The humble butcher has been afforded a rather sophisticated makeover in Doherty Lynch's design for this Melbourne retailer. Leanne Amodeo reports.

For Melbourne-based interior designers Doherty Lynch they found the perfect client in Peter Bouchier. “He didn’t want to give too many clues as to what he liked,” says co-director Fiona Lynch. “He really wanted us to come up with what we thought would work best from a design point of view.”

What resulted is a remarkable transformation of Bouchier’s rundown little Butchers of Distinction shop in suburban Hawksburn.

The family-run business has operated from the same location for over 20 years and Bouchier thought it was time to give something back to his loyal customers and the local community. This sense of generosity is implicit in Doherty Lynch’s renovation, which cleverly makes the most of each and every centimetre in the narrow 77sqm interior.

“For the last 20 years or so butcher shops have been these really sterile, uncomfortable spaces,” explains Lynch. “So we limited the amount of stainless steel we used and tried to create the nostalgic feel of a traditional butcher shop.” Using Carrera stone, marble, copper and pre-sealed terracotta finishes makes for a rich material palette that becomes the store’s defining expression.

It also lends the store a degree of comfort, which is crucial considering there is sometimes anywhere up to 50 customers waiting to be served. To create the illusion of depth Lynch also installed a green mirror splashback that runs the length of the store. And for added visual interest a green mirror disc hangs from the ceiling, which functions decoratively in the same way a chandelier would.

Interestingly, Bouchier’s surname in French means ‘butcher’ and Lynch’s research led her to look at butcher shops in Paris. The decision to bring in Art Deco references is a stylistic highlight as the soft curves and warm colours successfully evoke times gone by. Not only do the terracotta tiles, bespoke lights and copper and black-trimmed fridges show off the product in the best possible way, they also give Butchers of Distinction a point of difference.

It serves the small family-run business well, especially since they are competing with the big supermarket chains. But for Bouchier it was always about the customer and Lynch understood this. “We just wanted to come up with an interior that feels welcoming and inviting,” she reflects. And it would seem Doherty Lynch have done just that.

Doherty Lynch

dohertylynch.com