Room of the Day: Chilled Wine Box Makes a Fun Feature Wall
A narrow compartment of slate, glass, steel and cork adds surprise and utility to an open-plan room
Becky Harris
May 24, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Today’s Room of the Day story admittedly stretches the meaning of the word room, as it’s only 9 feet wide by 4 feet deep. This space is composed of a slate accent wall on one side and a refrigerated glass box full of wine on the other. Steel racks, rolling glass doors, stemware lighting and a surprising wine cork floor are elements in a space with standing room only.
Photos by Metropolis
Wine Cellar of the Day
What happens here: On one side, an accent wall creates a stunning focal point from the front door; on the other, wine is displayed and kept chilled.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Size: 36 square feet (3.3 square meters); 9 by 4 feet
Designer: Friedemann Weinhardt of Design First Interiors
The homeowners are a tech executive and his family, who bought the transitional-style home because of its stunning waterfront location. Before moving in, they renovated it to suit their taste for modern minimalism and to provide the appropriate walls, lighting and spaces for their art collection. “The house lent itself well to the modern open concept,” says designer Friedemann Weinhardt, founder of Design First Interiors. However, the wide-open floor plan was a little too open. When guests walked in the front door, they could see all the way to the other side of the house.
To give guests a place to pause at the entry, Weinhardt designed an accent wall that serves as a focal point. “It breaks up the space without closing off and separating the foyer,” he says. The new wall is a great spot to hang a painting and provides a backdrop for a sculptural bench. Entryway seating is a necessity for sitting and pulling off boots in Ottawa’s snowy climate.
Wine Cellar of the Day
What happens here: On one side, an accent wall creates a stunning focal point from the front door; on the other, wine is displayed and kept chilled.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Size: 36 square feet (3.3 square meters); 9 by 4 feet
Designer: Friedemann Weinhardt of Design First Interiors
The homeowners are a tech executive and his family, who bought the transitional-style home because of its stunning waterfront location. Before moving in, they renovated it to suit their taste for modern minimalism and to provide the appropriate walls, lighting and spaces for their art collection. “The house lent itself well to the modern open concept,” says designer Friedemann Weinhardt, founder of Design First Interiors. However, the wide-open floor plan was a little too open. When guests walked in the front door, they could see all the way to the other side of the house.
To give guests a place to pause at the entry, Weinhardt designed an accent wall that serves as a focal point. “It breaks up the space without closing off and separating the foyer,” he says. The new wall is a great spot to hang a painting and provides a backdrop for a sculptural bench. Entryway seating is a necessity for sitting and pulling off boots in Ottawa’s snowy climate.
The wall is wrapped in a thin stone veneer that is glued to backer board. “This is the only place in the house where we used slate, which kept the feature wall unique,” Weinhardt says.
The floors are engineered ash with a medium walnut stain. Engineered hardwood is the way to go for flooring when snowy boots are involved.
The floors are engineered ash with a medium walnut stain. Engineered hardwood is the way to go for flooring when snowy boots are involved.
The other side of the accent wall faces the dining room. Initially, Weinhardt planned to have built-in cabinetry for wine storage on this side, and the clients had planned on adding a wine room in the cellar. “But then it hit me that we could do a beautiful wine display case here,” he says. His clients were game and got involved, choosing a chandelier and a one-of-a-kind floor that fit in with the bottles.
Clear glass makes up three sides of the box, and the space inside is refrigerated. “You can hide the refrigeration unit and condenser remotely, like you would an HVAC system, which is what we did here,” Weinhardt says.
Clear glass makes up three sides of the box, and the space inside is refrigerated. “You can hide the refrigeration unit and condenser remotely, like you would an HVAC system, which is what we did here,” Weinhardt says.
While the homeowners’ style is minimalist, their collection is certainly not. Accessing it is easy thanks to rolling glass doors, which are typically used in showers.
With the doors open, it’s a little easier to see the chandelier, which is composed of wineglasses and lights. The stainless steel hardware and wine racks enhance the modern look.
Wineglass chandelier (similar): Elk Lighting
Wineglass chandelier (similar): Elk Lighting
Now about the floor: The owners had the idea to use real wine corks pulled from bottles. “I wasn’t there when they put in this part, but they are individually glued to the floor, which I’m sure was a painstaking installation,” Weinhardt says. (If you’ve ever tried making one of those wine cork bulletin boards, you know all about it.) The playful detail is a delightful surprise in the minimalist home and was worth the effort.
More: Key Measurements for a Wine Cellar
More: Key Measurements for a Wine Cellar
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I loved this idea from the first time I saw it a couple years ago and it's still #1 in my ideabook and what I hope to partially mimic in my own house. My big problem, though, and one I raised a question about in the original photo upload (still waiting on a response), are the gorgeous doors. If you look closely at the original photos (not shown in this article), it appears that there's up to a 1" gap between the glass walls and doors!! Is there some sort of seal that I'm not seeing?? Can the designer confirm???
How do you decide on cooling unit with glass walls and essentially no R value?
does one just increase the BTU of the unit?
please let me know because this is awesome!