Double Take: 'Floating' Wine Bottles Rack Up Style Points
Look closely to spy the secret of this wine rack, concocted by a clever homeowner needing a design workaround
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
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A unique, gravity-defying wine rack caught my eye while I was browsing Houzz the other day. The horizontal bottles appear to float straight out from the wall in this midcentury home's kitchen. Clever homeowner and interior designer Megan Oldenburger, along with her contractor, Tom Mayone, designed the wine rack as part of a larger solution to a design problem.
"As part of the kitchen renovation, I wanted to open up a wall where two unattractive structural poles were supporting a huge beam holding up a portion of the second story," she says. "I hated the idea of breaking up the flow of the space and having a metal pole smack dab in the seamless countertop, but in reality I couldn't get rid of the poles without breaking the bank." Thus, she came up with a plan to make this structural necessity an attractive and functional part of her kitchen.
"As part of the kitchen renovation, I wanted to open up a wall where two unattractive structural poles were supporting a huge beam holding up a portion of the second story," she says. "I hated the idea of breaking up the flow of the space and having a metal pole smack dab in the seamless countertop, but in reality I couldn't get rid of the poles without breaking the bank." Thus, she came up with a plan to make this structural necessity an attractive and functional part of her kitchen.
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| This is the image that made me do a double take. The structural pole now provides a base for the wine bottles, which are practically begging to be pulled down and uncorked. |
"The inspiration for the design came from my cabinet hardware and oven pull. On one of my many trips to Lowe's for this renovation project, I noticed brushed aluminum rods that looked almost identical to some of my cabinet hardware. I brought home a few rods and showed my contractor and friend Tom Mayone," she says.
Mayone covered the unsightly pole in a beautiful walnut box and added wiring inside so that it could house electric outlets. The box has enough room to house the outlets as well as 2-by-4s to support the rods and the weight of the wine bottles.
Mayone covered the unsightly pole in a beautiful walnut box and added wiring inside so that it could house electric outlets. The box has enough room to house the outlets as well as 2-by-4s to support the rods and the weight of the wine bottles.
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| Mayone drilled holes through the walnut and into the 2-by-4s, then fit the rods into the holes. Oldenburger recommends using tape while drilling to minimize splintering. "Measure your cuts on the aluminum rods by the length of the bottle and then add the additional inches for the wood which will hold it in place," she says. Each bottle is cradled by two rods, giving it the appearance that it is floating. Oldenburger also kept in mind that the rack would not always be full of bottles. "The empty rods created a sculptural work of art that echoed the cabinet pulls in the kitchen," she says. She used a fine-grit sandpaper to give these rods a brushed nickel look that matches her kitchen hardware. |
The home project inspired Oldenburger's furniture design business. "I loved the effect so much that I decided to incorporate the design into my furniture making by creating a live-edge hanging walnut rack that looks as pretty empty as it does full," she says.
Your turn: Has a picture on Houzz made you do a double take? Share it with us in the Comments section and we'll try to figure out how they did that.
Your turn: Has a picture on Houzz made you do a double take? Share it with us in the Comments section and we'll try to figure out how they did that.
Ideabook updated on Feb. 12, 2013.
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I store some wine on this pilaster next to the bar that needed to be built when we added on. The walls of old and new didn't match exactly so wah-la...
We ideally recommend a darker, cooler space for wines though.
Definitely take into account aspects like temperature control, humidity, lighting and more when looking into long term storage.
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