Wine enthusiasts Lee and Marie Dixson needed a better bottle storage solution in the Arlington Forest home they bought about 20 years ago. They had been making use of their finished basement as best they could, but navigating the maze of boxes they’d collected visiting wineries wasn’t ideal for unwinding.
The couple shared a vision for a redo, wanting to bring home elements of the rustic tasting rooms they’d visited in Italy, California, Oregon and, more locally, Virginia’s wine country. Those “rooms are so inviting and cozy and comforting,” Marie says.
“They wanted a nice space to gather in,” adds Dory Clemens, director of project development at Case Architects & Remodelers in Falls Church. Aiming for a more open and organized layout, Clemens and her team (designers Kaitlin LeFebre and Grace McKinley, and project manager Jason Burdo) removed obstructing walls to design a wine-themed retreat of about 350 square feet on either side of the basement stairs.
Together, the subterranean lounge and the adjacent tasting area have a combined storage capacity for 400 bottles.
Previously, the cavity under the stairs had been an underused closet. Now it holds an array of triangular cherry cubbies that put some of the Dixsons’ prize vintages on display. (They manage their collection using the CellarTracker app.)
A tiny marble cocktail table between two chocolaty leather armchairs is just big enough for two wineglasses. The rich flooring looks like wood, but is actually a more durable and waterproof luxury vinyl plank product by Coretec.
Adding warmth and cohesiveness to the two spaces, cherry cabinets and floating shelves by Crystal Cabinetry provide areas to stash glassware and display wine books and memorabilia. Stacked stone accent walls evoke a “wine cellar/wine cave feel,” Clemens says, and soapstone countertops provide ample prep space for entertaining.
On the lounge side, a comfy Crate & Barrel sofa across from a gas fireplace (not shown) is now a favorite spot for toasting on chilly nights. Marie describes that ritual as “one of my favorite things in the whole world.”
Case’s perfect pairing of the two rooms was precisely what the couple envisioned. “It came out as we wanted it, exactly,” says Marie.
Cheers to that.