Fabricating for the Bar and Wine Cellar
BLANCO recently surveyed designers and fabricators to learn more about bar and wine cellar trends. The topic is very timely given the launch of BLANCO’s new EMPRESSA™ faucet collection, which coordinates bar and kitchen sink faucet styles with a winepress-inspired handle shape. The handle’s backstory dates to a medieval winepress and draws from BLANCO’s location in Germany’s wine country.
Inspired by our German heritage, the BLANCO EMPRESSA Collection features a stunning silhouette modeled after the shape of vintage wine presses found across Europe. An iconic addition to the BLANCO faucet family, the EMPRESSA collection is expertly crafted to seamlessly blend traditional elements with contemporary lines.
Specifiers should also take note since alcohol consumption is on the rise — up 2.7% according to Wine & Spirits Daily — and at-home entertaining is growing – especially around the bar area. According to a Forbes article “at-home social occasions” is a $33 billion industry and expanding.
So how are we designing and fabricating for the bar or wine cellar today?
What colors are you specifying for bars and wine cellars?
The answers to this question were very mixed from mostly whites and grays to automotive and industrial finishes. According to Paul Menninger, owner of Capitol Granite, “Whites and grays with dark colored woods contrasting in the wine cellars, like walnut and cherry” are popular. What’s working is contrasting light and dark colors for entertaining spaces.
This is true also of key elements like sinks and faucets, which come in a wide variety of finishes. For instance, the BLANCO EMPRESSA™ faucet that ranges from contemporary polished chrome or stainless, to more-traditional polished nickel and even oil-rubbed bronze.
What new technologies are you specifying for bars and wine cellars today?
Quite a few designers brought up LED lighting, flexible lighting, appliance lighting, and the addition of more lighting displays.
“Bars and wine cellars will trend towards back-lighting in the future with the increasing prevalence of LED lighting,” continues Menninger. “The options for LED come with reduced costs, longer life, and lower heat generation.”
What materials or appliances are trending now?
The hottest materials today include ultra-compact surfacing – more commonly known as “thin” tile. These surfaces have the advantage of stain resistance and durability; using a marble look for instance, without having to worry that it will stain.
Textures and mixing textures were also a common answer, which makes sense with contrasting colors. These are spaces designed to “stand out.”
What bars and wine cellar trends do you anticipate in the future?
Designers and fabricators anticipate the use of more glass, unique surface materials like Dekton®, or custom looks like a mitered drop edge. Cheryl Clendenon, owner of InDetail Design states, “I would say unique wine storage in unusual places – we have proposed one in a large foyer. Sounds odd but will be part of a built-in area with a bench and the wine will become drinkable art! Also, more clients want wine refrigeration.”
Wine culture and artisan beverages are exploding and tying in these themes helps to distinguish this space from other spaces in the home.
“Clients tend to want a bar or wine cellar that is a conversation piece,” states Krista Lake, owner of Signature Interior Expressions. “They like for their bar/wine cellar to have a unique look that stands out from the rest of the home.”
“The products we feel are currently trending are wine barrel and wine press furniture,” states Brad Burns, partner/owner of Cutting Edge Countertops.
The EMPRESSA Bar Faucet offers a perfect size for small countertop spaces. Like the rest of its collection, this faucet is available in all four finishes.
To learn more about BLANCO’s wine-inspired EMPRESSA™ faucet collection, click here.
