How to turn a pokey basement into a slick wine cellar - inspired ideas from FORMstudio

Yes, you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!  We transformed this seemingly redundant basement space into a stylish and practical feature of this London-based Edwardian semi through the creation of a wine room. 

The space resides beneath the hallway and originally contained the typical collection of gas and electricity meters, dusty boxes and old suitcases. It could only be reached by precarious and rickety steps.

Taking a cue from contemporary yacht design, the resulting temperature and humidity controlled wine tasting and display area offered a luxurious - but compact - space without needing to extend, adding value and delight to the house!

A new hardwood staircase leads down to the wine room, with a full height clear glass guarding to enhance the sense of light and openness.

Downstairs there is now hardwood flooring, a stone wine tasting counter and a sink. The existing meters have been hidden behind accessible panels. Full height mirror panels and illuminated custom made wine chillers maximise the feeling of space. 

Luxury can be created within smaller areas.