Buffalo Grove living room given a ‘vintage’ update

When Jerry and Sarah Stempel remodeled the living room in their Buffalo Grove home, they aimed at what you might call a vintage look.

Enter their two-story house tucked away on a cul-de-sac in the Old Farm Village subdivision and you will likely be greeted by the couples two dogs, Bailey and Cooper. You will also be struck by the distinctive look of the living room.

Amid the comfortable furnishings, which include a couch, a piano and a big-screen television, are walls lined with shelves, each filled with dozens of bottles of wine tipped on their sides.

The handsome makeover is the work of interior designer Lori Abrams, who fulfilled the need expressed by the Stempels to not only have a central location to display their wine collection, but also one where their family which includes three children as well as the two dogs could entertain.

They love wine. They love to entertain and really wanted to showcase their wine, Abrams said.

Before Abrams was brought in to lead the remodeling project, the couples wine was stored everywhere in the four-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot home.

Wine bottles were in any kind of cabinets they could find, all over the house, Abrams said.

What she devised was a system that would allow people the most room to use the space, as well as attractively showcase the collection. For the project, which also involved rebuilding an adjacent staircase, Abrams and the Stempels utilized salvaged wood on beams and countertops.

Sarah Stempel said Abrams found a great craftsman, cabinetmaker Craig Stancy, who really took all of our suggestions and worked with us.

The wood used for the majority of the room, including the shelving and cabinetry, is knotty alder. The countertops are made of rustic pine timbers, and the room is wrapped in knotty alder wainscoting.

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Buffalo Grove living room given a ‘vintage’ update