Take your inspiration from great wines and decorate an interior with all of the atmosphere, ambience and rusticity that a fabulous wine cellar has to offer.

This interior may exude an almost industrial flavour, where function meets form. There is something wholly unpretentious, uncluttered and unfussy, where simple planked floorboards meet chalky painted walls. Handsome wrought iron lamps, assembled using rusty reclaimed railings, can be reminiscent of elegant chateau gates... a feeling of being steeped in history, and a sense of "provenance", that popular wine phrase. On a somewhat grander scale, turn to the chateaux of the Loire Valley and beyond, for an altogether historical nod.

For the kitchen decor, one may borrow a wine reference or two with great success. Wine bin-style "alcoves" make for atmospheric open storage in which to stack handsome casseroles, piles of provincial-style crockery and so on. Slender, tall sliding ladders make awkward, high-level storage easily accessible.

Use hitherto redundant over-unit recesses for wine and bottle displays. Group handsome faux wine bottles – created from solid timber and of an enlarged scale – as an eye-catching arrangement on top of a mantle dresser or sideboard.

Convert a couple of these wooden sculptures for use as handsome table-lamps. Topped with a linen shade and coupled with twisted silk flex, what could be a more appropriate accessory to the wine cellar decor!

If, on the other hand, you are blessed with a dedicated wine cellar, then look for ways in which to improve and enjoy this unique interior.

An unpromising dingy cellar can become a characterful den, an intriguing cellar and even a party destination.

Ensure lighting is atmospheric – hang pendant lights as low as you dare, over tasting tables, partnered with seductive wall lights – nothing too glaring here. Practical table surfaces will be rustic in flavour – refectory-style with a bench or two to either side.

Introduce a group of bistro-style chairs in which to sit and indulge this pleasure. Choose tobacco leather tub-styles, ensuring there are enough in number to go around. Converted barrels and characterful wine boxes make for whimsical perches, enhancing the flavour all the while.

Underfoot, flagstones, cobbles, or polished concrete – a cooler finish that befits the rooms purpose. Add an antique rug or kelim to soften the cellar and to anchor an arrangement of easy seating. Extend sounds from elsewhere in the home, or install an independent source for the cellar – an atmospheric vibe of mellow jazz, or a Place de Vosges swing quartet are instantly evocative.

Indulge this interest elsewhere in the home. A wine label printed wallpaper will be whimsical in the downstairs cloakroom, boot-room or utility. Dedicated wine-cooling fridges are a must for the connoisseur, while a sculptured collection of wine decanters makes for an exquisite display that may be ambiently lit while remaining at arm's-length.

Group glasses by wine type behind glass-fronted cabinets and light seductively.