10 fantastic ideas to transform a basement into a sophisticated wine cellar

Ideas for furnishing a basement are many: you can use closets, wardrobes, even building study corners, bathrooms, a "room" for pets, a mini lounge and more. More rarely, however, it is considered to transform these, often narrow and not very cosy spaces, into a wine cellar.

However, if they are equipped in the right way, they truly become an element of great value - irresistible for all those who are true admirers of wines. Filling these "difficult" areas with the shelves that will hold the bottles allows them to become a much better, more attractive feature than using a closet for the same purpose. And being able to see the wine collection through a glass door, for example, is a tasteful touch to the home's decor. Get inspiration from the ideas below:

The shelves that hold the wine bottles can be made of various materials such as concrete or metal, but the one that is preferred is always wood. In particular, we recommend fir or chestnut wood, which are the types that guarantee the maintenance of the right levels of humidity.

Metal, on the other hand, heats up easily, and heat is the enemy of wine.

Cellars do not necessarily have to be so large that you can enter them standing up - as long as you can comfortably reach each bottle and, if necessary, there is enough lighting to see which wine to choose.

With more ambitious projects, air-conditioned environments can be created. In fact, for the conservation of wines it is advisable to maintain a mostly stable temperature, without large thermal fluctuations. You must not go below 10 degrees C or rise above 22 degrees C (50 degrees F min / 72 degrees F max).

These insulated, air-conditioned environments also have controlled humidity levels. In fact, when the air is too dry, the wine can become spoiled. Excessive humidity, on the other hand, does not create as many problems (but could ruin the labels). The recommended levels is generally between 60 and 80% humidity (similar to storing cigars).

These cellars are often illuminated in a tasteful way - but be careful: when the light is too strong, it can also ruin the wine (since light produces heat). Therefore, avoid using spotlights that are placed too close to the bottles or have their light pointed directly on the wine.

When the flights of stairs to the cellar are steep, the basement ceiling is usually high and therefore allows you to create a room which you can enter still standing up. In this case, you can spoil yourself with having a decorated access door.

.. and the access door can be styled so that it fits in with the decor of the house - be it modern, rustic or some other theme.

And wine storage areas that can be seen from all sides, thanks to large glass windows, are extremely attractive.

And one could even consider enclosing the space under the staircase - the spandrel - completely in glass to create a unique, sleek-looking wine cellar.

Would you like to have a wine cellar in your home?