Wine Cellar Renovation

wine cellar

RENOVATION

Story by Liesel Schmidt | Photography Courtesy of June Shea

With a background in store interiors, June Shea honed her skills as a designer and founded her own business in 1990, turning her focus to designing interior spaces in 1997. Since then, Shea Studio has worked with countless clients on bringing out the best in their homes. Having worked with particular clients on their kitchen, powder room, living room and master bedroom, it eventually came time to create a customized wine room in the small basement of their townhome. The objective, as well as the challenge, was to accommodate a rather extensive 400-bottle wine collection as well as a tasting area and washer and dryer, still allowing space enough for an adult child to stay while visiting. “The size of the space, the low ceiling height and little quirks in a circa 1800 house were all things that we had to contend with during the project,” says Shea. “There were so many goals to accomplish, so we had to find solutions.” After four months of planning, the construction finally began in June of 2021. “All immovable objects were removed. The drywall ceiling came out and we left the beams exposed, partly because they were original to the space and showed evidence of a long-ago fire and also because we got extra head room,” Shea recalls. “I removed walls and created a laundry closet and an open sleeping/lounging nook. Then, we used the old well, long ago filled with concrete, to become something of a tasting area. The lack of ceiling height meant that everything had to be customized, from the racking to the cabinetry. We even removed an unsightly cabinet that covered up a gas meter and enclosed it with a custom cabinet.” Even with all of its many quirks, the project was one that Shea took great enjoyment in. “My clients love to challenge me to find solution[s] and I just love the way it all pulled together; the custom chairs made from wine barrels, the chandelier made from wine bottles, the sconce I made with a welder friend where I used a cobalt blue bottle as the shade, the live edge tasting table with the Bordeaux colored river, the barn doors that hide the HVAC and laundry. There was nothing but special features in the space and we utilized every inch of available space under and around the steps and above the old well, where my contractor created a shelf that we repurposed as a bourbon display.” In total, five months of work were poured into the project. “My clients are over the moon,” says Shea of the space, which has a particularly Old-World Tuscan feel that reminds her clients of the tasting rooms in Europe. “They’ve had many wine tastings in the new space and their guests are in awe of the transformation.”

The transformation was, indeed, awe-inspiring, and one that Shea takes great pride in. “As challenging as it was,” Shea says, “these are the things that keep me passionate about my work, even after 30 years.”

testimonial

"Working with June was like having a trusted extension of our family at work in our home, She allowed us to express ourselves while giving us choices that would all work together! She gave us the courage to make bold choices and to make what looked like an impossibly tiny dark space into our favorite space!"

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