Remarkably reminiscent of Monet’s Giverny home, this stately 18th-century residence in Tolochenaz, Switzerland was in fact the long-time home of a different famous face: Audrey Hepburn.

The estate, known as La Paisible, served as the celebrated actress’s Swiss retreat for 30 years, from 1963 until her death in 1993, and was described by Hepburn as “even more a real home than our apartment in Rome because it has a garden and trees.”

Click or scroll to look inside Audrey Hepburn’s forever home…

At the height of her career, Audrey Hepburn famously spurned the Hollywood spotlight for a quieter, more family-oriented life. La Paisible, which literally translates to “the peaceful place”, was the perfect place for Audrey and her then-husband, Mel Ferrer, to retreat with their three-year-old son.

Nestled in the sleepy lakeside town of Tolochenaz, near Lausanne and the Swiss-French border, the beautiful home could not have been a further cry from the Hollywood bustle that had seen the starlet make 10 films in as many years.

Audrey fell in love with La Paisible from the moment she laid eyes on it, and it was a love affair built to last. While Audrey divorced Mel Ferrer in 1968, she kept the Swiss home, going on to marry Andrea Dotti the following year and bringing him out to join her in Tolochenaz.

It was there that the couple welcomed their son, Luca, whose pram Audrey can be seen pushing, barefoot and carefree, around the grounds of La Paisible in this 1971 Vogue shoot.

While Audrey would later return to Hollywood to make some of her most famous movies, including My Fair Lady and How to Steal a Million, she would continue to return to La Paisible for the rest of her life, and it’s not hard to see why.

The beautiful, blue-shuttered villa has 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, and sits overlooking 172,000 square feet (16,000sqm) of private parkland dotted with rose bushes and the century-old trees the star was fond of.

Inside, the home has a relaxed, French-country aesthetic, and is clearly designed for comfortable family living. The interiors are incredibly spacious, with approximately 10,763 square feet (1,000sqm) of living space across three levels, accessible by two staircases and an elevator.

The main living room is comfortably furnished and extends the width of the house, allowing for plenty of natural light from both sets of windows.

The home, which dates to the 1700s, was carefully renovated in 2001.

However, plenty of period details were meticulously preserved, including terracotta floors, oak parquet floors, and its five original fireplaces.

The living room, however, features a newly installed wall-to-wall rattan matting, softening the space and making it ideal for children at play.

Parquet floors are on full display in the adjoining secondary sitting room, along with comfortable, family-oriented furniture and some beautiful antique pieces.

The home has 21 rooms in total, ideally suited for entertaining large house parties, with plenty of space for everyone to spread out comfortably over its three storeys.

La Paisible is also designed to make the most of its beautiful grounds, with five entrances in all.

This central foyer opens directly out into the back garden via a set of French doors, allowing plenty of light to flood into the space.

The black and white chequered marble floor also adds an air of French elegance to this bonus room.

This third living room doubles as a library, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covering the majority of the wall space. Warm peach-coloured walls pick up the rosy hues from the terracotta floor tiles, creating a cosy cohesion for the space.

It’s easy to imagine Audrey relaxing here with her children, perhaps reading them a story from one of the many shelves.

Follow the terracotta tiles like the yellow brick road, and just down the hall, you’ll find yourself in La Paisible’s sunny kitchen. This clever dividing wall mimics the panes of the French doors and windows, helping to open up the space to the rest of the home, making it feel bright and airy.

Bright blue cabinets provide an immediate pop of colour in the kitchen, serving as a dramatic focal point for the room. They continue in the marble-topped central island, which offers a generous space for both meal prep and pre-dinner conversation.

On the opposite side of the island, a row of barstools creates the perfect breakfast bar for casual morning dining.

A generous kitchen table provides additional dining space, and a bookshelf along one wall creates a colourful accent, as well as a convenient place to stash all those sophisticated cookbooks.

Another of the home’s doors opens directly out from the kitchen into the back garden, making dining alfresco a breeze.

Upstairs, the home has 12 bedrooms, all with beautiful hardwood floors and stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

The spacious master bedroom even includes a breathtaking glimpse of the Alps beyond, and features its own fireplace, perfect for curling up with a nightcap at the end of a long day.

This secondary bedroom offers views out in two directions, as well as a library nook.

The bedrooms come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations, making them suitable for conversion into children's rooms, guest rooms, a home office, gym, or even a large walk-in closet or storage room.

While the house has historically been used as a somewhat oversized family home, its vast assortment of bedrooms and numerous entertaining spaces also make it ideal as a holiday let or multi-family seasonal retreat.

Of course, Switzerland is a well-known haven for the tax-conscious and has attracted numerous celebrities and high-flyers over the years, including Tina Turner and Phil Collins.

Up in the rafters on the home’s third storey, a generous bonus space can be configured in multiple fashions, from a children’s playroom to a fabulous home theatre.

The beautiful wood-panelled ceiling, exposed beams, and ancient stone floor give the space a sense of history and warmth, and its natural nooks and crannies make it easily dividable into multiple spaces.

Katharina and Jean-Marc Beaujolin, who bought the home from Luca Dotti and Sean Hepburn Ferrer in 2001, also oversaw its renovation. The interior design had all been Audrey’s until the Beaujolins moved in, and was apparently fairly heavy on the florals.

After updating the home, the couple lived there happily for nearly two and a half decades before deciding to downsize, listing the pedigree property for a whopping $18.7 million (£14m).

Outside, the grounds offer plenty of space for exercising, relaxing, or hosting. The property’s most recent inhabitants, the only family to have lived there after Audrey’s sons sold the home in the wake of her death, even hosted their son’s wedding on the sprawling lawn.

With lush green slopes rolling down to the beautiful Alps as a backdrop, it’s hard to imagine a more picturesque setting.

While Audrey’s florals may have been replaced in the home’s interiors, they still play an important role at La Paisible. For the actress’s 60th birthday, the French fashion house Givenchy sent her 60 white rose bushes as a gift, which she had planted in her garden.

Audrey’s roses are still blooming on the grounds, and have been joined by those of many other colours for a veritable floral explosion.

The grounds also boast a 50-foot heated pool, perfect for a bit of exercise even in a chilly Swiss summer, and with a garage and parking for up to 15 cars, there’s certainly room to invite your friends.

Of course, you may have to bargain for one or two uninvited guests stopping by to snap a picture of the plaque bearing Audrey’s name at the front of the property, but that comes with the package!

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