When I was a kid, I was in awe of the people I would see on Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous. I was both envious and overwhelmed by all that money and the many, many cool things the super wealthy seemed to be drowning in.
Because meanwhile, in 1985 Australian suburbia, we had a three-bedroom, one-bathroom brick home with a Hills Hoist out the back.
It’s not always envy that fuels our voyeurism, though. Sometimes – when they build an entire wing for their cars or build an industrial-sized freezer into their house so they can keep a whole cow carcass on hand at all times – it’s because we genuinely wonder if these people are just a little bit batshit crazy.
And if they really do have more money than sense?
We’re not talking about adding a “good room” or a shoe closet here. No. We’re talking about “must have” additions, like “snoring rooms”. WTF is a snoring room? I’m glad you asked. Wealthy buyers in the UK are adding designated snoring rooms to their house plans so both husband and the wife can get a decent night’s rest.
In reality there’s no difference between a “snoring room” and an extra guest room – but from a sales point of view, it’s become a must have, especially for international buyers who get a kick out of the idea. And with one in six British couples sleeping apart to get respite from their spouse’s snoring, it’s probably not as crazy as it sounds.
What else are the crazy rich incorporating into their homes?
The decontamination shower.
Builder Jeremy Cole from the Northern NSW coastal town of Kingscliff is used to some very “different” home additions.
“I once helped design a house for a guy who wanted every shower to have 17 different spray nozzles, 15 different jets, 2 hand held shower heads and a huge overhead rain head. It was like one of those decontamination showers they have at top secret government buildings. He also built an Olympic sized pool in his backyard … even though he couldn’t swim’.
Rock climbing walls.
This home in America has it’s own built in rock-climbing wall. Because who has time or the inclination to go outside and climb up a REAL wall when you can use a spare wall in your own home?
Built-in industrial freezer.
One colourful personality from the Gold Coast built an industrial sized freezer into his home just so that he could keep a full cow carcass within handy reach there at all times.
Double storey closets
Walk in closets are so passé. It’s now all about closets with additional floors. These are no doubt bigger than my current home and cost more than my entire family’s net worth. The most ludicrous best part of it? The owners don’t have to worry about what’s in them because they have stylists.
Two kitchens
Why have one kitchen when you can have two? There is a trend (particularly in proper posh places like New York) to build a second kitchen and use it purely as a display or for occasional entertaining. Now, before you worry about all that extra cleaning, remember these guys pay people to do that pesky stuff.
Indoor slippery dip
What house is complete without an indoor slippery dip that takes your from your closet down to the ground floor?
A car ‘wing’
Wealthy people sometimes have cars that are worth more than a million dollars. Some, they don’t even drive on a street. So of course they need to allocate a separate wing in their home for their Jaguars, Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces.
Either these people are a) flaunting their wealth (because these home additions aren’t even close to essential); b) a little bit eccentric or c) they’re just plain old batshit crazy.
There’s always been a fine line between them anyway.
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DEBRIEF DAILY