Wine cellars are one of the trickiest rooms to hang a sign in, and almost nobody warns you
why. They are small, they are dark, they are usually lined with timber already, and there is
often only one wall that is not covered in bottles.
Get the size wrong in either direction and it shows immediately.
The project
A client wanted a sign for their cellar. Aged walnut base, white lettering, which is close to
the default answer for this room and worth explaining.
Cellars are lit low and warm, usually with a handful of small fittings. In that light, white
is the only lettering color that holds full legibility. Metallics look wonderful in a
photograph taken with the door open and go quiet under actual cellar lighting. Anything mid tone
against a mid stain disappears entirely.
Walnut also sits in the same family as racking and barrel wood, so the sign belongs to the
room rather than being an object hung in it. That is the whole aim in a space this small.
What cellars need from a sign
- Tonal harmony with existing timber. There is usually a lot of it and it is
already a specific color. - High contrast lettering, because the lighting will not help you.
- Modest scale. These rooms are small and a big sign crowds them.
- Stable in humidity. Cellars are humidity controlled, which is actually kind
to wood, more so than a dry centrally heated room.
Sizing by where it goes
| Placement | Typical size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Above the cellar door, outside | 24″ x 12″ to 24″ x 18″ | Read from a hallway, needs to fit above a frame |
| Feature wall inside the cellar | 24″ x 18″ to 36″ x 18″ | The one wall without racking |
| Tasting table or seating end | 18″ x 12″ to 24″ x 12″ | Seen close up, sitting down |
| Large cellar or commercial cave | 36″ x 24″ and up | Bigger volume, longer sightlines |
The mistake in a cellar is going too large rather than too small. In a room where you are
never more than eight feet from the wall, a 36 inch sign can overwhelm. Measure how far back you
can actually stand and size from that.
Frequently asked questions
Will cellar humidity damage the sign?
A controlled cellar is a stable environment and generally kind to wood. Uncontrolled damp
basements are a different question, and worth an exterior finish if that is your situation.
Can you include a family name and a date?
Yes. Names, dates and established years are common on these and they cut cleanly.
Which stains suit a cellar?
Aged walnut, dark walnut and western oak all sit well with racking. Pair any of them with white
or cream lettering.
Can you match my existing racking?
Send a photo with the proof request and we will point you at the closest stain. Wood tone
matching by photo is approximate, so a stain sample is worth asking about for a close match.
See yours before you commit
Every sign starts with a free digital proof, so you can see the design on your
chosen stain at your chosen size before we cut. Family run and handmade in California.
Related:
winery tasting room signs ·
vineyard signs ·
garage and workshop signs
