Curious about the process of building a wine cellar start-to-finish? Today we're showcasing a new 800 bottle contemporary wine cellar we built in La Costa, California. The client, Don, presented us with a challenge: convert a study in his new home into a wine cellar with a unique design. Read on to find out how we did it.

custom wine cellar with vintageview wine racks

The Client Don started collecting wine about six years ago and developed a love for California cabs. He began taking yearly wine tasting (and buying) trips, and wanted to start coming back with more wine but had nowhere to store it. It was time to get serious about his collection. He began his search for a wine cellar builder, came across Houzz and found Jake and Vintage Cellars' work. The Space Don sent Jake a look at the model for his new home and explained that he wanted to convert the study into a cellar. He also wanted to be able to easily pick out a bottle visually, so the labels had to be prominently displayed.  Jake drew up a couple of designs, and came up with one that suited Don perfectly: a contemporary space completely different from your standard wine cellar. The Project Since the original room was a study, it wasn't built for the challenges of storing wine in climate-controlled conditions. Jake and his team re-insulated the walls to ensure that the new cooling system would perform at its peak. They designed a custom cabinet to seamlessly fit the study's curved wall. They installed a Vintage View wine racking system that displayed the majority of his collection labels-out, making it easy for him to locate the perfect bottle for a dinner party or cozy night at home. Their 800-bottle racking system also left space for storing larger bottles, and shelf-style racks below for storing bottles in larger quantities.  Lastly, Jake recommended Don use a door made to face outdoors in the cellar to keep the room insulated. Jake and his team finished off the project with a central bar area, complete with wine artwork. Though Don never imagined himself lingering in the cellar, at the behest of his friends, he now finds himself turning off the cooling system for an hour at a time so that he and his guests can relax there! What was originally intended as a study is now a beautiful space that functions not only as a place for storing Don's growing collection, but also as a conversation-starter and gathering space. Click to enlarge each image. [gallery ids="3861,3862,3863,3864,3865,3866"]