Chicago, Illinois · Virtual Design Studio
Service Area
Greater Chicago
Services
Custom Design
Limited Edition Wine Cellar Kits
Materials
Custom Design
$5,000 to $10,000
Climate
55°F, year-round
Wine cellars built
Custom designs delivered
In completed projects
Limited Edition Wine Cellar Kit shipping
Designed for
Chicago
Wine cellar designs shaped by the architecture, climate and way of life here.
How It Works Here
A Chicago basement runs cool, which helps, but it won’t hold steady at 55°F on its own. Temperatures drift with the seasons and with the house above, and moisture works through the foundation. So the room still needs closed-cell spray foam, a sealed vapor barrier and dedicated cooling, never the house AC. Any outdoor equipment has to be rated for winter as well as summer.
Water deserves its own plan. Before a basement becomes a wine room, have your contractor review drainage, sump protection and foundation moisture, and keep bottles, wood and equipment off the floor wherever you can. The houses add their own limits. Bungalows, two-flats and greystones each bring different ceiling heights and access, and where there’s no usable lower level, a wine wall does the job beautifully.
Every Chicago project runs through the Prestige Virtual Design Studio. We meet by video, design the cellar, and supply the materials or a Limited Edition Wine Cellar Kit. Your licensed contractor builds it. Turnkey service is coming soon.
What We Offer
Every Prestige cellar pairs climate engineering with architectural glass and bespoke racking. Choose a custom design, a Limited Edition Wine Cellar Kit, or materials for your own builder. Turnkey service is coming soon.
Project Scope
For homes in Chicago and its suburbs, Prestige Wine Cellars offers:
Custom DesignRenderings, production drawings and a complete materials list, planned with water and winter in mind.
Limited Edition Wine Cellar KitsEngineered cellars shipped to Chicago, ready for your local contractor.
MaterialsRacking, glass, lighting and finishes delivered to your project.
Cooling Selection and SizingA cooling unit sized to the room’s volume, glass and insulation, and chosen for humid Chicago summers and dry winter heat.
Wine WallsFor homes without a usable lower level.
New Construction and RenovationPlanning support for new builds and gut renovations with your architect and builder.
Turnkey design and build is coming soon to Chicago.
The Materials Library
Materials We Ship to Chicago
Choose every finish with us in the Virtual Design Studio, from more than 100 materials in our library. We ship them to your site, ready for your licensed contractor to install.
Wood & Finish
20 optionsBlack Walnut · White Oak · Mahogany
Metal & Racking
19 optionsLabel-forward pegs · Cable systems · Brass
Glass & Doors
20 optionsFrameless · Bronze frame · Low-iron glass
Lighting
11 optionsBacklit panels · Label channels · Cove light
Floors & Walls
17 optionsHerringbone · Wide plank · Stone tile
Stone
9 optionsCalacatta · Quartzite · Travertine
Cabinetry
8 optionsGlass-front · Fluted · Shaker
Plus cooling and more
Browse the full Materials Library
Every species, finish, glass, light and cooling system we offer, with photos.
Open the library
Create your Masterpiece
Every bottle has a history. Every design should too. Let’s design a space that reflects who you are: timeless, personal and unforgettable.
The City
From the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park to the North Shore’s Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe and Lake Forest, and west to Hinsdale and Barrington Hills, Chicago has something most wine markets lack: basements. That gives a cellar here a real head start.
Prestige Wine Cellars designs these rooms from our award-winning design studio in Austin, with the same care we give every client at home. Water, winter and older houses shape each design, and a contractor licensed for your municipality builds it.
Client Stories
My experience working with Andrew and his team at Prestige Wine Cellars on our custom wine cellar in Austin was a real privilege. The initial consultation was incredibly in-depth, and Andrew’s expertise in temperature and humidity control gave me total confidence they could build a truly climate-controlled wine room that would protect my collection long-term. … The end result is a gorgeous modern glass wine cellar and luxury wine storage feature that I enjoy every time I see it.
