Skip to main content

From fridges to fireplaces, the most luxurious home items you can’t afford

Do you have money? Lots and lots of money? Then the 2019 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) was made for you. It’s where appliance makers trot out their over-the-top luxe items in hopes that builders will put them in their high-end homes. For these houses, a single appliance can be well over the budget of what an average homeowner is planning for their entire kitchen lineup. Yet sometimes these features end up in more affordable models down the road, so maybe some form of this tech is in your future after all.

Fisher & Paykel Dual Fuel 48-inch Professional Range

isher and Paykel Dual Fuel Range
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

Dual-fuel ranges appeal to people who prefer gas burners and electric ovens. The new Fisher & Paykel 48-inch range ups the ante by adding in an induction section to the stovetop, in addition to four gas burners. Two oven cavities mean you can cook a giant turkey in one and veggies in the other. There’s also a front panel with a TFT display that pops out for readability and nestles back in its holding place when not in use. On the display, you can select to cook by function, food, or recipe. If you have a roast and no clue what to do, you can dial its attributes, and the oven will do the rest of the work for you. There’s no pricing yet, but when the range debuts in 2020, it’s sure to set you back more than a few pennies.

Recommended Videos

Miele FashionMaster

Miele FashionMaster
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

This high-end ironing board isn’t for hoodie-and-jeans crowd, but if you wear a lot of garments that need pressing, it will definitely be appealing. Miele calls it an active steam ironing board. The pad heats up due to an internal heating element, warming up the shirt before the iron touches it. That helps the steam evaporate more effectively, instead of dampening the clothes during ironing. Fans in the board can make a garment billow up, helping wool and cashmere items keep their shape. For faster ironing, the fans can suction clothes down and help smooth them, so you only need to iron one side. The price for faster ironing: $1,999.

Dacor Project Blanc porcelain refrigerator

Dacor Porcelain Fridge
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

We saw the Dacor porcelain refrigerator at last year’s KBIS, but we still can’t get over it. The gigantic, 30-inch fridge has room for tons of food and a few ways to help keep in fresh. The porcelain itself helps the fridge hold a more consistent temperature, and the appliance is equipped with temperature-controlled drawers. Glazed with a synthetic fiber, the porcelain is also non-porous and durable. Because the fridge is panel-ready, the exterior is customizable to the kitchen, and there’s an water dispenser on the interior. Dacor’s fridge is also Wi-Fi connected and has cameras. At $40,000, it’s one of the most expensive refrigerators we’ve ever seen.

Dacor Heritage Wine Station

Dacor Wine Station
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

Oxygen and wine are like soap opera frenemies: They might get along okay short-term, but leave them together too long and things turn to vinegar. To prevent wine spoilage, Dacor has a four-bottle preservation system. The appliance keeps the bottles cooled to the proper temperature, and argon gas keeps the wine fresh for 60 days. Though there’s glass on the door, it’s UV-protected to keep harmful light out. On the display, you can put in the type and year and choose between a one-, three-, and six-ounce pour.  We found the wine station for sale for $5,649 at AJ Madison, so it’s clearly aimed at those who aren’t well-acquainted with two-buck Chuck.

DaVinci TouchSmart fireplace

Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

Part of fireplaces’ appeal is the cozy, crackling heat — unless you live in a year-round balmy climate. DaVinci fireplaces solve the problem with fireplaces that are more for decoration than chasing away a draft. The double-pane glass is touchable even when the fire is on inside. With the system’s TouchSmart control, the fireplace is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, Siri, and Control4. Ask your smart speaker to turn the fireplace on or set the LED lights beneath the crushed glass bottom to change to red, blue, or other colors. The fireplaces come in a variety of configurable sizes, and one 8-foot setup cost $32,800 — not including the gas bill.

