There are projects that the Whole Cellar team is particularly proud of, not just because of how they were able to implement it, but because of the difficulty they experienced in achieving that perfect job. The Playa Vista wine cellar under stairs project is one of those jobs.

Why was it singled out among the many projects the team completed, you might ask? Well, it has to do with the “unusual” wine cellar area proposed by this client to be turned into a wine cellar: underneath the stairs of his house. Yes, the picture you are seeing above really was the area where he was asking the team to set up a wine storage area in his home. As you can imagine, there were a lot of structural hindrances that the team had to consider before drawing up a plan for the project in the first place.

But hey, Whole Cellar did not win the Best of Houzz 2015 awards for nothing; the team is well-accustomed to accepting challenging jobs that require a high quality of craftsmanship, and the Playa Vista project proved no different. Read on to discover how they took up  the challenge; the process is documented below!

Is it ‘Cool’ Enough?

Even though this was the first time the client had requested that contractor provide him with a wine cellar, he had an impressive knowledge of wine storage principles that he was already portraying. For one, he already owned a standalone refrigerated cabinet by Le Cache, and he knew that a standing temperature of 57-degree Fahrenheit was needed to ensure that his fine wine collection matured properly. Of course, it just so happened that the space underneath the stairway was the only place available for this purpose.

Los Angeles Home Wine Cellars – Playa Vista Project Wine refrigeration systems can be notoriously bulky. The original idea of making a glass wall enclosure–on which the front of it was supposed to be refrigerated–in the area underneath the stairs was quite improbable for this project. And, not to mention, very costly too.

However, since the client already owns a single refrigeration system, the team suggested he move 200 of his fine wine bottle collection to the Le Cache refrigerator and leave the rest of his collection to be stored “passively”–that is, to be put inside the wine cellar for the sole means of displaying it to visitors.

The client agreed to the idea, and then the team set about designing the wine racks that would be used for the cellar.

A Mix-and-Match of Racks

As you can see from the picture above, the Whole Cellar team had to account for the slope of the stairway above the area, in order to design the wine rack accordingly. They also decided to include some “elements” from popular wine rack designs like diamond bins and rectangular storage bins to create a custom wine rack that is truly one of a kind.

Since one of the main purposes of this wine cellar project was to display the client’s wine bottle collection, having a high-reveal display row was of the utmost importance for the rack. Pitched at a fifteen-degree angle, this angle afforded the wine rack a sleek and thoroughly modern look.

All openings in this wine rack were also made to be “universal”; in other words, it has been designed to be wide enough for just about any large wine bottles like champagnes or burgundies to be stored inside it.  A modified countertop was also included in the design of the wine rack so as to allow people a simple “table” where they can set wine bottles or glasses, in case they would like to have an impromptu wine tasting session.

Finally, the wine rack came in an Alder wood design, and it was finished off with a rustic stain look that perfectly matched the flooring in the rest of the house.

A Unique Addition to the Whole Cellar Portfolio

The client was very pleased with how the Playa Vista wine cellar under stairs project turned out after three months of hard work. If you have a similar idea in mind, but do not know how you can go about it, then you can always call Whole Cellar’s toll-free number at +1 (888) 735-8889 and get a FREE 3D wine cellar design!