WINE rooms appear to be yet another of the enduring legacies of lockdown. Whereas we might have designed the occasional one in the past, now just about every project seems to include a wine room or wine display area, says interior designer Philippa Thorp. Nowadays, we want to have a little fun with our wine and show it off, rather than cellaring it away so that no one knows it is there. Although there are all sorts of ways of designing wine rooms to suit individual taste and size and value of collections, what they share, says Mrs Thorp, is a celebration of the magic of display. Make the wine worth looking at, just as you might a piece of art, she says. Choose beautiful materials, such as felt and velvet mixed with metal and wood, perhaps with an aged stone floor, and light it well.’
In a recent project, Thorp Design created a basement den, with areas for playing music, singing, playing poker and drinking wine late into the evening. Unlike traditional cellars, these are interactive spaces, designed to be enjoyed with friends, she says. In this room, frameless transparent glass doors offer excellent views of the bottles, stored in bespoke joinery, with a wine fridge to condition bottles ready for drinking. ‘Lighting accentuates the sense of theatre, a rustic brick floor introduces texture and different styles of shelving create interest,’ she notes.
Denne historien er fra January 24, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra January 24, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery