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Mahogany: A Tale Of Luxury

“Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.”

Coco Chanel wasn’t hailed as one of the best designers in the world for nothing. She knew what she was talking about when she pointed out that anything garish can never be considered luxurious. This doesn’t apply just to clothing in particular or fashion in general. Take the case of our favorite topic – our wine cellars. Luxurious wine cellars and overly done ones definitely don’t mean the same thing. A luxurious wine cellar speaks of exceptional taste, of unrivaled class, and of a beauty that is practically ageless. And if cloth is the magic item behind luxurious clothing, guess what it is for wine cellars? Wood choice, of course!

Classic to the core…

Among all the wood species that have been branded as perfect for custom wine cellars, Mahogany is the one that really rates above all the others when the word “luxury” is mentioned. By classification, it is a dense hardwood that is exceptionally durable. Mahogany is highly resilient against shrinking, warping, and checking. That’s why it is actually a favorite wood choice among furniture manufacturers. But when it comes to wine cellars, it takes on another, even more appealing form.

 

There are two sub-species to this wood that are particularly popular when it comes to custom wine cellars: Prime Mahogany and Amber Blaze. Both wood species sport a heavenly deep reddish brown color that spells opulence in every way. Amber Blaze has heavier density but both wood types are equally resistant to rotting, decay, and infestation. Both species also possess a glorious collection of tight grain patterns that show up beautifully with the right stains and finishes.

Thanks to the natural beauty of the wood, it can offer a wide range of choices to the kind of luxurious look you want to achieve for your wine cellars. For example, unstained Prime Mahogany projects a simple, understated elegance that reeks of traditional, old-money chic. Amber Blaze Mahogany which is darkly stained, on the other hand, gives off a strong and bold statement that speaks of “powerful luxury.” There are so many ways to play around with the appearance of your custom wine cellar and you can certainly be sure that each look still reeks of the L word!

The most amazing thing about this wood specie is that you can never be accused of being too ostentatious or opulently vulgar with it. Your wine cellars will always look effortlessly luxurious without bordering on the obscene so long as you remember to stick to the basic tenet that “less is really more.” Not that apart from putting in custom stains and finishes in your wine racks, there’s no need to do anything special because the wood itself is special enough. But even when you choose to go with an elaborate wine racking design, this wood choice can still pull it off. However, when you want to go for a more elaborate set-up it’s highly recommended to work your design plan out with one of our experienced professional wine cellar design consultants for the best of results.

 

Take a stroll through our Tech Tuesday episodes, browse through our wine rack kits, and check out our video galleries to learn more about this truly gorgeous wood choice that can definitely weave a tale of complete luxury in any wine cellar.

A New Kind Of Old Or An Old Kind Of New?

Have you guys ever considered asking why we named ourselves Wine Cellar Innovations? Today, we hope to answer that question for you. Our history and background aside, it’s simply all about the word “innovation.” You might be familiar with the term which basically connotes development, modernization, or just plain, old improvement.

WCI is actually all about that. Our main thrust is to bring about fresh, new concepts to the world of wine cellars and in doing so, we also seek to re-invent existing ideas. Such goal is clearly visible in both our products and services. If you look at it logically, there’s really nothing “new” in the wine cellar biz in the technical sense of the word. Wine racks would still be wine racks and so with wine refrigeration, wine furniture, accessories, and so on. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t innovate and bring in a new kind of old or old kind of new!

Reinventing wine racking systems…

The concept of wine racks should just be all about having a place to store your wine bottles. This is especially true if you’re talking about “custom” wine cellars. This is why our goal is always to reinvent all aspects of a wine rack, from function down to style. For example, we’ve come up with Curvy Wine Cubes that are both efficient and fun to store your wine bottles and other specialty drinks in. Unique in all aspects from appearance to assembly, the Curvy Cubes and Displays have given a whole new perspective to wine cellar enthusiasts in outfitting their wine cellars.

Let’s also talk about our commercial wine racks. We have “standard” wine displays that were patterned from the most popular custom options that have been in demand by wine retailers whose stores we have outfitted over the years. But we also carry a custom line that carries a wide range of wine racking options that can be further personalized to create really distinct wine cellar racking designs. Worthy of note are our corner and curved wine racks, gorgeous diamond bins, and wine lockers that make for super secure bottle storage.

Last but not the least, we also launched our wine cellar wine rack kits to add the indispensable element of affordability to function and style in wine cellar building. Wine rack kits may not be the newest thing to hit the wine cellar market but the way we put them together certainly is. Our kits all carry wine racks in a semi-custom line with flexible configurations that you can rack and stack to create limitless design combinations. Wood options for the racks as well as the plethora of stains and custom finishes we provide make for effortless personalization of any wine racking system.

Recreating wine refrigeration solutions!

Perhaps some wine cellar enthusiasts would tell you that as long as you have a good wine refrigeration system, that’s all you need to keep your collection in proper storage conditions. We do agree with the fact that maintaining ideal wine storage conditions is a must in any wine cellar. But we’re not called Wine Cellar Innovations for nothing! Who said you can’t make wine storage be attractive as well?