Adam N
Texas project
I had a friend recommend Prestige Wine Cellars for my custom wine cellar in Westlake Hills. MAN was I impressed with Andrew and his team. Their level of experience and knowledge when it came to temperature and humidity control for the wine cellar refrigeration was exactly what I needed to feel comfortable about using them. The design process was super smooth and Andrew absolutely nailed it the first time. … We are thrilled with the final result.
David W
Texas project
Andrew was wonderful to work with. He listened to what our vision was, took into account all the wood, hardware and general surroundings in our home to make the rendering fit into our space. I was very pleased working with him.
Barbara T
Texas project
Our Work
Lakeway, TX
A timeless wine cellar crafted for a Spanish-style home in Lakeway, Texas. Featuring natural limestone walls, solid white oak racking, and subtle modern lighting, this traditional cellar merges craftsmanship and warmth in perfect harmony.
Turnkey Design & Build
View project →
Austin, Texas
A luxury 532-bottle wine wall renovation in Austin, TX. Featuring custom steel-framed insulated glass doors, transitional white oak racking, and matte black aluminum detailing — designed to echo the refined ambiance of a fine dining display.
Residential Renovation
View project →
Round Rock, TX
Grand steel framed insulated glass doors enclose this custom climate controlled wine display featuring gray alder stained wine racks with horizontal cable wine racks.
Turnkey Design and Build
View project →
Watch & Learn
Under-Stairs Wine Cellars
Design around the slope instead of fighting it. Put deep storage racking in the low back corner, where you can't stand, for bulk inventory. Put lit, label-forward display racking at eye level behind frameless glass doors. Then seal the envelope and add ducted cooling holding a steady 55°F, so it works as a real wine cellar.
Wine Cellar Design
A temperature-controlled wine wall holds a steady 55°F behind frameless glass in a warm living room without fogging. Four things make that work: insulated dual-pane glass (around R-3), an envelope sealed with closed-cell spray foam, refrigerated air ducted to wash the glass above the dew point, and a cooling unit sized to the real heat load.
Cost & Value
Yes. In the ultra-high-end market, a pool and a chef’s kitchen are expected — they’re standard. A floor-to-ceiling wine wall in the dining room is the emotional trigger that makes a buyer fall in love and overpay, elevating a luxury home from nice to bespoke and helping it stand apart on a competitive market.
How Wine Cellars Work
Because fiberglass is open and lets warm, humid air into the wall, where it cools below its dew point and condenses — soaking the insulation and growing mold. Closed-cell spray foam does two jobs in one layer: it insulates at roughly R-6 to R-7 per inch and acts as a vapor barrier, so moisture never reaches the wall cavity.
Who We Design For
Chicago’s collectors include people from the trading world around CME Group and Cboe, corporate executives and multigenerational North Shore families. They tend to want:
An older home’s character respected, not covered over
Lower-level rooms for gathering through long winters
Limestone and stained oak as readily as a clean modern room
A careful plan for water, because they’ve seen what a bad storm can do
Working Together
Your Architect, Interior Designer and Builder
Many Chicago-area projects are renovations of older homes, so the team already on the job knows things we don’t. We plan the cellar around that knowledge.
Your architectWe bring cellar layout, cooling needs and glass details to review alongside the structure your architect already knows.
Your designerWe help stone, wood and lighting suit a Tudor as well as a new modern build.
Your builderWe supply drawings and materials, and your builder works under the license for your city or village.
The sooner the better. Reach out before drywall goes up on the lower level, or while drainage work is still being scoped.
Explore Other Markets
See every market we serve on our Locations page.
FAQs
What does a custom wine cellar cost in Chicago?
What does your wine cellar design include for a Chicago home?
How is a basement wine cellar built in Chicago?
Can my Chicago contractor build from your drawings?
Do you take on wine cellar projects in Chicago and on the North Shore?
Can you ship a wine cellar kit or materials to Illinois?
Do you work with Chicago architects and builders on new homes and renovations?
Can I turn my Chicago basement into a wine cellar?
Do I need a cooling unit if my Chicago basement is already cool?
Email us at
Based in Austin, Texas. Design and materials shipped worldwide.
