Wine Closet Ideas (Design Pictures)

Welcome to our gallery of wine closet ideas including traditional cellars, under the stairs, wine racks and in the kitchen designs.
A wine closet is a small room with built in storage for wines. Wine closets are defined as a wine cellar that includes less than 500 bottles of wine. Wine can be kept in both barrels and bottles, occasionally in plastic containers, carboys, etc. Wine closets should be temperature controlled or be built underground to avoid and large temperature changes.

Wine closets can be either passive or active with their cooling. Active cooling requires advanced insulation and cooling systems. Active cooling is important in particularly dry climates, as humidity is (debatably) necessary for the ideal wine aging. Passive cooling do not require anything other than an average room, they just should be located underground, and in a dark humid area.

Wine closets housing 1 to 500 bottles of wine should be at least 25 square feet in size. When looking at about 1500 bottles, it will need to be at least 100 square feet. Anything exceeding a need of 500 square feet should not be stored in a home location. Situations that large should seek professional storage.

Wine Closet Features

Wine closets have a variety of different features that can be included in the design. Some of them are as follows.

Storage racks: Storage racks are essential when it comes to closets, especially wine closets. There are custom racks that can be designed around the use of wine storage.

Environment Control: Between ideal temperature and humidity levels, incorporating these environmental controls makes for the best ability to store wine.

Lighting: Lighting can be helpful for ambiance as well as being able to correctly read the labels on the bottles of wine.

Decorative doors and accessories: Again with the ambiance, wine closets have a sort of mental standard that they are held up to and including decorative doors and accessories is part of that.

Having certain vintage wines is often a major talking point when having guests, therefore there is often a chance that a host would bring one down to the wine closet to show off their best wines. This is when decorative doors and accessories are used to allow creativity and add personal touches to wine closet ideas.

Wine Closet Cost

The cost of creating a wine closet can vary based on a number of factors, some of them are listed below.

Location/Size: Being classified as a wine closet it alludes to it being a smaller room and holding under 500 bottles, putting it at about 30 square feet. This puts it on the lower side of the price range, unless the location needs a ton of work. If it is just an average room at about 30 square feet it should cost about $1000 to update anything for the location, size and shape of the room.

Storage: Looking into the shelving and the racks required to create a functional space is very important. Storage shelves or cabinets can run from $300 to $600 per square foot. Getting the racking system to properly displace and hold bottles, if that is the type of wine you are storing can be an extra $10 per bottle.

Refrigeration/Cooling: Refrigeration and cooling of these areas are not a requirement, but can be a great addition to a wine closet. They typically run about $1500 to add, on the lower scale with a small room to cool.

Temperature/Humidity Control: Again temperature and humidity control is not a requirement if placed in the correct location, but sometimes it is beneficial for the ideal wine closet storage areas. This type of system, on the low end for a smaller room, can set you back about $250.

Finishes: Finishes can be anything from flooring, painting, extra casework, doors, lighting, décor, etc. Personally I would give a hefty budget of about $6,000 to the project, as flooring can get expensive on its own, and spicing up the room can take the esthetic from storage closet to a true wine closet.

Overall it is a good estimate to have about $15,000 to play with when creating these spaces, in addition to the new expensive wines you will be adding to the cart once the room is complete. These prices are easily flexible based on the space you choose to use and the amenities that it already possesses.

Wine Cellar vs Wine Closet

Wine cellars hold pretty much the same concept as the wine closets. The biggest difference is that a wine cellar larger than 500 bottles while closets are under 500.

Wine Cellars often include wine tasting spots or separate areas for lounging or entertaining guests. These have much larger budgets than the wine closets discussed here.

Closet Wine Rack

Wine racks are especially important when it comes to red wines, as they are not typically cooled. These racks can be made out of a variety of finishes, and just need to be able to fit as many bottles as you have. A rack containing 16 bottles is usually about 20 inches wide and about 11 inches deep.

Wine Closet Under Stairs

One of the most commonly thought of locations for wine closet ideas is an unused area under a staircase. This has depth and could be a great use of space.

Unfortunately there are a few downsides to an under stairs design. The temperature under the stairs fluctuates very frequently, and people walk over the stairs, creating potential for the bottles to shake.

Additionally, this could be less cost effective than anticipated due to the need for all the shelves and racks to be custom built, as each staircase is a different size and shape.

Wine Closet in the Kitchen

Another popular spot for there to be a wine closet is in an outer part of the kitchen. This is helpful when limited space or budgeting is available as it creates a wine closet near a place to entertain. This is taking one of the perks of a wine cellar and using it in a creative way. Additionally, it is close by when you are drinking or cooking with wine.

This open concept kitchen with modern design has a corner wine closet within easy distance of the living room.

Wine Closet in Living Room

For those who love to entertain and have an impressive wine collection, a display in the living room can be a sought after feature. – interior designer Savannah.

Most wine closet ideas in this space have back lighting and down-lights to illuminate the space and give it a warm ambiance.

A modern living room with glass enclosed wine closet focal point.

Can I Put a Wine Refrigerator in a Closet?

Yes! You can put a wine fridge in a wine closet. This can take away the need to refrigerate the entire closet itself. Using a separate refrigerator in the closet can give a place for the special wines that require cooling, while any others can be stored outside of the refrigeration unit.

This modern dining room design with ring chandeliers makes the perfect place to display a large wine collection within easy reach when needed.

Picture window wine closet in hallway with brick wall, wine rack and storage.

This modern home wet bar features a wine closet, marble countertop and refrigerator.

Home bar with circular countertop island and wine closet.

This stylish man cave design with wine closet and accent wall makes a great spot for relaxing and entertaining guests.

With pivoting glass doors this wine closet under the stairs creates an interesting conversation piece near the entry to the home.

Wine racks can be slanted for proper wine storage and sorting the different types.

This large wine closet is displayed prominently right off the kitchen area.

Kitchen with wood accent wall, dark cabinetry, pendant lighting and a glass wine closet. Wine closet ideas often use elements such as lighting and accent walls to help create drama and visual interest for the design.

This modern kitchen has a wine closet with recessed and linear lighting, gray cabinetry with no upper cabinets and a dining peninsula.

Contemporary dining room with wine closet with black framed glass doors.

This interior design showcases a custom home bar under the stairs complete with a large wine refrigerator.