A glammed-up version of a New York butcher shop, The Meatball and Wine Bar has taken over Breadwell Cafe on Flinders Lane. Handmade meatballs are the order of the day, with all meat sourced from local producers. This dedication to quality produce is testament to owner Matteo Bruno’s love for exceptional food.
Design and interior studio, Eades and Bergman, removed the plaster walls to expose the graceful raw brick archways of the historic Flinders Lane building, the old paint remaining, giving the venue a warm, industrial feel.
Black rippled tiles were used under the bar and the same tiles, in white at the back of the bar, were chosen from Urban Edge. The front area of Meatball was painted white using Porters Paint colour Popcorn and the booth seating in the colour Polo. They did this to lighten the entrance and accentuate the old butcher style signage painted on the front window. Blonde colored timber floorboards were stained in black.
The addition of the copper bar fit out by VN Projects, the black rippled tiles under the structure, black stained timber floorboards, and the large wall of distressed mirror by Matthew Liam Collins of Art and Interiors, gives the space a brooding, intimate vibe.
Eades and Bergman collaborated with industrial designer Paul Grummisch to roll out the full interior fit out with custom designed, recycled timber communal tables and chairs, the table tops finished by VN Projects. Grummisch also created the glass meat display cabinet, complete with the bar’s finest small goods and sweets.
Grummisch’s hanging exposed lights complete the comforting ambience. The copper bar is adorned with bespoke stools from artisan furniture designer, Daniel Barbera.
The vintage butcher shop style signage, intricately painted in gold leaf, and the brightly lit MEAT DEPT. sign, is the brainchild of cutting edge graphic design agency The Anatomy.
The photographs of Matteo’s father and grandfather on the cattle farm that don the walls is a reminder of the importance the venue places on the history and tradition of cuisine.