Enoteca Boccaccio by Mim Design
In 1963, the D’Anna family established Boccaccio Cellars, a culinary mecca catering to Melbourne’s Italian community. Evoking the qualities of the Mediterranean region through food and wine, the retail premises has now evolved to include a traditional wine bar that cultivates the nostalgia, heritage and deeply entrenched family values of Italy’s culture, expressed through the richly layered interiors language of Mim Design.
Discretely accessed through a narrow entrance and up a flight of stairs, Enoteca Boccaccio conjures the ambience of Italy’s charming side streets. Signorino’s Corsica Rosa del Garda tiles, textured rendered walls by Strini Industries and warm brass detailing hint at the clandestine gem on the first floor.
Based around the significance of preservation – from the art of preserving meats, the fermentation process of wine and cheese and the philosophical notion of preserving family traditions – Enoteca Boccaccio has emerged as a curation of noble, expressive and tactile materials that coax an alchemic sensorial engagement.
The bar is the axis upon which everything else is hinged, “with Eco Outdoor’s Antico Arrotato Cotto handmade Italian clay tile flooring. Like a classic nebbiolo, hues of cherry and brick orange provide accents throughout the design,” explains Emma Mahlook, creative director at Mim Design. Surfaces carry an enduring Italian visual narrative, with the terracotta floor tiles “reminiscent of Roman and Florentine laneways, Rosso Levanto and Carrara natural stones in rich port tones, raw natural brass that will gracefully patina, walnut veneers and chocolate-coloured leathers.”
Enoteca Boccaccio is a “space that takes food and wine very seriously,” says Emma, and pays homage to the craftsmanship and artisanal qualities that are the hallmarks of Italian design.
Architecture, interior design, styling and furniture design by Mim Design. Build by TCON.
