Antilia: Inside Mukesh Ambani's 27-Story Mumbai Residence, The World's First $1 Billion Home (PHOTOS)

The first pictures showing the interior of what is believed to be the world's most expensive residence have been made public in Vanity Fair magazine.

The home, which is called Antilia after a mythical island, is located in Mumbai, India. Owned by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, the residence boasts 400,000 square feet, three helicopter pads, underground parking for 160 cars, and requires a staff of 600 to run.

Though the building is 27 storys tall, BBC News notes that many of the floors are double- or triple-height, so the building rises to 570 feet -- the equivalent of a 40-story structure.

The house is reported to be worth more than $1 billion, which will not affect Ambani's bank balance too significantly. The energy magnate is one of the top 5 richest men in the world, and is said to be worth approximately $22 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

Nita Ambani, wife of Mukesh, spoke to Vanity Fair about her home, telling the magazine, "It's a modern home with an Indian heart."

The Ambani's residence includes a movie theater with a seating capacity of 50, health floors that feature a swimming pool and gym, and balconies with outdoor gardens.

The house is not without its critics, however. Some have said that such a home is inappropriate in a city where millions of people live in extreme poverty. One writer on Smart Money Daily said of it:

"Really will having a house this spectacular give him a better life; or will the separation it creates from virtually everyone else around him make it a regretful nightmare?"

Loading Slideshow

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  Nita Ambani talks about her 27-story 400,000 sq. foot, $1B home in the <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2012/06/ambani-residence-photos-inside-architecture">June issue of Vanity Fair</a>. Credit: Jonathan Becker, Courtesy of Vanity Fair <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2012/06/ambani-residence-photos-inside-architecture">Read More Here</a>

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  The home is owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  The house of Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, is seen October 23, 2010 in Mumbai, India. The 27-story house allegedly cost over one billion USD to be built.

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  The twenty-seven story Antilia, the newly-built residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, is seen in Mumbai on October 19, 2010.

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  The twenty-seven story Antilia, the newly-built residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, is seen in Mumbai on October 19, 2010.

• Inside The First $1 Billion Home

  Nita Ambani talks about her 27-story 400,000 sq. foot, $1B home in the <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2012/06/ambani-residence-photos-inside-architecture">June issue of Vanity Fair</a>. <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2012/06/ambani-residence-photos-inside-architecture">Read More Here</a>

Also on HuffPost:

CORRECTION: A previously published version of this article incorrectly stated Mukesh Ambani's estimated wealth. The current version reflects Forbes' 2012 estimate of about $22 billion.

Comments

[Lewsgirl]

04:24 PM on 05/07/2013

I despise vulgar show of wealth. Especially in a world where so much poverty exists.

[Alex Ferraris]

02:53 AM on 05/02/2013

I think the house exterior is ahead of its time, that is why most don't like it...and its true with any artwork or architecture of the past that are now immensely admired. As for the interior, I think that it is very unique in that it uses Indian elements, those of Sun and Lotus. Most interiors now days all look alike, like hotel rooms without a personality of their own.

[OnTheBounce]

01:28 AM on 05/03/2013

It is unfortunate none of Mukesh Ambani’s architectural advisors read any of Jane Jacobs and environmental psychology texts. Research findings indicate dwelling size, number of levels, and population density impact resident’s social behavior.

[jayplanes]

09:40 AM on 12/19/2012

Ugliest piece of concrete ever built.

[moutonnoir]

02:35 PM on 08/23/2012

why would want this... in that location...

a beautiful view of the slums this guy is not helping address?

[Tenjikuronin]

01:39 PM on 08/24/2012

Actually, the house is in a very posh location.

[moutonnoir]

02:34 PM on 08/23/2012

NOT A SINGLE PICTURE OF INSIDE?

what is this? do you make stuff up just to make stuff up?

[Aly Zaidi]

04:33 AM on 08/17/2012

To me it looks like a waste of billion dollars what an ugly piece of architecture. and i thought with billion dollars you can build something out of this world. and look what he built. clearly no taste or class. if he was planning to spend billion dollars on that trap he shud have donated that to slum dwellers of dharavi maybe those ppl could have spent few months in peace.

[Tenjikuronin]

01:40 PM on 08/24/2012

Since when do billionaires donate to the homeless?

[VikramRao1975]

03:26 PM on 10/03/2012

The Reliance foundations runs one of India's best charities with fingers in alot of pies, from healthcare to education to womens rights.

[VikramRao1975]

03:29 PM on 10/03/2012

You mean like the rich Arabs who donate so very generously to charities. What he spends his money on is his business. Reliance Industries has its fingers in many many charities. I find Dubai extremely crass and tasteless, you want to see wasteful spending, go there as well.

[Aly Zaidi]

02:44 AM on 10/04/2012

i never said quoted dubai anywhere in my comment.. i find dubai to be an incredible waste of wealth, a bizare form of excess spending. But since u brought up Dubai i like to point out that dubai has a royal family and what ever they are building they are doing with an intent to promote tourism and commerce in dubai. Only time will tell if their strategy is correct or not but mukesh ambani is not a king neither he is running a country. On the contrary he is a businessman. Im sure everytime Dhirubhai Ambani will look at Antilla from above he will nod his head with disapproval on this bizare excessive spending of his son. But any way its mukesh's money so he can burn it for all i care. just i think he could have built a better looking home for a billion dollars.

[YouthNex]

07:55 AM on 07/24/2012

awesome ...its like a dream home.. http://youthnex.com

[smrtrvd]

08:52 AM on 05/24/2012

The Vanity Fair article described Antilla as, "For a modern maharaja living in Mumbai, a peninsular city where land is in particular short supply, there is nowhere to go but up and up the Ambanis went." Antilla has large statues of Hindu gods Ganesha and Shiva and perfectly manicured gardens. It also has multi-storey garage, ballroom, spa, theatre, guests' suites and terraced gardens. Nita Ambani told Vanity Fair that the whole house is based on the theme of sun and lotus. Exquisite materials like rare woods, marble, mother of pearl and crystal were used to craft the shapes of the lotus and the sun in the building. The house may not be very pleasing from outside but it is magnificent from inside.

[Tenjikuronin]

11:05 AM on 05/22/2012

The house is located on prime real estate. The land is worth quite a bit.

[Josh Herr]

05:25 PM on 05/21/2012

is it just me or this "home" really ugly from the outside....smh

[lady joanna]

01:34 AM on 05/22/2012

It's really ugly form the outside and even worse from the inside from the photos I saw in VF. It's a billion dollars worth of bad taste. The upper floor sitting room is done in black and orange!

[Tenjikuronin]

10:56 AM on 05/22/2012

Black and Orange? Perhaps he's an Oregon State fan...

[G Mail]

05:05 PM on 05/21/2012

More money than brains obviously!!

[Leigh Arnott]

02:27 PM on 05/21/2012

No inside pics?

[lady joanna]

01:35 AM on 05/22/2012

In Vanity Fair.

[surfxsmith]

02:25 PM on 05/21/2012

Man, if I was worth $22,000,000,000, I wouldn't live in such an ugly residence surrounded by a crowd of plebeians. I'd build a nice mansion near the beach far away from the riff raff.

[Cage me]

01:13 PM on 05/21/2012

Slumdog Billionaire

[amber2022]

12:29 PM on 05/21/2012

An obscenity on so many levels...pardon the pun....