Eco-Chic Draws from Bacchus-Inspired Aesthetics

As we continue to find new was to conserve some innovative artists, restaurateurs and the like have begun to use wine bottles, barrels, glassware, and the like not to just hold wine but to add a new design element to their spaces. This week guest writer, Shireen Qudosi of Air & Wine Inc, shares what is going on the world of "eco-chic" when it comes to wine.

As the saying has it “one man’s trash is another’s treasure”. Yet with a little bit of creative thought, you can turn your trash into your treasure. 

 

That’s exactly what has inspired a new wave of sustainability that goes beyond practicality and into decadence.

 

The idea of artistic living is a growing trend in eco-friendly culture, which has already witnessed a significant growth in consumer interest when it comes to modular living and organic decor.  Even non-greenies are getting interested now that being green has brought with it a new level of stylish eccentricity. 

 

And what comes more easily in this economy than an assortment of empty wine bottles after you’ve just thrown a smashing get-together?  With the preference being on sourcing cheap entertaining ideas, most people now see staying at home with a good meal and great wine as a viable alternative to spending money on restaurants and clubs. 

 

If your home is the newest place to be seen, then ice maker machines are indispensable for cocktails while compact wine refrigerators are an inexpensive alternative to costly built-in wine cellars. 

 

Wine Bottle Ideas:

There are a number of ways to reuse wine bottles. Among the more common ideas are reusing them as water pitchers, votive vases, torches, and flower bed liners. However, there are dozens of other smart options that are rarely explored.

 

Rewined Recycled Glassware – Get uniquely hued wine bottle glassware made from orphaned bottles left behind at local restaurants and bars. 

 

Water Feeders – On a very hot day or when you’re away, fill the bottles of water and stick them into the pot or soil near your plant.  The water will slowly percolate from the bottle and into the soil.  

 

Wine Bottle Chandeliers – In addition to the popular row lighting and pendant lighting, Pottery Barn  put together an interesting chandelier with wine bottles strung around it.  Even though four dozen other people will likely have the same statement piece, at least you know it’s a unique sustainable element in your home.  Plus it catches the light beautifully during the day and especially at sunset. 

 

Wine Bottle Cheese Boards – What could be quainter than using a cheese board made out of wine at you next cocktail.  Apparently that’s exactly what Vineyard Designs thought when they started offering their custom recycled wine glass boards.

Wine Bottle Building Blocks

Rather than just one element, your entire home or venue can serve as a creatively designed showcase - a testimony of your creativity and commitment to sustainability. 

 

Wine bottles can be used to create an interesting mosaic-styled wall piece.  The most gorgeous of these displays is just outside of Montreal at a place called Bottle Houses, Prince Edward Island.

 

PEI is known for its lush landscapes and pastoral living, which makes the wine bottle homes stand out that much more, offering a mixture of ingenious modern design paired with an idyllic setting; and the combination works brilliantly.

 

This theme of bottle wall art has been running strong from coast to coast. Javier's, an upscale restaurant in Crystal Cove, features bottle-inspired wall art as a key feature in their eclectic setting. 

 

Using wine bottles as building blocks shows creativity and ingenuity that can be carried to stylishly eccentric levels when used in restaurants. Morimoto’s Japanese Restaurant in New York has an entire wall created out of bottles.  The result is a dazzling spectacle that has the potential to launch a restaurant.  An alternative design is found at the Boa Steakhouse  in Hollywood, where rows of bottles are lined along a clear wall.

 

Wine bottles go beyond just building blocks and have also become integral parts of a building’s thermal dynamics, providing a unit that’s not only appealing to the eye, but also meets our duty to our environment.  But if you’re not a wine drinker, you can ask local pubs and restaurants for their bottles, who I'm sure will be more than happy to give you their rubbish to turn into your own treasures.  The same ideas can also be achieved with beer, liquor, Pellegrino or other glass water bottles.

 

  Wine Ideas brought to you by Air & Water, Inc. and written by Shireen Qudosi

Comments

[Janice]

I love wall art! Using bottles seem really upscale too!

[Janise K]

Why aren't the pictures working on my computers? The source of the photos are from..GMail? Really? Yeah, I would love it if I could see the pictures because I love the idea of using wine bottles as chandeliers and wall art. How creative! Crazy how I've never even thought of using my empty wine bottles for something like that.

Btw, I have an ice maker and it is THE most awesome item I have ever bought.

[Jeff Porter]

I'm not sure why it is not working? Have you tried updating your browser? I
have checked it on 4 computers now (2 different macs and 2 different PC's,
it even worked on my iphone). I'm really sorry you can't see the photos.

J

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