Brightwalton Interior Redesign

As part of a larger interior design brief, the question of what to do with a dated hallway arose. 

During a site meeting, the client had mentioned to Dragonfly Home Design that they'd always wanted a wine cellar.

The budget wouldn't stretch to a new underground vault, so we saw this as a great way to repurpose a dusty understairs cupboard. 

The existing cupboard and radiator were removed before rewiring and plastering.

Although the staircase was structurally sound, it required a complete makeover to bring it up to date and allow more light in to the hallway. 

Having levelled the floor, the decision was made to retain the slate tiles and create a mat well around the front door.  

The 1970's banisters and newel posts were removed and classic 41mm square spindles installed in new base rails. It's important to understand building regs when working on staircases.

 
In keeping with the new internal doors and flooring, oak handrails and newel caps were fitted.

To finish the stairs, a beautiful oak D-end bottom step was installed along with extra oak treads and risers. 

Once the new oak floor had been laid, we turned our attention to constructing the cellar, starting with a frame for the glass frontage.

Dragonfly produced an accurate MDF template which was used by a local glass specialist to produce a 9mm toughened glass panel. 

Although a little nervous when the glass arrived, it slid in to place with no adjustment required.




 

With the frame complete, a 'secret' door was fitted to create an enclosure, 

 
The client had purchased high quality oak wine racks from John Lewis, which Dragonfly repurposed and adapted to fit the triangular space

Programable, but subtle, LED lighting was installed before the pleasurable task of filling the racks with wine and beer commenced.  

The finished cellar creates a functional and beautiful focal point in the hallway that never ceases to amaze new visitors.

Any understairs area has the potential to be converted in to a fun and functional feature. You don't need a huge budget to add some 'wow' to your home. 

Have a chat with Dragonfly Home Design to find out how we can help.