Classy Cavern

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN

Completed 2023

TA-DA!

Behind the Design

Design Notes

Before

An outdated basement under a finished home — and a wine collection, gathered over years, with nowhere to be seen.

The Idea

A temperature-controlled wine showcase as the centerpiece, a bar dressed in unlacquered brass and blue-black stone, and separate zones for poker, shuffleboard, mixing drinks, and the big game by the fireplace.

After

Warm wood floors meet waterfall-edge stone counters, a hammered brass sink catches the light, and a mirrored back wall doubles the depth of the room. Black round ceiling insets float over the bar like a wink — cavern by name, classy by every detail.

The Brief

—A space to entertain friends, family, and company parties
—Showcase the wine collected over the years
—Barware on open shelving
—Several distinct entertaining areas
—Under-counter refrigeration for hosting

Materials & Craft

Temperature-controlled wine showcase
Natural stone waterfall counters
Unlacquered brass shelving & hammered brass sink
Real wood flooring
Reeded wood island detail

The wine showcase

A custom temperature-controlled glass wine room — with a stone-and-framing thermal break engineered so the heated floors and the chilled glass could coexist.

Brass, hammered and raw

Unlacquered brass shelves, a hammered brass sink, and fixtures with black-and-gold-leafed interiors give the bar its glow — warmth played against the blue-black stone.

The mirror trick

A perfectly-leveled mirrored back wall bounces natural and ambient light through the basement, adding depth where a foundation wall used to stop the eye.

Shelves across the window

Glass shelving hung meticulously across the window required hidden ceiling framing to carry the weight of glass, bottles, and barware.

The hard part

Building a chilled glass wine room over heated floors meant framing a thermal break six inches proud of the flooring — and the entire basement had to be leveled first. All of it done gently, with the family living overhead: vents protected, pathways covered, cleaned as the crew went.

🏆 NARI Minnesota 2024 Remodeler of the Year — Gold · Basement