Studio McQualter's interior design for MECCA Bourke Street

Studio McQualter’s interior design for the new multi-level MECCA Bourke Street in Melbourne proves beauty is about what’s on the inside.

Opening to the public today after much anticipation – and planned disruptions to trams along a major retail corridor in Melbourne’s CBD – MECCA Bourke Street has been declared the biggest freestanding beauty store in the world.

The Australian beauty giant’s 4000-square-metre, three-storey new home is inside the former E.W. Cole building – once the legendary Coles Book Arcade, and more recently, a David Jones department store.

Tasked with the interior design of this major project, Sydney-based firm Studio McQualter has peeled back the layers of the site’s modern alterations, delivering a bold and feminine artistic vision that “creates a dialogue between eras”.

Reviving the site’s architectural history

Built in the 1930s and designed in Art Deco style by Melbourne architect Harry Norris, the E.W. Cole building once played host to generations of Melburnians browsing books and merchandise beneath decorative plaster ceilings and across terrazzo floors.

Studio McQualter sought to restore this aesthetic legacy without veering into nostalgic pastiche.

“Our focus was to pay homage to the heritage while introducing a cohesive and contemporary visual language, consistent material palettes, artistic interventions and thoughtful zoning so each service feels part of a unified experience, while still allowing for distinct moments of discovery,” the practice tells Australian Design Review (ADR).

Studio McQualter has been a creative partner with MECCA on assorted projects over the years, but none quite as large as MECCA Bourke Street. This was a unique project for the studio, which has an extensive portfolio of local and international residential and retail projects, due to the size, complexity and heritage nature of the building.

“There are always challenges working with an existing building, and being heritage listed adds to this,” the studio tells ADR. “We integrated many elements that echoed the building’s grandeur to create a dialogue between the past and present.”

Studio McQualter uncovered and revived key architectural features such as the arched Bourke Street windows, reinstated to flood the first floor with light, as well as the heritage terrazzo flooring and decorative plasterwork. Along Union Lane, newly revealed windows, added entrances and signage help to integrate the building with the more intimate scale and feel of Melbourne’s laneways.

Original faience tiling, locally made in Sunshine in the 1920s, pairs with newly recast tiles from Darwen Terracotta in the UK, emphasising the terracotta-glazed character of the shopfront. Exposing the concrete columns also revealed the structure and original Aztec tiling.

“Relocating the escalators and newly opened voids created the brand new mezzanine level, allowing us to open the space further by visually and physically connecting these spaces so that the decorative heritage ceiling can be seen from the ground floor,” the studio explains.

The ‘store-in-store’ concept

According to Studio McQualter, MECCA’s brief was to create “the world’s most extraordinary, innovative and loved experiential beauty destination” – a distinct concept and store environment while still reflective of the MECCA experience.

The flagship store was to be a destination for beauty services, with some retail delivered as a ‘store-in-store’ concept. In defining the spatial rhythm, Studio McQualter created three distinct levels, each with its own mood and design language.

Upstairs, the Aesthetica Lounge offers a luxurious pause within the MECCA Atelier skin space. Custom rugs, leather banquettes and art by celebrated Australian women artists, including Julie Rrap and Atong Atem, have been curated to create an atmosphere more akin to a salon than a retail floor.

Meanwhile, Café MECCA channels Melbourne’s hospitality heritage through a custom marble bar and ambient lighting.

Material authenticity defines the interior palette, with raw concrete, exposed columns, restored tilework, handcrafted joinery, and a curated blend of vintage and bespoke furniture aglow under soft lighting.

A celebration of women’s art

A defining feature of MECCA Bourke Street is more than 25 artworks by women artists from Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Curated by Potter Museum of Art and Buxton Contemporary director Charlotte Day, some pieces were drawn from MECCA’s private collection, while others were commissioned for the space.

A vibrant handblown chandelier by Bethan Laura Wood is the centrepiece of ‘the Perfumeria’. Meanwhile, in the Apothecary, seven mosaic panels wrap a column by Diena Georgetti.

Four expressive canvases by Sally Ross feature in the Nail Bar in addition to a multi-level psychedelic mural by Dutch duo Freeling Waters.

Deeply contemporary, the art selection is bold and joyous, “infusing the store with energy”, according to Studio McQualter.

Wellness considerations

Beyond its artistry, MECCA Bourke Street is one of the first global beauty retailers to receive WELL pre-certification, according to MECCA.

MECCA Bourke Street has integrated principles of health and wellbeing like circadian lighting, high air and water quality, end-of-trip facilities, and spaces for parenting, mental health and movement.

Filtered water points and acoustic enhancements at MECCA-versity seek to support a more inclusive, thoughtful retail experience.

A department store as a ‘gift’ to the city

For MECCA, in collaboration with RBA Architects and Conservation Consultants, this restoration project is a “gift back to Melbourne”.

With its layered narrative, tactile materials and visual boldness, MECCA Bourke Street celebrates cultural memory, while seeking to embed progressive retail design into our contemporary cultural imagination.