A Wine Bar Emerges from Under the Stairs

From closet to a wine bar, a niche under a stairwell is transformed

This week we stopped in to see a finished project that was awarded to this Sweeten general contractor. The homeowners converted their under-stair closet space into a personal wine bar in an apartment on the Upper West Side. The new bar-topped niche is the perfect place to store and display the couples’ wine collection, and it also doubles as a breakfast bar, making it an expansion of their small galley kitchen. Happy with their new space, the homeowners told us:

Our contractor was very professional, contactable (important!), and has great suggestions. [We] would definitely recommend his team.

Here’s a look at the project from start to finish.

Here is the photo the homeowners included when they posted their project to Sweeten showing their double-door, under-stair closet space. The closet would be just the right fit for a wine cooler, cabinet, and wall-mounted shelving.

The couple already had some ideas in mind for wood shelving. Here are some of their inspiration images which they also posted to their project on Sweeten.

The work began last month when their contractor cleared out the space, giving it smooth walls, fresh paint, and wired new lighting for the bar.

The next step was to assemble and install the small cabinet and wine-cooler. The homeowners chose this cabinet from the Martha Stewart collection available at Home Depot the style is Weston in Persian Grey.

Here is the finished view –we love the clever use of space! As well as the pop of color added by the red Tabouret stools, available on Overstock.

The homeowners chose an elegant bartop in Carrara marble, also available through Home Depot. Above, wine bottles are displayed on reclaimed wood shelving from West Elm. The homeowners told us that they opted against custom shelving when they found these attractive shelves for such a great price. However, their contractor pointed out that the iron shelf brackets are a perfect match to the apartment’s stair railing—so, in the end, these off-the-shelf shelves actually appear customized.

New lamps with dimmers were also added. We love the hand-blown look of the pendants, similar to this glass pendant available at Pottery Barn.

Sometimes we forget how essential our storage is –they’ve got just enough cabinet space to keep the niche looking clean and stylish, with all the extras stowed away.

Many thanks to the homeowners for sharing their awesome new wine bar!