Mountainside Wine Room
This project evolved from the owners desire to utilize a unique cavern-like space discovered while investigating the tall crawlspace areas created by building his home on a steep hillside. This space was created by blasting of the all-rock site during excavation for the residence.
A new wine room was designed for this unique space and large elements of the existing Andesite bedrock, which projected into the space, were incorporated into the design.
Through careful layout and superb craftsmanship, storage for 1100 bottles of wine was accomplished. Along with racking layouts, storage for magnums, wine cases, wine glasses, and display niches for significant and sentimental bottles of wine were created.
The architect-designed, custom wine racks were fabricated from two lattices of select maple strips, joined by intersecting square maple cross slats at the four corners of each bottle space. This detail mirrored other custom furniture and tableware, designed by the architect, previously expressed within the house. These wine racks and niches have stainless steel panels at their backs, which shimmer when highlighted by the integral, recessed strip lighting.
The unique beauty of this room comes from the juxtaposition of the finely crafted hardwoods in strict and regular geometric grids, creating the wine racks, against the raw and natural forms and shapes of the native rock.
Extensive shop drawing review and close coordination with the contractor and craftsman resulted in accurate layouts with ceiling and panel joint cover strips, light fixtures, and existing rock outcroppings. Some moisture occurs naturally through cracks in the rock inside this underground space, which provides a natural source of humidity for the wine storage. Supplemental mechanical systems, specific to this room regulate temperature and humidity, through a finely machined grill, carefully detailed into one wall, for the accurate preservation and health of the wine.
The use of natural stone flooring, maple cabinets, and granite countertops, is consistent with other rooms of this contemporary residence.
The resultant combination of fine craftsmanship and rugged natural beauty creates a useful and exciting “surprise” space which is the highlight of any visit to this home.
A new wine room was designed for this unique space and large elements of the existing Andesite bedrock, which projected into the space, were incorporated into the design.
Through careful layout and superb craftsmanship, storage for 1100 bottles of wine was accomplished. Along with racking layouts, storage for magnums, wine cases, wine glasses, and display niches for significant and sentimental bottles of wine were created.
The architect-designed, custom wine racks were fabricated from two lattices of select maple strips, joined by intersecting square maple cross slats at the four corners of each bottle space. This detail mirrored other custom furniture and tableware, designed by the architect, previously expressed within the house. These wine racks and niches have stainless steel panels at their backs, which shimmer when highlighted by the integral, recessed strip lighting.
The unique beauty of this room comes from the juxtaposition of the finely crafted hardwoods in strict and regular geometric grids, creating the wine racks, against the raw and natural forms and shapes of the native rock.
Extensive shop drawing review and close coordination with the contractor and craftsman resulted in accurate layouts with ceiling and panel joint cover strips, light fixtures, and existing rock outcroppings. Some moisture occurs naturally through cracks in the rock inside this underground space, which provides a natural source of humidity for the wine storage. Supplemental mechanical systems, specific to this room regulate temperature and humidity, through a finely machined grill, carefully detailed into one wall, for the accurate preservation and health of the wine.
The use of natural stone flooring, maple cabinets, and granite countertops, is consistent with other rooms of this contemporary residence.
The resultant combination of fine craftsmanship and rugged natural beauty creates a useful and exciting “surprise” space which is the highlight of any visit to this home.
