This couple wanted to create a space in their Upper West Side apartment dedicated to displaying and enjoying wines. While they didn't have a lot of kitchen space, they did have this under-the-stairs closet, ripe for transformation.
The homeowners were connected with Ecostruct, a Brooklyn-based design/build firm, through TheSweeten, a service that aims to connect New Yorkers with design professionals for renovations of all kinds. The Ecostruct team added a wine fridge and a storage cabinet with a carrara marble countertop, with lighting and shelving for more bottles above.
The homeowners are very happy with their new space — it's a perfect place to store and enjoy their wine collection, and even serves as a breakfast bar, making it an important addition to their small galley kitchen.
For more about this project, including lots more photos, check out TheSweeten's blog, The Sweet Spot.
(Images: TheSweeten)
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Um, shouldn't wine bottles be stored on their sides? You kow, so the corks don't dry out ...?
eh, depends on how long you'll take to drink them. should be fine.
a) They have a wine fridge below the counter that will store bottles on their sides, and b) this only makes a difference if you are planning on cellaring bottles for long periods of time. Most wine is not made to be aged, and it will not suffer for being stored upright for a while.
Great use of a drab space for something you love, Beautiful.
What a great use of the space.
Most wine is not meant to be aged??? What wines are you drinking? Most wine I buy is designed to be aged for at least 3 years or longer.
And while I'll agree that if you drink the wine quickly, you could argue that storing them upright is OK, but I'm a firm believer that all wine should be on it's side, no matter how long it takes you to drink it.
Love the marble counter.
Most of the upright bottles aren't wines anyway - they're spirits and cordials.
Great use of space!
Chill out, it's wine, not kittens. You can store it as you see fit.
Do the stools store on the counter when the door is closed? It's an excellent space and it's probably really fun to swing open the doors when someone comes over for the first time. "Would you care for a drink?" Whoosh. "Coooooooooooool."
Oh my! I love the use of space, the color and the design! I want this bar closet in my house!
Can you provide the source of the pendant lights? Thank you!
I'd love to hear the story of the tennis balls in with the Moet...quirk, photo staging or functional? Either way it's a clever way to get more color in there.
Well, how SHOULD kittens be stored?
Anything turned into a bar is alright in my book
I tend to keep my kittens out on display, artfully arranged in a basket that gets full sun. I'm very proud of how well curated my kitten collection is.
Kittens don't age well, however. Eventually they escape the basket, track litter everywhere, and turn into cranky, full-sized cats.
hi ghostmouse! here's a link to the pendant lamps, they were purchased from lighting by gregory -- http://lightingbygregory.com/lighting/product/et2-e94410-18sn.html
Kittens? On their sides, of course.
Kittens should definitely be stored in their own individual glass.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/cuteridiculous-animal-thi_n_220702.html
Puppies, on the other hand, belong on the shelf.
I am 100 percent confident that kittens should always be displayed with their stripes running horizontally. If they're black, orange, or otherwise solid, then heads up is all that matters.
:)
meecee, that is such a clever way to mock those stuffy "wines on their sides" comments.
Thanks, donkenzie. I have to say the thread has improved. :) There should be an AT post on DIY kitten glasses and puppy shelves.
As for "what wines are you drinking?!" the answer is "what I buy at Trader Joe's." We drink wine like Europeans in our house: cheaply and in quantity.
THIS SPACE ROCKS.
The kitten and pup comments are hilarious...thanks for a laugh on this cold, rainy and gloomy day!!
You AT posters also ROCK!!
This is a great use of the space.
Delightful design & commentary.
I have a much smaller closet in my living room that I would love to turn into something useful. I already have three (yes, three) lovely and functional computer stations, and most of my friends and I don't drink. If I serve alcohol, it's a bottle of wine someone brought for themselves and a date.
Any ideas for another use? A sewing closet wouldn't be elegant and fun in a living room.
Would love to be inspired. Maybe I take a picture and submit it as a Good Question.
Nifty and well-done!
@marigny You could do the same thing as the bar, but just focus on coffee and tea. Teapot, electric kettle, cups, mugs, french press etc.
I obviously dont know how to reply, so I am reposting my reply from below:
@marigny You could do the same thing as the bar, but just focus on coffee and tea. Teapot, electric kettle, cups, mugs, french press etc.
Why couldn't a sewing closet be elegant? Fabric and supplies could be stored beautifully, and are often decorative just on their own. I guess it would be up to you to keep it neat enough for prime time -- that would be the challenge..
Karate chopped kittens...hehe...that one made me laugh.
Okay, Eelie's reply made me laugh.
@Eelie: Thank you - I really needed that.
Also, I can't remember the last time I bought a wine that had a genuine, might-dry-out cork in it that needed to be stored on its side.
Most of my kittens also come with screwtops.
screwtops...lol, that's a good one, too.
Love this space! The only think I would personally change is to paint the ceiling the same color and the walls....but it probably looks different if person. Great job!!!
Thumbs up!
I am so over the karate chopped kitten look. It's so unnatural.
thank you for posting information on the proper storage of kittens. it has made my otherwise depressing day worth a bit of a chuckle.
Absolutely brilliant - love it!!
Your all wrong. Wine is best stored upside down along with some of the frowns on here
@jcudesigns: not all wine is meant to be aged, and even if a wine CAN be aged (again, not all wine CAN be aged, some actually get worse with time, and no, this doesn't mean it's a bad quality wine), it doesn't mean you can't drink it before that time. It really does depend on the wine, please don't generalize.
Best AT thread ever!
Kittens are properly stored in bins, as shown here:
http://storageandglee.blogspot.com/2010/04/kitties-stored.html
Keep calm and purr on...
I like Maggie13's idea--like a general refreshment bar, not just for alcohol. You could also do a mini-library? A lamp, inlet for a chair, and shelving for some books. Just a thought!
I love what you did with your space! Beautiful.
The stools seem to me unnecessary and there's nowhere to put your knees.
lmao!
Please invite me over...I would be there in a NY minute...with my own cup...lol!
Sooooooo cool!!!!
Certainly puts the "bar" in breakfast bar.
Stunning. And coffee bar and book nook are such super ideas, too!
Thanks for all the awesome comments and to The Sweeten for featuring our project. I read APT religiously and am pysched that our little project made it to these pages! The space used to be a dark home office/closet which we never use and now it's always a pleasant surprise for visitors. Hello espressos and cocktails :)
brilliant makeover, great vision. well done. great use of space.
I love it - wish I had stairs in my ranch.
The only thing I would have changed/asked for is to cut the end of the shelf that meets the angle of the stairs to match the stair angle. Otherwise, it's all good.
right on
Effing Brilliant.