Free Shipping on Hundreds of Products & 30 Years of Custom Built Wine Cellars

Orange County Home Wine Cellars Under the Stairs


The clean and crisp look of the glass doors in home wine cellars built under these stairs complements the modern design of the client’s home.

The Vintage Cellars team has years of expertise creating home wine cellars under the stairs in our client’s homes. In this recent project, the homeowners wanted to scale up their wine storage with their expanding wine collection. And the team did a spectacular job building a functional wine cellar with the client’s limited space. This conversion of a small space under the stairs to a home wine cellar looks phenomenal. Continue reading to learn more about how the team accomplished this impressive feat.

The Design Process for Home Wine Cellars Under the Stairs

The client reached out to Jason, a wine cellar design expert from Vintage Cellars, about their plan to build a wine cellar under their stairs in their home. They also sent photos of traditionally designed residential wine cellars that they had found online. Inspiration photos can be very helpful in letting us know what you have in mind for your custom wine storage project. A thorough discussion between the homeowners and the team followed. That discussion was critical in educating our client on what wine cellar design would be efficient for his home.

Jason gave our clients a price estimate for the entire process of building their dream home wine cellar. This estimate would give them a better idea of the process and costs involved in constructing their wine room. Our clients often have little to no experience with the design and building process behind home wine cellars, so we make sure to maintain open lines of communication and educate our clients about what they should expect.

Classy Wooden Wine Racking System for Traditional Wine Cellar Design

Variation in wine racking design maximizes the bottle capacity for this wine room below the stairs.

A wooden wine racking system in home wine cellars looks classy and sophisticated. The client’s home is beautiful and tastefully designed and decorated, and we wanted to make sure this under stair home wine cellar would fit the aesthetic. We used oak as the primary material for the racking system in the wine room to achieve that. Then, we applied an espresso stain to the oak to give it character. The resulting color turned out beautifully and is complemented by the dark metallic door handle and black frame of the glass panels around the cellar.

Our artistic team from Vintage Cellars skillfully handcrafted the components of the wooden racking system. The crafting of the entire wooden wine racking system took 12 weeks. Then, it took the team another two days to assemble and install the wooden racks in this beautiful Orange County home wine cellar.

Custom Home Wine Cellar Components

This Orange County home wine cellar is a perfect way to utilize the space underneath the main stairs. It’s blend of modern and traditional elements are a lovely addition to this beautiful home.

  • Custom wooden racking
  • Storage for multiple bottle formats
  • Framed glass door and front wall
  • Industrial strength split system cooling unit

Various Wooden Wine Racking Design in the Wine Cellar Under the Stairs

Different wine racking orientations were strategically placed throughout the wine cellar under the stairs to maximize bottle capacity. Much of the racking system is single-deep cork forward wooden racks. The versatility of these cork-forward racks is perfect for taking advantage of the triangular spaces under the stairs.

In the center, the team created a more prominent shelf for decanting wines and displaying art pieces and memorabilia. Below that is an area designated for storing crates and glassware. Then on the left and right sides of the shelf are reveal rows that clearly show the beautiful wine labels on the bottles. The team installed LED lighting along the edges of the reveal rows to highlight the client’s select wines and magnum bottles.

Lastly, horizontal racks showing off the beautiful wine labels were installed on the rightmost side of the home wine cellar. There is also a separate, “endcap” style horizontal rack best seen from the exterior of the wine room. It is an excellent way of presenting wine bottles from this area, as well as maximizing the space in under stair home wine cellars, such as this one.

LED lighting on channels within the wooden wine racking adds emphasis to bottles placed on the reveal racks.

Low-Profile Cooling System Inside the Wine Room Under the Stairs

The team did a heat load calculation before choosing the right home wine cellar cooling system. Heat load calculations are done to determine and measure factors that could critically affect the cooling efficiency of the refrigeration unit that will be installed in the cellar. Once the calculations were complete, we were able to recommend the best options for the cooling unit in the under stair wine cellar.

For this project, we installed a split-type cooling unit. A split-type refrigeration system has two major parts: the condenser and the evaporator. Our team placed the condenser outside the wine room and the evaporator inside the wine cellar. To conceal the bulky parts of the cooling unit, the team built a wooden enclosure to contain them. Then the team fabricated louvered wooden panels to cover the enclosure. The enclosure is removable, so it would be convenient to maintain and repair the cooling unit.

If you want to install an efficient cooling system in your wine cellar, make sure that you work with professionals like our team of experts at Vintage Cellars. We’re also available when you need service or maintenance on your residential or commercial custom wine cellar.

Build A Wine Cellar Under Your Stairs with the Vintage Cellars Team

Curious about one of our incredible home wine cellars under the stairs in your Orange County home? Our expert wine cellar designers are here to help. These homeowners are thrilled with the wine cellar our team built. We’re excited to do that same thing for you!

Call us today at +1-800-876-8789. and speak to one of our home wine cellar experts. Let’s get started on a FREE DESIGN for your own Orange County under stair home wine cellar


We are Wine Storage Experts

Here to Help You with your Custom Wine Cellar

With more than 30 years of building Custom Wine Cellars, we are experts in designing and building Custom Wine Cellars from soup to nuts. We help clients nationwide and would be glad to give you a free design for your custom wine cellar.

GET YOUR FREE CELLAR DESIGN