When it comes to house hunting, or renovating your current abode, everyone has their list of must-haves to look out for – off-road parking, a spacious garden, enough bedrooms to house all residents comfortably, plus guests – but when it comes to homes for the affluent, this list has the opportunity to get a little more exciting.
Swimming pools, spas, games rooms, underground garages to house multiple cars, whatever you desire, you should have, and we spoke to the experts from the 1st UK money website, the leading mortgage broker, to find the more popular amenities people are looking for when searching for or creating their dream homes.
Read on for five luxuries every dream home should have.
Your very own luxury spa
You will no longer need to head to a hotel spa for a pampering day when you have all the amenities at home to indulge in. A swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room and massage room will set your home spa off nicely and will provide the perfect place to host pampering days with friends, as well as pool parties, while providing you with the perfect place to exercise and take care of your health. Setting up a massage table in a peaceful space means that you can hire the services of a masseuse to relieve tired muscles on a regular basis and opting for an indoor pool, if you reside in cooler, wetter climes means that you can swim year-round without fuss.
A fully featured game room
Whether you entertain regularly or simply feel like having a space that you and/or your children can head to when you require some light entertainment, a games room is the ideal addition for any modern dream home.
Your games room can come equipped with TVs and consoles, arcade machines, a pool table, a few tables for board games and card games, as well as a rich board game library. Having a good sound system set up for games and ambient sound is also a good idea, and so is having RGB lighting installed in the room since it allows you to switch the colour and intensity of the light to match whatever the evening’s entertainment is. Whether you’re going for colourful arcade fun, or a dimmer atmosphere suited for a sophisticated casino night.
A cinema room
You’ll be surprised at just how much better a movie can look and sound when played through the best quality equipment. Get a media room together with a huge high-fidelity screen combined with great audio equipment and the comfiest armchairs or daybeds you can find.
For bonus points, build your cinema room to be themed after something you love. Popular options include media rooms inspired by Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and cinema rooms built to look like small movie theatres, complete with a popcorn machine and a sweet stand.
A library and reading room
Though digital books are hugely popular, the desire to create a space to sit and enjoy a good read is still important to keen readers and having a library or reading room in which to do this in a sanctuary of peace and quiet, is surely a dream. Plenty of people still have book collections that they wish to display, and the good thing about this type of amenity is that it doesn’t matter how big or small the space is. Fill the room with books, a super comfortable place to sit and while away the hours, cosy blankets and lighting – ensuring lighting is good enough for you to read without straining your eyes – and a table to house drinks and snacks as you make your way through your next big read in your tranquil space.
Wine cellar
Oenophiles will be delighted at the prospect at being able to create their very own wine cellar and tasting room in their homes. From utterly unique spiral cellars that are installed in the floor to traditional cellars to design-led under stairs options, the possibilities are aplenty. Seek out the right space in your home, do your research to make sure that you have all the right equipment you need to keep the space at the right temperature and deck it out with some display cabinets and a little seating area for some tastings if you wish.
