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It is no secret that I love wine. Indeed, I am fresh off a glorious week with my family celebrating our 40^th wedding anniversary in Napa Valley. Can you guess which restaurant we celebrated at?

But instead of talking about the fabulous wines that come out of Napa California (don’t get me started, I won’t stop), I want to talk about wine as a design feature.

Wine has become a powerful icon in our society. It used to be thought of only for the well-to-do class. But that is no longer the case. Whether it’s a crisp Italian white on a balmy afternoon or a juicy California red with friends on a cool evening around the fire, there is a certain elegance to sipping wine out of a beautiful, stemmed wine glass. You will often find a couple of glass of wine strategically placed in the model home photos.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the traditional wine storage with wines stored side by side in cherry wood with the bottle end facing out. Very efficient for wine storage (you know how housing loves that word “density”).  This is great for storing wine but falls short when it comes to displaying wine.

Perhaps you’ve seen the cabinets with a lattice pattern in place of upper cabinets with wine glasses hanging below.

You immediately recognize it is wine storage. Very decorative, but without the density and you still have to remove each bottle of wine to see it is. This is great for a model home when you don’t want to invest in a lot of wine but not as great for displaying the wine.

That’s where a label forward method of wine storage excels.  After all, the labels on many bottles of wine are art gallery worthy. It is also easier to recognize and locate the wine you may be looking for. From a design perspective, label forward display has transformed wine storage to an interior design feature.

Wine display can be a simple suggestion over a set of cabinet just off the kitchen to elaborate glass enclosed alcoves to entire rooms. It can also capture the unused space under the stairs suggesting the wine is stored in a cellar.

Wine displayed is often seen in the models of 55+ communities. Here, it is a suggestion of fun and an entirely a new lifestyle targeting a buyer who is no longer raising a family. Anyone who has been at the Villages town center at happy hour knows how much the 55+ crowd there likes to party. Let’s not forget, an entire community has been created around the margarita.

I would love to see your favorite wine display. Email me at housing design matters. And if you want to talk about my favorite winery in Napa valley – give me a call. And if you’re taking notes, I like a juicy cabernet from the Napa region – just putting that out there!