5 Upscale Home Features That Sound Amazing… but Often Go Unused

Certain “luxury” features can make an average home sound like it’s on another level. They’re the extras that not only set them apart from other houses, but also make you feel like they’ll take your entire lifestyle up a notch.

While they might get plenty of use by some homeowners, for the average buyer, they often end up going underused—if not entirely unused—once the novelty wears off and everyday life settles in.

Here are 5 home features that sound fantastic in theory but often don’t live up to expectations:

1) Wine Cellars

The vision: A curated collection of fine wines, ready for sophisticated tastings and elegant dinner parties. But also a room you’ll head down to before every weeknight meal to pick out the perfect wine to pair with dinner.

The reality: You have three half-empty bottles of grocery store wine, and it’s mostly being used to store Costco paper towels.

2) Home Movie Theaters

The vision: Hosting weekly family movie nights with hot buttered popcorn, sodas, and candy galore.

The reality: Nobody wants to watch the same movie, so the kids watch YouTube on their iPads, and you end up in the living room watching Netflix on the regular TV eating microwaved popcorn.

3) Saunas and Hot Tubs

The vision: A private spa retreat where you melt away the stress of the day after a relaxing dinner and glass of wine.

The reality: It’s too hot in the summer, and too much maintenance in the winter. Plus, who has the time (or desire) to literally just sit and sweat in a dark room after a long day? It’s a lot quicker and easier to just take a hot shower, slip into some comfy clothes, and flop onto the couch.

4) Dedicated Libraries

The vision: A refined space with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books that look like part of the decor, and a cozy reading nook.

The reality: A room with an arm chair you can spare from the living room, surrounded by shelves with a lot of empty space. And the books you do have are all different colors, shapes and sizes, and look like they belong in the bargain bin at a used book store.

5) Home Gyms

The vision: A fitness studio where you’ll finally achieve peak physical health, perhaps with the help of a personal trainer who comes in once or twice a week.

The reality: You have a treadmill doubling as a clothing rack, a couple of random dumbbells collecting dust, and a room that’s slowly becoming a storage space for holiday decorations.