How to...Live like a celebrity

How to…..live like a celeb, at a fraction of the cost!

Celebrities often set the style boundaries for the rest of us, and not just when it comes to clothes, shoes and hairstyles. The celebs have now branched out into interior design. Open any glossy magazine and you will find this month’s hottest actress or greatest footballer – and his WAG – showing you around their luxurious home – usually filled with accessories you wouldn’t dream of being able to own. However some of the latest celebrity interiors are achievable in the average house – read on to find out how relax in a jacuzzi, wind down in the sauna, keep fit in the gym and then chill out in your own home cinema with drinks from the bar – in other words, how to live like a star!

1 – A perfect place for pampering
As with everything in the world of celebrity, designer labels are important, even in the bathroom suite! The latest name in bathrooms is Kohler, who designs luxury suites to suit any décor. Prices for a bathtub start at £2000 and can go up to £9000 for what’s called an ‘overflowing bathtub’, which is sunk into a bigger tank in the floor. You leave the taps constantly running and the water overflows into the bigger tank and is drained away. However if a Kohler suite is a little out of your price range, the company does produce lower cost alternatives! Kohler designs are sleek and modern, with bowl washbasins set on top of wooden units, Jacuzzi baths and cistern-less toilets.

Copying the design is easy – standard whirlpool baths can cost as little as £300, or £600 for a corner bath. Freestanding washbasins and units start at £65 for the smallest, rising to £265 for a larger, rectangular design. If you really want to push the boat out, you can install a home spa with a home steam-massage cabin. The most luxurious of these could set you back over £10,000, but again, there are lower cost options starting at around £2000. Visit Bathroom Quoter for an instant online quote now.

2 – Wind down after a long day in the sauna
A home sauna is a perfectly viable option and instantly gives you that star quality. As well as the garden and portable saunas available, you can go for the added luxury of an indoor sauna. You don’t need as much extra space as you think – a sauna can be fitted into even the smallest home. Models start at just one metre square for a single-person sauna, but there are also saunas available which can accommodate up to four people. You can also have your sauna custom-made to fit into a particular space in your home, or to accommodate more people. Indoor home saunas start at just over £1000, but can range up to £3000 for larger models.

3 – Work it out
Having a celebrity pad isn’t all about relaxing – how do you think the stars stay looking so fabulous? A home gym is a must-have, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Converting a room into a home gym couldn’t be easier – wood flooring and plain walls are all you really need, and then simply fill it with athletics equipment. If a gym is not for you, the other option is a fitness studio, with mirrored walls and a dance bar – really working out like a pop-star! To really give it that gym feel, a plasma screen on the wall will keep you entertained, and a stereo means you’ll actually have something to dance to! For a softer work-out, some celebrities are also installing what are known as ‘Pilates rooms’, which should be the ultimate relaxation space. Decorate in soft colours and accessorize with plenty of candles and soft furnishings.

4 – Let me entertain you!
The ultimate ostentatious addition to the average house would be a home cinema or bowling alley, but to a celebrity they are essentials. While a celebrity would have the entire theatre atmosphere in their home, complete with theatre seats, giant screen and popcorn machine, you don’t have to go quite that far to get the cinema experience! Home cinema systems start at £120 for a basic DVD and speaker system and go up to over £1000 for a full theatre package. Theatre screens can be bought for as little as £65 for a canvas screen, or you could go for a large – and expensive! – wall-mounted plasma. To complete the look, go for theatre-style recliners, which come in a variety of styles and colours. A group of three chairs costs about £3000, but one single theatre chair costs around £700. If you have the space, home bowling alleys can be easily installed for around £5000 for a single lane.

5 – Last orders at the bar please!
It’s amazing celebrities go out at all! No luxury home is complete without its very own bar. Bespoke home drinks bars can be built into almost any space and can be fitted with working pumps and optics, just like in a pub or nightclub. There are selected websites which will provide you with everything you need from a working bar to snooker tables, jukeboxes and barstools. A bespoke built bar complete with wood panelling will set you back around £3000 and working optic panel with four optics will cost upwards of £200.

If pool and snooker tables are your style, these can be expensive, but there’s all kinds of other things you can do. For around £4000 you can buy brightly coloured jukeboxes, while the classic arcade games will cost you around £2000. You can even keep the games coin operated, but this will costs you an extra £200.

Implementing just a few of these measures into your home will make it a talking point, and will really give you that celebrity feeling! Enjoy!