Liebherr humidor

Liebherr Humidor
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

Known for its refrigerators, it makes sense that Liebherr would create a humidor to control temperature and humidity for cigar storage. Just keeping cigars cool can cause them to dry out, while a humid environment can cause molding. Liebherr’s humidor has a touchscreen, so users can set the temperature to between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Sensors inside the unit monitor the humidity, so it stays between 68 and 75 percent. In dire need of a climate-controlled box for your cigars? It’ll cost you $2,000.

Hestan Outdoor Living Suite

Hestan Built-In Grill
Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

In addition to its residential and commercial kitchens, Hestan also makes beautiful grills. One unique feature is its range of color options, which include purple, blue-gray, red, and green. Its setups are modular, so you can pair your grill — which comes with a rotisserie accessory — with a side burner, keg, and undercounter fridge. With all those accessories, things start to add up quickly and the price comes in at between $35,000 and $40,000. If your patio doesn’t have room for a 12-foot display, Hestan’s freestanding grills start at about $10,600.

Signature Kitchen Suite 24-Inch Column Wine Fridge

Jenny McGrath/Digital Trends

KBIS was full of wine fridges, but the Signature Kitchen Series’ really caught our eye, thanks to its unique pairing with the True Sommelier App. The app is made by Wine Ring and has all kinds of neat features. Not only does it help you keep track of what’s in the fridge, it can recommend what you should drink based on what you’re making for dinner. If your guests also have the app, it will offer suggestions based on everyone’s preferences. In addition to the smart tech, the fridge is also taking care of the bottles with temperature and vibration control. There’s no pricing yet, but we predict it will be as expensive as all of Signature Kitchen Suite’s other appliances.

Updated 2/25/2019: Updated to reflect the correct product name and price of the Hestan Outdoor Living Suite. 

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
Dreo reveals new smart home devices to help you beat the summer heat
A fan from the Dreo Summer 2025 lineup.

Summer is just around the corner, and Dreo is gearing up for its arrival by launching several new smart devices. Some products are available now, while others will arrive within the next few months, though all are specifically designed to help you stay cool and improve your indoor air quality.

The Dreo Summer 2025 lineup includes fans, portable air conditioners, air purifiers, and humidifiers, most of which are bundled with useful smart features to improve their performance and give you easy ways to control their settings. The most premium of the bunch is the Dreo Portable Air Conditioner 319S -- its 10,000 BTU system is powerful, quiet, and drainage-free, making it an excellent way to cool your home. It also works with both Google and Alexa, and voice controls are supported for ease of use.

Read more
This smart display alternative just added a powerful new feature to help track your chores
A person using the Skylight.

Skylight is responsible for a variety of smart display alternatives with a focus on organization and schedule planning. Last summer, it launched the premium Cal Max -- a 27-inch smart calendar that we called a “streamlined smart display alternative.” Since its arrival, Skylight has continued to roll out new features to the device, and now you’ll find a powerful feature called Routines available across the Skylight Calendar lineup. Designed to simplify chores and build good habits for the entire family, it’s a unique new feature that changes how you interact with the display.

The idea behind Routines is simple -- offer visual feedback and an easy-to-use interface to make it easier than ever to keep track of (and complete) all your chores. These can be set up on a recurring schedule, allowing you to program in everything from a quick 15 minutes of reading before bedtime or a few minutes each morning for your kids to brush their teeth. Routines can be customized with various emojis and color-coding to help keep track of them, and a fun confetti animation is triggered once they’re complete.

Read more
Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite: which is the better smart lock?
A person opening the Yale Assure Lock 2 with their Apple Watch.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 and Lockly Vision Elite are among the best smart locks on the market. One offers a streamlined design and multiple formats, while the other is packed with features that make it an all-in-one powerhouse. Rest assured -- you can’t go wrong choosing either product. But there are some big differences between the two, and one is likely a better fit for your preferences than the other.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the Yale Assure Lock 2 vs. Lockly Vision Elite. From pricing and design to installation and notable features, we’ll cover everything you need to know before making a purchase.

Read more