Designing the Luxury Glass Wine Cellar at The New American Home 2020
When thousands of the industry’s best design and build professionals descend upon Las Vegas for the International Builders' Show, The New American Home 2020 (TNAH 2020) serves as the ultimate showcase of modern architectural innovation. Perched high in the exclusive Ascaya development in Henderson, NV, this 7,000-square-foot contemporary estate was brought to life by builder Sun West Custom Homes and principal designer Suzanne Czar. To create a true show-stopping centerpiece, the team partnered with VintageView—the "iconic original" label-forward wine rack manufacturer—to engineer a cutting-edge luxury wine storage solution that perfectly anchored the home's aesthetic.
To achieve this ambitious vision, the design required a stunning, contemporary wine room that felt as if it were defying gravity. Utilizing the Vino Series Post, precision-milled Vino Pins, and custom Acrylic Panels, VintageView provided the exact modern metal wine pegs and mounting systems required to build a transparent, functional, and deeply luxurious glass wine cube right in the heart of the desert.
The "Desert Oasis" Design Concept
The overarching vision for TNAH 2020 was to construct a luxurious "oasis in the desert." Designer Suzanne Czar masterfully blended contrasting elements of earth, fire, and water to ensure this contemporary home felt deeply natural yet highly sophisticated.
Balancing Earth, Water, and Fire
The sensory experience begins at the front door with a cooling body of water that flows through the house in various shades of blue. This water theme transitions seamlessly to the outdoor spaces, juxtaposed against a massive wall-long fireplace that pays homage to the Nevada desert heat. The custom cellar design Las Vegas buyers expect needed to harmonize with these elements, serving as a visual anchor without overpowering the organic flow of the space.
Design Challenge
The Unique Design Challenge: Concave Walls and Strip Views
Designing a luxury modern wine storage system for a wide-open 7,000-square-foot estate comes with distinct architectural hurdles. The primary living area demanded a grand entrance that felt impactful, yet it could not interrupt the natural movement of the room.
Maintaining Clear Sightlines
Because the Ascaya lot offers unparalleled views of the Las Vegas Strip, preserving sightlines from every angle was paramount. Furthermore, tying into the organic desert-oasis theme meant the home featured concave walls throughout the main floor. This left the footprint of the wine room anything but a standard square. The challenge was clear: How do you build a high-capacity, contemporary wine room with curved glass that doesn’t block the view or clash with the fluid architecture?
The Solution
The “Floating” Solution: Vino Series Posts & Acrylic Panels
To achieve a jaw-dropping, transparent effect, Sun West Custom Homes utilized a custom VintageView Acrylic Panel centered directly behind the main glass wall of the wine room. Because the acrylic is nearly invisible, the Vino Series creates a dramatic, label-forward wine wall without disrupting the sweeping views of the Las Vegas skyline for guests dining or entering the home.
To frame this display and adapt to the room’s irregular angles, the Vino Pins Post system was deployed. These structural posts allowed the installation team to create soaring glass wine columns that perfectly traced the unique floor plan of the cellar.
“My first reaction when I saw the wine room with the beautiful new Post and the acrylic Vino Series Panel was so exciting because it’s something I haven’t used before,” Czar noted. “It looks like everything is floating. It’s beautiful.”
Design Approach
Bringing different elements of earth, representing fire and water, allows this show-stopping home to feel natural. The water entrance cools the space, while a wall-long fireplace reminds you of the desert. It all flows so well.
“The goal was to create an oasis in the desert,” Czar says. “It starts at the front door with a body of water. It flows through the house with beautiful different shades of blues and then continues outside to the body of waters in the back of the home as well as the fire features.”
Lesson Learned
Overcoming Accessibility with Curved Glass (Lessons Learned)
While a curved glass wine cube offers unmatched visual appeal, it can introduce accessibility challenges in a working wine cellar. The positioning of the modern metal wine pegs and the acrylic panels had to be meticulously mapped out. By leveraging the versatility of the Vino Series Post, the installation team was able to precisely angle the 140-bottle display, ensuring that proper wine bottle access was maintained despite the concave structural glass.
