Being The Wine Glass Photographer, it was a continual wish of mine to have my own wine room. Well, finally after years of seemingly ignored birthday wishes and dandelions gone with the wind, it happened, and I'm here to give you my step-by-step guide to help fulfill your wine room dreams.. even if you didn't yet realize you had one yet!
Step One: Choose a Statement Piece
If I can offer any tip when first designing your wine haven, pick a statement piece and then design around that. For me, I knew I wanted to showcase my wine glass prints so a gallery wall was the focal point for me. It could be a piece of furniture that you already have or a must have decor item. Having this piece will make it so much easier in guiding your thoughts for the rest of the room.
Step Two: Decide Your Design Aesthetic
It important to determine what design aesthetics you are going for with the look and feel of the room. I kept going back and forth between a rustic or modern design. To me, that was like having to choose between a flute of champagne or a glass of red wine, which lead me to the same conclusion.. I’ll have both! I was determined to combine the rustic-modern tones like a well- blended glass of Chianti..cheers!
Step 3: Choose Colors to Compliment
Now that the feel of the atmosphere of the room has been set, it’s time to choose complimenting colors and textures as they go hand in hand in setting the feel of the room. For tackling this task, I used wine barrels for my inspiration. I was drawn to the brown toned wood and metal rings found on wine barrels. The neutral brown, wood tones and textures mixed with touches of gray and metal was the perfect balance to create a rustic - modern vibe for the room.
When deciding on what to do with my walls, they were already covered in a light gray paint so I focused on just one wall to add a dramatic look upon entering the room. I, endlessly, searched traditional wallpaper, as well as, peel & stick wallpaper to give a textured look (brick, wood, wine crate, patterns, etc). But the hunt abruptly stopped when good ol' Instagram knew my inner thoughts and desires and.. bam! a Stikwood advertisement popped up on my newsfeed. As kind of creepy as that may seem, I welcomed the mind intrusion with open arms because it was exactly what I was looking to transform the space. Stikwood is just as magical as it sounds.. thin wood panels that have three adhesive strips that stick to the wall. Genius.
Step 4: Pick Your Decor & Decorate
This stage is my favorite because I got to break out my inner Joanna Gaines! This is the time to get to the computer for online shopping goodies, markets for antiques & rare finds and local shops for that extra special touch.
While browsing around can be a ton of fun, it can also quickly become an overwhelming task. Being that we have the world at our fingertips, sometimes there are just too many options for our own good. To not let my room become a hodgepodge of random decor, it helped me to sketch the room first to see where and which items fit best. If drawing isn’t your thing, you can use online home design apps or simply create a list of must have pieces and another list for wish-list add-ons. By doing this, you’ll be able to better determine which decor items you need verses which ones you’ll add if there’s extra space to fill. Oh, and don’t forget to take measurements and use them when adding pieces to your room. (The last thing you want to do is to order the wrong size and have to deal with disappointment and added stress of returns!).
When factoring in the dimensions of my room, I decided to forgo purchasing a whole wine barrel, and instead, bought half a wine barrel to save space. Not only, was it a better fit in the room, but I sought one with a shelf for extra display space for my wine bottles... win-win.
As for the added touches, I found Etsy to be the perfect spot for unique, handcrafted designs while top known brands, such as PotteryBarn and Ballard Designs, for the stand alone pieces. I wanted to tastefully have cohesion throughout the room, so I had to make sure to avoid the 'in your face' wine decor. Subtlety was my goal. To achieve this feat, I used wine barrel decor as my linking source. The wine barrel tray on the chaise, the wooden barrel stave as the clock and the metal barrel ring for wall art. Being that I already had the half wine barrel shelf, I made sure to only use hints of the barrel for the remainder of the room design.
Step 5: Sip in Style
Once your final piece is in place and aromas from the lit candles fill the room, take a moment to admire your work. Then take several more to enjoy 'a-job-well-done' filled glass of your favorite wine!
I'd love to see your wine room and what inspired your design so shout out or tag my instagram: @thewineglassphotographer so I can sneak a peek!
**Important to note: it doesn't have to be a whole room, but rather a special space dedicated to your love of wine (as there's never a place too small or too big when it comes to appreciating wine!)