6 Wine Cellar Design Tips
- By Holly Peters
- Published 10/29/2011
- Wine and Spirits
- Unrated
A residential custom wine cellar can be a labor of love providing all the design factors are understood from the beginning. Avoid being dissatisfied by taking these six primary design elements into account in the planning stage. We have endeavored to provide a simple set of factors in priority order, each building on the last to assist with the decision process.
Number one, how will you use your wine cellar? Initially you may be thinking, "Well, to store my wine stupid"? While that may be true to a point, in our experience serious wine collectors will initially focus on the wine racking capacity often trying simply to get the most storage possible out of their cellar. While capacity is important, the way the cellar will be used, especially in the longer term, can ultimately be a deciding factor in client satisfaction.
Most wine collectors are social animals; this is often how they first developed a passion for wine. If you think that in the long run you will use your wine cellar to entertain friends and family you'll want to take that into account early in the design phase. If you are looking for a leisurely one on one evening, few environments can be so intimate and notable as a wine cellar for socializing.
Wine tasting parties can often become passion parties. If you are a social animal and see yourself showing off and sharing your collection then be sure to consider sufficient seating space, a convenient tasting table and room for complementary foods such as cheeses and Hors d'oeuvres. A small, possibly hidden refrigerator for example can be ideal to have these conveniently on hand.
Number two, what type of wine bottles as well as the overall capacity you may need or want to store? While pretty straight forward this design element needs to be taken into account early on. Some of our clients report outgrowing their wine storage capacity within two years. They can also find a shortage of space for specific types of wine bottles.
We recommend allowing at least fifty percent additional capacity than you at first think you may need. Include in your thoughts outsize bottles such as magnums and smaller variations such as .375 split bottles that tend to end up in most collections.
Number three, how stable do you believe the humidity and temperature of your cellar to be? Most wine collections become a serious investment with special vintage wines needing to be stored
for extended periods, even for years at a time.
Wine cellars often vary in either temperature or humidity much more than most owners at first realize causing their prized wine to ultimately become spoiled. Check your rooms' temperature and humidity fluctuations over an extended period.
You may think that the room is stable but even basement level rooms can often vary much more from morning to night and through the seasons than most home owners realize. An efficient wine cellar refrigeration system is an important investment for serious wine collectors.
Number four; do you want your cellar to have a wow factor? This is the fun part of wine cellar design of course; of the design factors that can contribute to a stunning cellar some can really make it pop. From unique materials such as reclaimed wine barrel flooring to arched openings, diamond bin storage, horizontal displays, waterfall or peninsular displays, all can make your cellar distinctive. Add concealed lighting and possibly even a glass wall or a special feature custom wine cellar door and your room can really stand out.
Number five; do not skimp on the correct standard of insulation to enhance natural stability and to avoid potential future problems. Whether you decide on a cooling system or not, make sure to have the room built with the right insulation and vapor barriers in both the walls and the ceiling.
Many an inexperienced wine cellar builder will suggest the false economy of not correctly insulating the ceiling and adding a vapor barrier for example, only to have the owner encounter problems of mold a year or two down the road. In addition, good insulation will ensure that your cooling system does not have to compensate and run more than it needs to, saving you money in the long term.
Number six; what kind of character do you want your cellar to have? Contemporary wine rooms are becoming more in vogue; lacquered wood finishes with metallic elements can be stunning, on the other hand you may have a more traditional styled home and want to go for a more natural looking wood racking system. Premium redwood or mahogany offer stable and robust racking that complement a natural look.
Do you want your wine cellars look to naturally flow with the rest of your home or completely stand alone in its design? If you intend to design it to look consistent with your home, consider first, or better still ask your partner, if you are likely to be re-decorating at some point over the next few years? If so think carefully about your wine cellars design as it's not so easy to change it once it is built.
Number one, how will you use your wine cellar? Initially you may be thinking, "Well, to store my wine stupid"? While that may be true to a point, in our experience serious wine collectors will initially focus on the wine racking capacity often trying simply to get the most storage possible out of their cellar. While capacity is important, the way the cellar will be used, especially in the longer term, can ultimately be a deciding factor in client satisfaction.
Most wine collectors are social animals; this is often how they first developed a passion for wine. If you think that in the long run you will use your wine cellar to entertain friends and family you'll want to take that into account early in the design phase. If you are looking for a leisurely one on one evening, few environments can be so intimate and notable as a wine cellar for socializing.
Wine tasting parties can often become passion parties. If you are a social animal and see yourself showing off and sharing your collection then be sure to consider sufficient seating space, a convenient tasting table and room for complementary foods such as cheeses and Hors d'oeuvres. A small, possibly hidden refrigerator for example can be ideal to have these conveniently on hand.
Number two, what type of wine bottles as well as the overall capacity you may need or want to store? While pretty straight forward this design element needs to be taken into account early on. Some of our clients report outgrowing their wine storage capacity within two years. They can also find a shortage of space for specific types of wine bottles.
We recommend allowing at least fifty percent additional capacity than you at first think you may need. Include in your thoughts outsize bottles such as magnums and smaller variations such as .375 split bottles that tend to end up in most collections.
Number three, how stable do you believe the humidity and temperature of your cellar to be? Most wine collections become a serious investment with special vintage wines needing to be stored
Wine cellars often vary in either temperature or humidity much more than most owners at first realize causing their prized wine to ultimately become spoiled. Check your rooms' temperature and humidity fluctuations over an extended period.
You may think that the room is stable but even basement level rooms can often vary much more from morning to night and through the seasons than most home owners realize. An efficient wine cellar refrigeration system is an important investment for serious wine collectors.
Number four; do you want your cellar to have a wow factor? This is the fun part of wine cellar design of course; of the design factors that can contribute to a stunning cellar some can really make it pop. From unique materials such as reclaimed wine barrel flooring to arched openings, diamond bin storage, horizontal displays, waterfall or peninsular displays, all can make your cellar distinctive. Add concealed lighting and possibly even a glass wall or a special feature custom wine cellar door and your room can really stand out.
Number five; do not skimp on the correct standard of insulation to enhance natural stability and to avoid potential future problems. Whether you decide on a cooling system or not, make sure to have the room built with the right insulation and vapor barriers in both the walls and the ceiling.
Many an inexperienced wine cellar builder will suggest the false economy of not correctly insulating the ceiling and adding a vapor barrier for example, only to have the owner encounter problems of mold a year or two down the road. In addition, good insulation will ensure that your cooling system does not have to compensate and run more than it needs to, saving you money in the long term.
Number six; what kind of character do you want your cellar to have? Contemporary wine rooms are becoming more in vogue; lacquered wood finishes with metallic elements can be stunning, on the other hand you may have a more traditional styled home and want to go for a more natural looking wood racking system. Premium redwood or mahogany offer stable and robust racking that complement a natural look.
Do you want your wine cellars look to naturally flow with the rest of your home or completely stand alone in its design? If you intend to design it to look consistent with your home, consider first, or better still ask your partner, if you are likely to be re-decorating at some point over the next few years? If so think carefully about your wine cellars design as it's not so easy to change it once it is built.
Holly Peters
Holly Peters is a freelance designer with many years' experience designing wine cellars New Jersey. For more wine cellar design ideas and technical advice visit our custom wine cellar gallery.
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