Specialist high street food shops haven’t traditionally fared well against out-of-town supermarkets, but that’s — thankfully — be changing somewhat of recent times. These one-stop shops may be a more convenient option than lugging your bag from Mrs Briggs the baker to Mr Jones the butcher, but wouldn’t you rather have a freshly chopped cut of meat prepared in front of you than something in a polystyrene tray wrapped in cellophane? Of course you would, and that’s why the designers of Corella Meat Shop made the butchery process a central part of their vision.
Located just outside Barcelona in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Sandra Tarruella Interioristas revealed the staff’s cleaver-swinging skills to the passers-by in the street as well as the customers inside this Sant Cugat building. They can see how their beef becomes burgers through a double-fronted iron window at the front, and elsewhere transparent partitions have been used as much as possible. What’s not clear is off-white — a good contrast against the meat and clean-looking. The pre-existing building features have been retained, the stone walls, brick, wooden beams across vaulted ceilings ensure the interior doesn’t feel as aesthetically sterile as we’re sure the chopping boards are kept.
Photography, Meritxell Arjalaguer
