Our wine cellar: part 3 and reveal

Our wine cellar is a huge source of pride in our home. We love it!
 We didn't have air conditioning in our home for two years but we had a cooling unit for the wine cellar. I know, our priorities are all messed up! At least we had lots of cool  wine to dink away those hot summer days:)

Here is it is- our cellar:

We are currently running low-ish on wine since we restock in fall/winter during wine making season.
We painted the walls a light buttery color, installed wooden crown moldings stained walnut, and the wine racks were also stained walnut. Yes, we stained and assembled all these wine racks- it took forever!!! The wine racks were purchased at Aux Plaisirs du Bacchus on Bernard Avenue in Montreal.
You can also see the end result of the travertine floor. It's just the right look for a wine cellar.

 

We use an old wine barrel to decorate a corner of the room and we got some wooden wine boxes from our local liquor store to hide some wine making supplies. Tip: In Montreal if you ask your local S.A.Q. for some wooden boxes they'll give them to you for a small donation.

 We have a small bistro table in the room, mainly for good looks. We don't actually drink in the room because it's cold in there (10-12 degrees celsius). 

View from the wine room into the living room. We installed an exterior grade cedar wood door. Ideally, the wine should be in a dark room and the door shouldn't have glass. But I wanted to be able to see into the wine room from the living room so we decided on this door. The room is large enough that the light that flows in doesn't disturb the wine

View into the wine room from the living room. Love it!

The light fixture was purchased at Home Depot and it's the right size. color, a style for the room. Just to add some pizazz we also installed a decorative medallion.

I think it's now clear to everyone that I love my wine. Every year since we've been married Tony and I have made wine, about 200-250 bottles each year. We also like to buy some inexpensive bottles and of course we love it when our friends bring us gifts of wine bottles- hint, hint! LOL- just kidding:)

Smiles,
Nancy

linking to Between naps on the porch and other parties on my Party Link page

Victorian inspired vestibule

 The vestibule is as important as any other part of the home. It is the first glimpse a guest gets of your style and what to expect in the rest of the home. Our vestibule left much to be desired- to say the least! Walls were covered with yellow flowery tile, while the floor was (and unfortunately still is) tiled with red flowery tiles. Tony would jokingly say we could add a toilet and turn it into a bathroom.

Notice the two different styles of tile- one on the floor the other on the walls. Also, on the left is the old oil heater radiator and on the right the new convect air heaters.

The inspiration for the vestibule was the Victorian-style homes so common in Montreal with rich wood paneling. I love this look because of its heavy presence. I know the light and airy look is very hot right now but their is something about the rich wood I just love. Also, in Montreal we have cold slushy winters that would just make a mess on lighter colors in our narrow vestibule.

Here are some inspiration images:

My 1960s home does not have double wood doors nor stained glass, but maybe one day... This house is currently on the market. see it on MLS

http://passerelle.centris.ca/Redirect2.aspx?CodeDest=LKAUFMAN&NoMls=MT8556995&Source=WWW.REALTOR.CA&Langue=E

Just beautiful! This house is also on the market in Montreal. See it on http://passerelle.centris.ca/Redirect2.aspx?CodeDest=SUTTON&NoMls=MT8551767&Source=WWW.REALTOR.CA&Langue=E

I obviously don't have the space nor budget for the grand style of woodwork. Nevertheless I decided to get to work.

It looks as if I'm building a giant door but it's what will become the wall paneling

This is perhaps for a little more advanced DIYer- but if you are feeling adventurous I encourage you to give it a try.

Step 1: I purchased two pieced of veneered birch wood sheets 3/4 of an inch think (8 feet by 4 feet) and had them cut into my desired sizes at the hardware store (I don't have a table saw and the cost of getting it cut at the store is minimal).
Step 2: I had each sheet cut into 9 inch strips. Four of the 9 inch strips were then cut to 30 inches in length. These formed the vertical pieces on the wall.
Step 3: I also purchased two thin sheets of 1/8 birch wood (again 4 feet by 8 feet) and used it to fill the gaps between the  birch veneers.
Step 4: Using PL glue and a nail gun assembled the pieces.
Step 5: Trim was added to the top of the paneling and between the transition from the thicker veneer to the thin wood. (The trimming between the veneers is a little more difficult to cut so that the corners are tight. I will blog about this at a later date or email me if you want to know right away.)p 8
Step 6: Stain the wood using a walnut colored stain
Step 7: Glue to the wall using PL glue.
Step 8: Marvel at your hard work!

Tip: Don't forget to change the trim around the doors to match the wall paneling.

Cost: Approximately $400 including the crown molding 

The Result: 

I added a bamboo rug to help tone down the busy floor

On the wall is a print of Jack Vettriano The Singing Butler (image below) I bought at the Bombay Company.

Now all I need is a beautiful entrance door with a large windowpane, but more (financially) realistic is an umbrella stand. Any suggestion???

Let me know if you have any questions and tell us what you think!

See the follow-up post about some ideas I'm thinking of on how to jazz up the space.

I'm attending: