Every truly devoted enthusiast deserves a fantastic wine cellar to call their own. A beautiful place to store your prized bottles until the moment is right, the perfect wine cellar is a place you’ll always feel relaxed upon entry.

Something you can appreciate for years to come, in order to preserve you wine collection to its fullest potential, you need to make sure the storage is carried out properly. Easy enough with a few wise tips, here are six creative wine cellar ideas for the best design:

1. Temperature is number one

If you’re only looking for the best wine cellar ideas, here’s one tip to keep in mind: temperature, temperature, temperature. If wine is going to be left to sit for any amount of time, the temperature and humidity need to be regulated.

In addition to being protected from light, the ideal environment for long-term wine storage is from 55°-58° F and enough humidity (50-70%) to keep corks from drying out. Even if a full-scale wine cellar isn’t quite in the cards at the moment, these wine cellar ideas mean that your kitchen is definitely not the right place to store.

2. Keep the lights turned way down low

As mentioned above, light, and sunlight in particular, spell trouble for wine. In addition to premature aging, exposure to UV rays can also cause an overall degradation of the wine’s quality.

Remind yourself that wine isn’t stored in coloured glass just for aesthetic appeal. Although light from household bulbs probably won’t do much harm to the wine itself, it can fade labels and certainly isn’t doing any good. For that reason, it is best to store wine somewhere dark and cool.

3. Make a sideways plan

Initially, wine was stored on its side in order to prevent the cork from drying out. Although this is only of significant concern if you’re planning to store the bottle for a quite a while before drinking, horizontal racking is still the method of choice. These wine cellar ideas look good and can also be a space-efficient way to store your bottles.

4. Look at the bigger picture

Size matters when it comes to wine storage, and you want to plan for an expanding wine collection from the outset. It is advisable to leave room for 25-30% growth. Therefore, if you generally have a couple cases on hand, plan to be able to store an at least an additional half case.

If you’re already making the investment to create a dedicated wine cellar, you want to leave room for your passion to flourish.

5. Ask yourself if you want permanence or flexibility

In the event that you’re renting, or not totally in love with your current home, a more flexible wine storage option might be the right choice for you.

There are definitely stand-alone pieces that look great and are easily portable. So even if you haven’t yet found your “forever” home, it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice having a beautiful place to store your wine collection.

6. Add little touches to make it your own

As with any design element in your home, your wine cellar should reflect your personal taste. If you come across style advice that doesn’t feel quite right to you, feel free to ignore it.

You’ll end up being much happier with your wine cellar if you do it according to your own rules. For starters, think about whether you want a modern, rustic, decorative, or industrial look. Once you’ve got the basics covered, when it comes to finishes, feel free to use your imagination and know that this is who you can really make your cellar stand apart.