The term “wine cellar” is synonymous with large homes. After all, it takes a fair bit of space if you want to store thousands of bottles of wine, and a fair bit of a capital to ensure that a proper cooling system is installed. Or does it?

Okay, so $20,000 isn’t exactly a drop in the bucket, but the Spiral Cellulars can ostensibly be installed into any home, provided there is enough space to dig a hole. A watertight, pre-cast cylindrical system is sunk into the ground and can be located under the house. What makes them so attractive, aside from their cylindrical shape and spiral stair case, is that they can be incorporated into any room thanks to a trap door system, without interrupting floor space or the aesthetics of the room.

Despite the initial high cost, once the system is installed there is no additional expenses. Why? Thanks to the surrounding earth, which keeps the cellular cool, and some sort of “ingenious air-flow system,” there is no power required to run the over sized fridge. Perfect if you live in a location with inclement weather and frequent power outages during the summer months.

The Sprial System, as it’s known, was developed by a Frenchman, Georges Harnois, in 1977. Each cellar can hold up to 1900 bottles of wine. In the last two and half decades more than 20,000 Spiral Cellars have been built in France and over 3,000 in the UK.

Also why not check out: