When it comes to building homes, Jeff Click says there has been a change in items Oklahomans are requesting in their homes.

Kohler's laminar wall- or ceiling-mounted bath filler produces an elegant, clear stream of water to fill a tub. PHOTO COURTESY OF KOHLER

Click, of Jeff Click Homes LLC, says Oklahomans are looking for “quality over quantity," a trend he began noticing a few years ago. Click says homebuyers are looking for luxuries and what he calls “in lieu” amenities.

“In real-estate speak, this means they're considering amenity-dense homes over larger homes,” Click says. “They're features that they can enjoy in lieu of activities or experiences that have traditionally only been available outside the home.”

One of these luxuries is a media room providing an experience similar to a movie theater, Click says. Other items Oklahomans are changing include adding an outdoor kitchen or fireplace to the backyard patio transforming it into an “outdoor living space.”

Despite the recession, “higher-end appliances are kind of becoming the norm,” says Lew Bednarczuk, president and CEO of HomePortfolio.com. “Prices on this stuff have not gone up much over the years,” he says. “I think that's the reason people are switching over.”

For folks who can't afford or justify professional grade brands like Sub-Zero and Viking, midrange manufacturers like Jenn-Air have come out with luxury lines, he says.

This enables middle-class consumers to get the look of a designer kitchen without the designer labels. If they are opting to do so despite the economy, perhaps that's because interior design shows and magazines have a way of making luxuries seem like necessities, entitlements or good investments.

Click says homebuyers have access to more information before they purchase appliances.

“Brand is often a major consideration for homebuyers, but reliability and energy efficiency are more the primary concern,” Click says.

Setting aside style and prestige, are luxury items worth the extra cost? Below, we walk through three rooms where many people can't resist the splurge.

There is, in fact, a big difference between an economy brand and Sub-Zero refrigerator, said certified kitchen designer Peggy Deras of Kitchen Artworks in South San Francisco, Calif.

Separate compressors for the freezer and fridge compartments keep food fresher. With no air exchange between the two compartments, temperatures and humidity levels remain constant so lettuce won't go limp, frozen bagels won't get freezer-burned and “you won't get odors migrating from fridge to freezer,” she says.

The interior finishes in pro-grade fridges tend to be more durable, too.

“The only sacrifice is there's no ice and water through the door, but if you can afford a Sub-Zero, then you can afford a dedicated icemaker,” she says.

However, if you are comparing top-of-the-line nondesigner brands such as KitchenAid or GE with the designer lines, the appliances start to look and act more alike. In this case, “honestly, there's probably not that big of a difference with performance and durability,” says New York-based real estate broker Linie Chang Rand, a branch manager with Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty.

A so-called “chef kitchen” with professional-grade appliances costs at least twice as much, and though such kitchens are highly marketable and desirable, it's unlikely those costs will be recouped at resale, Rand says.

When selecting other appliances, such as dishwashers, Click says homebuyers are concerned with the amount of sound they produce while operating.

“As home plans have become more great room-centric, where the living room and kitchen are open to one another, noise is of greater consideration,” Click says.

Front-loading washers and dryers, wine bars with wine chillers or coffee bars are some items homebuyers are becoming interested in, Click says.

“These kinds of amenities may be included in certain price points or higher-end homes,” Click says. “For builders who offer customization options, these are often considered upgrade items given they can be implemented in many different ways that affect cost.”

In the bathroom, “full-service toilets are becoming popular,” Bednarczuk says, including TOTO's Neorest with a remote control automatic lid, an adjustable sprayer with “precision positioning” for personal cleansing and an integrated warm-air dryer. For nearly $2,000, “It's the carwash of toilets,” he says, jokingly.

For folks who enjoy long, luxurious soaks in the tub, there are models like BainUltra's that offer heated headrests, programmable massage and color, aroma and sound therapies.

One of the latest advances in tub technology is the ceiling-mounted filler, which shoots a stream of water into the tub that looks almost as solid as it is straight, like a pole.

“They look extremely impressive,” Williamson says. “However, if mounted too high, the temperature fails to impress by the time the water reaches the basin.”

Niroo recommends knob-and-basin sets from Sherle Wagner with hand-painted floral and fruit patterns.

“They're the most beautiful sinks you've ever seen,” Niroo says.

The media room is another space where the cost of luxury has stayed steady or come down over the years. Now, “five thousand dollars will get you the screen and projector, and it's an extra couple of thousand for theater seating,” Bednarczuk says.

For traditional homes, Niroo favors American-made Habersham furnishings, particularly media cabinets, which combine Old World stateliness with today's technology.

“They make fabulous entertainment units with remote controls, so you can lower a beautiful mural over the TV,” she says. There's ample hidden storage for CDs, DVDs, and game consoles and accessories.

Although the Internet is largely responsible for bringing luxury home products to the average consumer's attention, Niroo advises against ordering such items online even at a discount. “If you're going to spend $50,000 on kitchen appliances, it pays to spend a little more for personalized customer service and peace of mind.”

Staff Writer Krystle Wagner contributed to this story.

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