What should I decide first in a wine cellar remodel?

A wine room is an insulated box with racking in it. The build is about keeping a stable temperature and humidity — which decides the door, the lining and where it can go — and only then about how the bottles are displayed.

What goes wrong most often?

A converted cupboard with no vapour barrier, so the surrounding structure takes the moisture. A cooling unit exhausting into the same space it is cooling.

Will it work in a small wine cellar?

A 4×6ft room, properly sealed and cooled, holds several hundred bottles and works. A large room that is not sealed is just a cold cupboard with an expensive door.

Can I see it on my own wine cellar before starting?

Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.

How to Light a Wine Cellar

The layer people skip, and the one that makes the rest of the work visible. A small room where the temperature matters more than the joinery.

BeforeAfter

1
The plan
LED only, and as little of it as does the job — heat is the enemy and traditional lamps put it straight into the room. Light the labels from the front rather than washing the racks, and put everything on a switch that is off by default.
2
What it has to light
The elements the work touches — insulation and vapour barrier, racking layout, cooling unit, door and seal — are what the lighting has to make legible. Finishes chosen under a showroom's light and lit badly at home look like different materials.
3
Where lighting goes wrong here
Halogen display lighting cooking the top row.

Questions

What should I decide first in a wine cellar remodel?: A wine room is an insulated box with racking in it. The build is about keeping a stable temperature and humidity — which decides the door, the lining and where it can go — and only then about how the bottles are displayed.
What goes wrong most often?: A converted cupboard with no vapour barrier, so the surrounding structure takes the moisture. A cooling unit exhausting into the same space it is cooling.
Will it work in a small wine cellar?: A 4×6ft room, properly sealed and cooled, holds several hundred bottles and works. A large room that is not sealed is just a cold cupboard with an expensive door.
Can I see it on my own wine cellar before starting?: Yes — photograph the space and run it through the Studio. It is generated imagery, so compare the render against your photo rather than treating it as a plan.

How to Light a Wine Cellar

The plan

What it has to light

Where lighting goes wrong here

Questions