How to Make a Rustic Wine Rack

I often make coffee tables out of amazing pieces like this one, but wanted to try something different.

And if you can believe it, this is the SECOND time I have found this box – the first one I did make into a coffee table!

But for this one, I figured, why not turn it vertical and make it into a wine rack?

The reason my coffee table above is so shiny is because I always add several coats of clear lacquer for a shiny, protective finish. You can find clear lacquer with the stains and paints at your local home improvement store. Make sure you use a respirator and protective eyewear in a well ventilated area! The fumes are strong and also flammable and if you drop the can, it splashes (trust me, I know this from experience!)

There was some leftover paper label on this vintage coffee crate that I wanted to preserve, so I used ModPodge and this is the top of my wine rack!

I wanted a way to hold the wine bottles more securely, so I rummaged through my storage/project area and for some reason I had kept these wooden sewing machine frames, wondering what the heck I would ever use them for. Suddenly it dawned on me.

If you lay it flat, it can easily fit 6 bottles of wine! (bottles upright or lying down) These are actually pretty easy to find in antique stores. The drawers can be re-purposed and then you can use the frames! Depending on the width of your box, it may not always fit as perfectly as this, but the stars aligned for me this time! If this is not an option, see if you can find a shallow crate to set in there, or just screw in raised wooden “tracks”.

For hanging wine glasses, I opted for a wooden under cabinet wine glass tracks which I found on Amazon. I simply screwed them in the roof of the crate. I also decided to paint both the sewing machine frame and wine glass rack black.

I wanted my wine glass rack to sit up higher, so I attached steel hairpin legs to the bottom. I prefer steel and handmade from Etsy. I usually buy from Odaat Customs or MezaModern Designs.

I attached the wine bottle frame to the bottom of the crate with screws via some holes that were already there from when it was a sewing machine. How convenient! I also wanted a way that the wine bottles would not clank together so I created “dowels” out of a spoke from a broken antique chair.