Straight From the Crate: Salas Studio Renovates a Spanish Wine Cellar

Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 2/1/2013 2:00:00 AM

When Salas Studio embarked on the renovation of a wine cellar for Vega-Sicilia vineyard in Valbuena de Duero, Spain, the firm knew the materials had to meet stringent bacterial requirements for the proper aging of wine. Conveniently, the solution came from the wine barrels themselves—specifically, the oak used to create them. Slats of the wood form undulating ceilings on both levels of the 20,000-square-foot building while simultaneously concealing the essential climate-control system. They reappear as treads on the steel staircase, which is bordered by a bamboo-like stainless-steel rail, its up-lit “branches” penetrating both floors. Ceramic tile, known for its sanitary properties, clads the walls while echoing the existing flooring in the same material.