• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Jennifer Sergent

Senior Communications Writer | Perkins Eastman

  • About
    • About Jennifer
    • Blog Information
  • Blog
  • Contact

A Jewel-Box Wine Room in Falls Church

April 13, 2016

The latest issue of Arlington Magazine just came in the mail, where I wrote a “Great Spaces” feature on a glorious new wine room that designer Allie Mann of Case Design made happen for John Gifford, a wine connoisseur and collector in Falls Church.

The magazine profile contains mostly John’s take on the project, but Allie was kind enough to write about it from her own designer’s perspective in this guest post.

Allie-Mann
Allie Mann

Take it away, Allie!

Basement remodeling always poses challenges, as most homeowners want the lower level to not look like a basement, but instead to feel like the rest of the house. Recently, a client was inspired by midcentury modern design—and Dwell magazine—to transform his disjointed basement into a lower-level living space with an open floor plan, media area and wine cellar, while also incorporating sophisticated wood materials.

I think this did the trick:

After-5-media,-wine-areas

The project intrigued me – and I welcomed the challenges it presented.

Here’s what it looked like before:

There’s a staircase behind that closed door.

This kitchen will go away—we only want wine here.

More random walls and doors.

While my typical style is more transitional or “casual elegant,” I enjoyed the hunt for the owner’s preferred midcentury modern taste, including the exotic wood that became a focal point in three of the spaces. After researching endangered as well as sustainable woods, we agreed on using Figured Sapele behind the wine cellar racks,

After-1-wine-room
on the TV wall in the media area,

After-4-custom-TV-wall
and as the backdrop from the floating shelves in the new office area.

After-3-new-shelves
After removing many walls and doors during construction, we encountered a pretty significant structural column that could not be moved. And this column was right in the middle of the space, outside the soon-to-be wine room. To turn a negative into a positive, we created a tasting table around the column, finishing it with the same exotic wood found throughout the lower level.

Mann8

From the beginning, my client had his heart set on a specific vendor for the wine storage system, Vin De Garde in Canada. We installed the special system of metal rods in his glass-enclosed wine room, which is both temperature and humidity controlled and holds about 240 bottles of his favorite wines.

After-6-wine-rack-system

The final result is just the see-through “jewel box” that he had envisioned.

Filed Under: Designers, Home Decor Tagged With: Case Design, Guest Post, wine room

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Casart says

    April 15, 2016 at 10:25 am

    What a fantastic transformation! Really takes talent to envision the end result with everything working so well together. Makes me want to have a wine cellar 😉

  2. Cathy Connon says

    April 14, 2016 at 5:52 pm

    Amazing design, Allie! I especially love the lighting you installed, it highlights that gorgeous wood beautifully! Congratulations!

Before Footer

View

Jun 24

Open
On the blog: designers (naturally) are creating masks from luscious decorative textiles, all for a cause. Link in bio
View

Jun 20

Open
And that's a wrap! We now have a college freshman in the house. Thanks to his incredible teachers, coaches and friends at Yorktown and especially @yhspatriotsfootball. 
Photo: @yorktownseniors_2020
View

Mar 5

Open
Every master bedroom should be this chic.  More from @shazalynn_cavin_winfrey in my @homeanddesigndc story at link in bio
📷@angieseckinger .
.
.
#dcbydesign #masterbedroom #bedroom #bedroomdecor #alexandriava #designinspo #interiordesign #dcdesigners #homesofinstagram #traditionaldesign
View

Mar 3

Open
On the blog today: The dazzling details behind @shazalynn_cavin_winfrey's design at this Belle Haven home in Alexandria. Link in bio!
📷@angieseckinger
.
.
.
#dcbydesign #kitchen #kitchenrange #rangehood #backsplash #vancleef #vancleefalhambra #kitchensofinstagram #kitchendesign #kitchendesigner #designinspo #kitchenisland #delmarequartz
View

Mar 1

Open
I love being in our @acorndeckhouse in the morning, when light streams in over our dining area, made even more striking with the craft of @christinaboydesign benches that she made for our live-edge table, underneath sculptural @hubbardtonforge lighting. All splurges, all totally worth it! .
.
.
#dcbydesign #diningroom #diningtable #liveedge #deckhouse
View

Feb 22

Open
Last week @wsjoffduty did a big cover story on #sculleries. Well, I think this one is first in show! From my story now out in @homeanddesigndc, a home decorated by @shazalynn_cavin_winfrey, 📷@angieseckinger .
.
.
.
#scullery #kitchendesign #pantry #kitchen #designinspo #kitchensofinstagram #dcbydesign #alexandria #va
View

Feb 17

Open
It's OUT! My story in @homeanddesigndc about this gorgeous home in Alexandria by the uber-talented @shazalynn_cavin_winfrey. She chose those @bernhardtfurniture cocktail tables because they're strong enough to dance on 🤗 📷@angieseckinger .
.
#dcbydesign #familyroom #homerenovation #designinspo #interiordesign #alexandriava #bellehaven
View

Feb 1

Open
Good morning! Beach dreaming with @erinpaigepitts from my story in @homeanddesigndc 📷@geoffhodgson .
.
.
#dcbydesign #bethanybeach #delaware #beachhouse #designinspo #weekendhouse #summerhouse #outdoordining #outdoorliving #pirch #screenporch #shinglestyle #homesofinstagram
View

Jan 30

Open
I need a little mood boost this morning! @marya_karlton @kerri.rosenthal #greatspaces @arlingtonmagazine #dcbydesign 📷@jennverrierphoto
View

Jan 28

Open
Isn't this a gorgeous foyer? @ianthainteriors gave it a quick makeover with @phillipjeffriesltd paper and a custom bolster for the bench. The owners already had the fabulous @niermannweeks chandelier 🤗 📷@angieseckinger
.
.
.
#dcbydesign #foyer #stairs #designinspo #traditionalhome #traditionwithatwist #alexandriava
View

Jan 26

Open
These owners wake up to a mountain trailhead in Boulder, CO. Link to my story is now on the @luxemagazine profile! #Repost @luxemagazine
・・・
Comfort and luxury combined. #LuxeAtHome. @sandow | Photo: @gibeonphoto; Architecture: @surroundarch; Interiors: @joemcguiredesign; Landscape: @designsbysundown. Tour the home at link in bio.⁠⠀
_____⁠⠀
#luxecolorado #coloradoart #coloradostyle #coloradohomes ⁠⠀
#homedecor #home #homeinspiration #homeinspo #homestyle #instahome #instaluxe #luxuryhome #luxuryinteriors #beautifulhomes #ighome #architecture #myhomesense #residentialdesign #houseandhome #architectureanddesign #decorlovers⁠⠀
View

Jan 25

Open
Sending good vibes on a Saturday morning! This mudroom is in a Utah home designed by @barnesvanze and decorated by @catherinegoodsellinteriors 📷@disraelsen .
.
.
#utahdesigners #dcarchitects #holladay #utah #mudroom #colonialrevival #designinspo #homesofinstagram
Load More...
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There is no connected account for the user 1348398404.

Footer

DC by Design is my passion project, a chronicle of design talents throughout the DC-Maryland-Virginia region who are doing beautiful and imaginative things in the categories below. Click here for blog information and guidelines.

  • Architecture
  • Art/Photo
  • Designers
  • Furniture
  • Home Decor
  • Kitchen/Bath
  • Outdoors
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to my blog, which sends an e-mail alert each time a new post is published (about once per month).

Please click here if you're a

  •    

© 2022 Jennifer Sergent • All Rights Reserved