Design Detail: Istanbul Butcher, Istanbul

Concept: No sawdust on these butcher shop floors – they’re marble. This Turkish meat market is designed to look like an elegant jewelry store

1 GOLD STANDARD

“The concept was to create a truly unique, world-class butcher shop, with the almost counterintuitive elegance of a high-end European jeweler,” says Michael McCann, Principal at Dreamtime Australia Design (Sydney). With glass cases, recessed lighting and interesting curves and angles, he says, “it has the potential to redefine the category.”

2 COME ONE, COME ALL

Large windows open onto the cosmopolitan, tree-lined sidewalks of Istanbul’s Kadiköy district. They offer inviting views into the freestanding store, which includes a public “stage” behind a curved glass wall where skilled butchers work on round French oak timber butcher blocks. “It’s intended to feel like a Turkish version of a sushi chef counter,” McCann says.

3 MEAT AND GREET

The basic conceptual premise was to move traditional back-of-the-house work areas to the front of the shop to highlight the cleanliness of the store and the precision and craftsmanship of the butchering process. McCann says he created the open and interactive experience based on the restaurant and bar designs in which his firm specializes.

4 THAT’S COOL

A featured item is a three-sided, floor-to-ceiling, glass-walled cool room located just inside the entrance and also visible from the street. Specialty cuts of meat, hung from two custom-designed copper and metal chain racks, rotate past customers inside and outdoor passersby. A backlit wall of onyx resembles burning firewood embers.

5 WARMING UP

Rich timber wall paneling with travertine cladding paired with a high timber-beam ceiling brings a sense of warmth to the space. This, along with an Italian hand-cut marble stone floor and curved marble wallcoverings, supports the inviting atmosphere. Custom-made copper-clad refrigerated cabinets with copper and glass shelving display premium meats.

PROJECT SUPPLIERS 

Retailer
The Istanbul Butcher, Istanbul
Nezih Gurme Market, Fenerbahce, Istanbul

Design and Architecture
Dreamtime Australia Design, Sydney

Cool Room Ceiling and Flooring
New Ravenna, Exmore, Va.

General Contractor
Toner Architects, Istanbul

Lighting
Kreon, Germany

Signage/Graphics
BAB Trade, Istanbul

Materials/Wallcoverings
Kyle Bunting, Austin, Texas
JNJ Mosaics, Guangdong, China
Kreoo, Venice, Italy
Zirve Gallery, Istanbul

In-Store Technology
Bizerba, Germany

Custom Mechanized Glass Carousel
Tim Barry, Sydney, Australia

Refrigeration
Igloo, Venice, Italy

Photography: Mirhan Bilir Photography