Wine Barrels in Home Decor
June 5, 2011
I’ve had wine barrels on the brain ever since we began our plan to spruce up the upper patio. They’re easy to get here in wine country, and they make the easiest and cheapest planters. Just about everyone I know locally has a wine barrel for a planter, and I grow tomatoes in mine every year.
Last week, I made a quick trip to my favorite source for wine barrels. I had a few projects in mind, one coming up later this week! A short time ago, they were only $10 bucks, but apparently they’re in high demand abroad hence the price increase. But still, at $20 dollars for a half barrel, that’s a good price considering the amount of hours that go into the making of one single barrel (see below), and the many uses for the staves (the strips of wood bent to form a barrel).
Rustic and reclaimed wood is all the rage in home décor. We’ve seen tree stumps show up as endtables and pallets reinvented in all sorts of ways in interior design over the past few years. Wine barrels are getting their fair share of reuse too.
When used as just the right accent in unexpected ways, wine barrels are a fantastic source of reusing real French or American oak. I love the pairing of natural wood tones with casual furnishings, they always work well together. I also love seeing products made from reclaimed wood placed in formal settings or in contemporary spaces ~ they have a way of keeping the space from feeling too predictable. When juxtaposed against anything modern and glossy, reclaimed wood can take center stage.
New wine barrels have a shelf life of 3 to 6 years for aging wine, depending on which vintner you ask. Most become planters, yet others get turned into some amazing accessories. I was excited to see so many creative uses for a used wine barrel when I went looking around the web.
VivaTerra sells several products made out of barrels, like this beautiful stave bread bowl ($95)
and this Lazy Susan ($129)
and this basket ($98)
I love all of these versions of end tables made from wine barrels!
Restoration Hardware Side Table
I die over this chandy! I think this drum shade use of staves is so cool.
How beautiful is this Wine Barrel Chandelier? It’s priced $1,195 yet despite the hefty price tag, I absolutely love the look of this statement piece.
Here it is taking center stage in a dining room. Oh.Em.Gee. Love.
Then there is the Wine Barrel Planet Chandelier, at $1,969, it’s pricey, but just as stunning.
At this point I’m thinking, does anyone know a welder? This would certainly be an advanced DIY project to pull off a knock off, but it could be done with some advanced welding, parts from an old chandy and some wiring skills. That’s me, thinking out loud!
Or if you happen to have $2,595 plus tax just lying around, you could buy this version of a Wine Barrel 6 Arm Chandelier from Restoration Hardware.
I have to admit, every time I browse my local RH, I’m like “Sheesh, that is one incredible light fixture, would love that in my house!” Then reality sets in and I realize I have to both eat and pay my mortgage every month.
Here are two examples of the same wine barrel chandelier used in very elegant spaces:
Of course, the barrel itself makes a perfectly natural end table outdoors. I spied this one on last year’s visit to Arista Winery.
The art of barrel making is called cooperage, and a professional earns the title of Cooper. To give you an idea of the amount of man hours that go into the making of each individual barrel, take a look at this informative video from our friends in the UK.
Incredible right? What’s interesting is that each year a barrel is used to age wine, it gives that particular wine a different flavor profile as the wine penetrates the wood. Eventually the flavors are exhausted, and the barrels are reused for other purposes. Recycling at its best!
While we’re on the topic of wine, is anyone interested in a monthly post recommending favorite wines for the season? Not just wines from California, but from all regions? Maybe some hints on food pairings too? I know this is a DIY blog, so I’m testing the waters here, but the hub and I do a lot of tasting. So tell me, who’s up for something like that? Lemme know.
Did you know there is at least one winery in all 50 States? Do you have a great source for used wine barrels in your state? If so, please share! I have a link for a source online, and I will share it with you when I show you my latest DIY project.
You can only guess what I used to make it.
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Tags: decorating with wine barrels, wine barrel, Wine Country
Monthly wine colum would be great!!!!!!
I love the idea of decorating with wine barrels, even as just as a simple side table.
Wish I could find them around where I live! There is a vineyard not too far away, wonder if they would have some they would sell….
We have a big ceramic pickle crock from the early 1900′s we used as a trash basket in the kitchen. The problem was, it had no cover and was not very attractive from that standpoint. We had a lid made for it from an old wine barrel with a handle attached to it. Now it looks great, a very unique and classy “garbage pail”.
Thanks for the info. on wine barrels. I just visited the Wollersheim Winery here in Wisconsin this past weekend and learned some of the same information. I would love it if you added a monthly feature on wine. Very fun and very cool!
Did you know they cost anywhere from $600 to $1200 new? And the cost is written off over three years.
You should warn people to attach or stabilise the hoops (depending on the brand of barrel) if they’re simply held on by the swelling of the wood. Once they cut them to make a flower pot the structural integrity is gone, and in a year or two the hoops fall off.
I wanted to add, in a windery they frequently retighten the hoops by driving them towards the center with a big chiselly looking thing and a mallet.
I’ve been looking for wine barrels for so many years but they are so pricey :(
Would love for you to talk about your favorite wines, exp chard :)
XO
Kristin
lol– i use the wine crates, too! http://www.happyhomeblog.com/?p=3316 the barrels are gorgeous :-)
Yes to the wine recommendations posts!! I’m always on the lookout for cheap but GOOD wine!! And I never know the right wines to pair with different things!
I loved this post! I definitely think there has to be a smart DIYer out there (or here!) who can figure out how to make some of those chandys for cheap!
I like DIY wine barrel projects.
And wine.
Please, please write about wine.
Yes, yes, yes – a monthly wine feature – how perfect!
Great post, I’ve always loved wine barrels, mostly I’ve seen them used as planters, I had no idea they could be recylcled into so many lovely objects!
Yes, please do post about wine and or wine/food pairings! The hub and I have been lucky enough to get to your area the last 4 years and are hoping for another trip this summer or fall. What a great place to live… I already love your blog so if you add the wine component it will be perfection!
Any wine related is good! ;) But seriously, I love your blog and I think any fun posts would be good.
oooh–perfect timing on this! i live near you and have also had wine barrels on the brain… spotted a fellow in S.R. who has half barrels for $18. $18-$25 seems to be the going rate.
if you have not been to the new tyler florence restaurant in napa yet, you should go check out the wine barrel chandeliers and (now that its stopped raining!!) have a glass of wine in on of the rocking chairs on the patio. lots of good ideas in that restaurant that we can all incorporate into our homes.
I would totally dig a monthly wine column – especially something recommending food, cheese, chocolate pairings. At this point in my young, newly-wed life, I basically buy the cheapest wine on the shelf, but someday I aspire to be a true wine connoisseur, so you can get me going on my way. :)
For those in No CA – who is that $19.99 favored source for wine barrles?