This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Michael Bellino’s Snow Ski Wine Rack gives retired skiing equipment an unexpectedly sociable second life. Handmade in Millbury, Massachusetts, each freestanding rack is constructed from a reclaimed snow ski and holds three wine bottles horizontally.
Useful by Design
The ski’s original graphics, curved tip and traces of use remain visible, giving the finished object much of its character. Because the skis are reclaimed, colours, patterns and signs of wear vary—each rack is effectively unique.
At approximately 18 inches high, the design is compact but immediately recognisable. It brings together sporting nostalgia, practical bottle storage and the resourcefulness of upcycling without disguising the material’s former purpose.
A Second Run
Bellino is the founder of SkiChair, a Massachusetts workshop that transforms used and blemished sporting equipment into furniture and household accessories. The wine rack is a particularly simple expression of that idea: an object once designed for movement down a mountain becomes a stable place to keep wine.
The Snow Ski Wine Rack is available through SkiChair.
Snow Ski Wine Rack by Michael Bellino, handmade from reclaimed skis.
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