With this in mind, we have developed a line of custom refrigerated wine cabinets providing any kind of wine cellar with all-in-one storage solutions. Custom-built refrigerated cabinets are especially practical when you have limited space in your home for an actual wine cellar room. They go perfectly with the concept of a wine cellar closet because they can be scaled down to the exact dimensions. Our line of custom refrigerated cabinets has recently expanded to include more stunning additions like the French-inspired Le Cache Wine Cabinets and Vinotheque Wine Cabinets.

So for those who are still about to ask why we call ourselves Wine Cellar Innovations, the answer is as obvious as the products and services we provide. We love to restructure, reinvent, and recreate the good old concepts for wine cellar solutions and from there, help everyone realize new and bigger wine cellar dreams. ^_^

Formaldehyde Standards For Composite Wood Products Act

Wine Cellar Innovations has always been an advocate of “greener” wine cellar projects. We have always pursued a relentless campaign for the production of wine cellar products that are not only of exceptional quality but eco-friendly on the whole.

Apart from our Redwood being SFI-Certified, we are now also officially formaldehyde-free and certified for it as well. What does this mean?  Formaldehyde’s major use includes the production of wood binding adhesives and resins. How does this affect wine cellar products? Based on a research conducted by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in California, formaldehyde is “carcinogenic to humans” or contains “cancer-inducing elements.”

One of the major sources of exposure to formaldehyde is when humans inhale it from wood products containing urea-formaldehyde resins. Take as a concrete example your homes and wine cellars. When all the wood furniture is crafted from formaldehyde-rich wood products, it’s highly toxic. It’s an even worse scenario when you spend a lot of time in a wine cellar that’s constructed wholly of wood products containing a lot of formaldehyde.

On July 7, 2010, a federal law was  passed known as the “Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act.” Its main purpose is to set the proper standards to regulate the formaldehyde content when manufacturing wood products which includes plywood, one of the wood components used for building wine cellars. So how does this apply to wine cellar products you purchase at WCI? Our cabinet-grade plywood for wine cellar and wine cellar furniture purposes come with the Timber Products CARB Certificate. This includes wood products like Mahogany, Walnut, and Red Oak, among other varieties. This certificate along with other number of certifications actually show that the plywood being utilized here at WCI meet the California standards  for formaldehyde, as well as federal standards on the whole.  Presently, we’re also expanding our formaldehyde certification program to cover even more of our wood species, even to our less popular varieties.

Last-Minute Bargain Blowout!

The season has finally arrived and it’s time for one, last and totally final blowout! We hope your holiday shopping list has been coming along well but even if it isn’t don’t fall into a slump yet. You can still avail of our fantastic current specials and grab the perfect wine gifts at prices that won’t let you go bankrupt by the time the New Year kicks in. But you better get those orders in ASAP before the rush would force us to hold those SOLD OUT signs up ^_^.

Vintage Wine Barrel Flooring – Cooperage Flooring

We ran a feature on our Cooperage Flooring just a few blogs ago and the customer feedback was nothing short of incredible. The vintage vibe is on really high this season and everyone wants to have a touch of the old country in their wine cellars. But with this product, you get more than just the usual rustic appearance brought about by the reclaimed components from aged wine barrels. Our Vintage Wine Barrel Flooring is customized to a T, with the hand-painted planks engineered to be totally distinct from one another. This means no two planks are alike and each piece is a classic work of art! Plus, the pieces come pre-finished and sealed so you get a most complete flooring package. Avail of the huge ten percent discount and dress up that wine cellar just in time for the New Year!

Classic Moments Painting Collection

When it comes to bargains, we never disappoint and when it comes to turning standard wine cellars into fabulous wine cellar transformations, we never cease to amaze. We’re not pulling your leg and we’re not making claims we can’t back up with actual proof. So, if you’re still in a dilemma on how to complete your holiday gift list, take a peek at our exquisite collection of wine cellar art, especially our Classical Moments Painting Collection. A perfect finishing touch to any wine cellar, imagine filling a standard archway or a bare spot in your walls with a masterpiece from any of these collections:

• Chianti Collection
• Merlot Collection
• Zinfandel Collection
• Chardonnay Collection
• Cabernet Collection
• Cabernet Collection

And you haven’t heard the best thing about this collection yet: we’re running a humongous sale at 35% OFF on all Classical Moments Painting Collection pieces way until the 30^th of January 2012! Now you can splurge on a fantastic gift and save a chunk of your holiday budget to boot.

Now if you missed out on our other amazing deals, it’s not too late yet! Look up our Holiday Gift Guide for truly unique and affordable items that will complete that holiday shopping list. We’re also putting up special Gift Certificates which make for really nifty gifts for your intimate wine buddies because now they can experience the pleasure of creating their very own custom wine cellars. So don’t waste another second and SHOP NOW!