As part of our basement remodel, we had a small closet that we were not using. We decided to convert this small closet into a basement wine cellar since we have a love for grapes.
I wanted to keep a cozy feel to the cellar so we decided to paint the walls Sherwin Williams Sealskin (ties to the walls in the theater room). Although we knew we were going to paint the walls, we wanted to build out the shelves first to keep from scuffing up the wall too much. 🙂
I love the look of the traditional, wooden wine cellar shelving but after looking at prices, I decided we should do something custom. Besides, Ryan and I always like to do something different when possible. Ryan and I ran to Home Depot and bought some pine 1×12 and got to cracking. We stained each board in Espresso and then covered them in Marine Varnish. I figured, we can never be too careful about someone spilling. We don’t need anymore water damage. 🙁
The next part was hard. What were going to do for shelving? The closet is small and the measurements are a little strange. We decided to do a few squares where we can stack wine when we have multiples of one kind or add wine crates for storing loose items. I also wanted to add a few crisscross elements to spruce it up and add a little interest. These were Ryan’s least favorite and required more time and measurements but he made it work. Thank you, hubs!
Since we decided not to add a wine cooler in the bar, we thought this would be the perfect place to add one. Ryan scored an amazing deal on an open-box wine cooler HERE.
picture of wine cooler
It took us a while to figure out what we wanted to do for a counter top. We debated it for months and months. It was not required for us to have it done for the insurance company as part of the claim so we had no reason to hurry. Ryan and I kept debating if we should go with a quartz or granite countertop but we could not find any inspiration to push us in that direction. I finally found some inspiration on Houzz one day. That weekend, Ryan and I went to Reclaimed Enterprise to see what they had available for possibilities.
After searching for a while, we finally landed on some old rail car planks. They caught our eye and were non-traditional so we knew we had to have them. Don’t worry though, we cleaned them up when we got home and added a nice layer of Marine Varnish to them. As always, I was nervous of any water damage from any spilling.
To keep the room from feeling too crowded, I knew we needed to do something different on top. I found some metal wine racks from VintageView.
picture
Since we are doing a small basement wine cellar, we could not add any storage on the right side of the cellar. I still wanted something more than just a blank wall through. We decided on a wine crate wall to add interest and depth. You can see our DIY wine crate wall HERE.
We finally have the large items done. However, we still need to switch out the door to the basement wine cellar and put something on the back wall. I cannot decide if I want to add wine glass racks or keep it simple and add a photo. I will keep you updated as we finish the space. We are a little slower now that we spend more of our time with the little guy. 🙂
Note: We did not make the basement wine cellar climate controlled. Both of us debated this option but decided we did not need it and we did not think it would drive a ROI if we sold the house.
If you have put a basement wine cellar in your house, what did you do for decor and storage?
Have a great day!
Love,
Shell
