Minoa Palace - Wine Cellar
Incorporated with harmony and discretion at the ground floor of the classical and luxurious hotel, the cellar invites the guests to discover it, with the minimal but interesting lines and the dark shaded glass facade. With more than 200 of the best Greek wine labels, it manifests how a space can functionally preserve and protect, yet aesthetically highlight itself and its content.
The space of 30 sq.m. prior to the reconstruction, used to facilitate basic management offices divided by a plasterboard wall. The complete regeneration was mandatory not only for maximum organising efficiency but also due to the thermal and humidity specifications that wine preservation demands. This is the reason that the separate wine tasting room was created, divided by glass, in order to achieve optical continuity, but at the same time higher temperatures.
The wine bottle’s shape and the initial space, inspired the circular concept which encloses the guest with the warmth of wood and encourages wandering around the central table. The design idea is completed with the oak carved ceiling, in which the light is resembling the otherworldly atmosphere inside Rome’s Pantheon. This mystical quality is enhanced by the warm earthy colours, the different textures, the natural materials and the low hidden lighting which highlights the product and gives the process of choosing an important significance.
The wine tasting room, has a more contemporary and minimal character and it constitutes the spatial transition from the exterior of the hotel to the core of the cellar. Also here, the space is developed around the table, which is created by prolonging one of the shelves of the wall. The linear lights are giving the rhythm, the glass showcases indicate the precious value and the wine is on stage.
