum. But each piece was a part of her life and lifestyle. A few of the more remarkable pieces she had include three bronze statues of the female form. These pieces sold for $30,000 and were created by Robert Graham.



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You can see them here at the left of the photo, amongst all the other art in what seems to be Bacall’s foyer. The quality of the works only further accentuates the feel that you’ve stepped into a museum.

Raw Drawings

During one of Bacall’s last interviews with Vanity Fair, Bacall stated how her apartment became a “map of memories” to her. Each picture, statue, and antique told a story of her life.



The artwork Bacall owned came from all sorts of painters, artists, and sculptors. Names such as James Audubon, David Hockney, Henry Moore, and Max Ernst all added to her massive collection over the years.

Divine Wood Furnishings

All of Bacall’s furniture was unique, decorative, and above all else – functional. The interior of her massive apartment wasn’t flashy or glamorous like many other Hollywood stars’ homes are. Her home was elegant and classy, a trademark of many classical Hollywood stars from the golden years.



Each piece she picked out for her home was hand-carved. It didn’t matter if the furniture was a wooden bench, dresser, or bureaus; each piece was unique by design instead of some carbon copy you’d find in a catalogue. This made the place homey and often gave a sense of coziness to guests who visited. But above all, the pieces of furniture Bacall picked worked as they should. They weren’t something set off in the corner to be admired.

Central Park

One of the main things about living in New York City is the massive amounts of building and skyscrapers. Often times a view is looking out into the busy city streets. But Bacall had unobstructed views of the trees in Central Park.



Bacall’s apartment offered her a stunning and coveted 100-foot view of Central Park. In other words, nearly half of Bacall’s apartment featured breathtaking views of the park. It was this view that Bacall admired the most about her apartment and stated it was an important reason for her to live in the Dakota.

Extravagant Exterior

The Dakota stands at the corner of Central Park West and West 72nd Street in New York City. Every brick and stone holds a place in history.



One of the most stunning buildings in New York City, it is filled with icons and history. It is essentially the spirit of the city that gives hope to those that come to the city looking for a better life and fulling dreams. It’s no wonder that the building has grown significantly over the years.

Roses Adorned Her Gate

Just five weeks shy of her 90th birthday, Lauren Bacall passed away on August 12th, 2014. Fans from all around came to pay their respects by leaving gifts and adorning her gate with roses.



Being one of the last actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood, her massive stroke came as a shock to many. But in the weeks after her death, fans from all across the country came to honor her and her life.