The Palace Hotel – A Heritage Landmark Reborn as an African-Inspired Steakhouse
Built in 1897 during the Western Australian gold rush, the Palace Hotel is a heritage-listed three-storey building that has stood for more than a century as one of Perth’s architectural treasures. Originally at risk of demolition in 1972, it was saved and later transformed into a bank and office space by Alan Bond in 1988. A restoration by Woods Bagot in 2016 revived its Federation Free Classical interiors, paving the way for its most recent reinvention: a premium African-inspired steakhouse by The Meat & Wine Co.
Known across Australia for restaurants that embody the spirit of Ubuntu community, connection, and humanity The Meat & Wine Co draws inspiration from African cultures and traditions while responding to the character of each location. In the case of the Palace Hotel, the challenge was to seamlessly marry the grandeur of a heritage-listed ballroom with the earthy textures, layered storytelling, and vibrant energy of modern African design.
An African Grand Ballroom Transformation
The centrepiece of the restaurant is the hotel’s heritage ballroom, now reimagined as a dramatic dining hall that seats 140 guests. To soften the scale of the soaring room, COOOP.co crafted a design strategy that anchors intimacy within grandeur.
The design refresh is both aesthetic and a successful mechanism to bind the disconnect and duality between the old Baroque-esque detail of the ballroom and the new contemporary extension of The Meat & Wine Co. Highlights of the redesign include high-back banquette seating for added comfort and privacy, upgraded sound and lighting for a more ambient experience, and a fresh spatial layout that creates a sense of energy without sacrificing intimacy.
High-back banquettes upholstered in bespoke African tribal-patterned fabrics cocoon the perimeter, shaping the space into an elegant reinterpretation of a boma a traditional African enclosure for community gathering. Rising from the centre, sculptural acacia tree installations act as both spatial dividers and acoustic filters, breaking the vastness of the hall into more intimate dining zones while symbolising the meeting place at the heart of African tradition.
The floor is layered with a textured zebra-pattern carpet, grounding the room in rich, earthy tones. Custom dining chairs depicting the “Big Five” African animals form a playful yet refined narrative element, while layered African fabrics and details behind the seating evoke the atmosphere of a landscape gathering around the acacia tree an age-old place to eat, teach, pray, and share stories.
Materiality & Atmosphere
The new interiors work in harmony with the building’s heritage fabric. Warm wooden accents, deep velvet textures, and bespoke detailing complement the ornate plasterwork, stained glass, and classical proportions of the historic ballroom. The result is a dining environment where old-world charm and nostalgia meet contemporary storytelling, transforming the space into a hospitality destination that feels both timeless and culturally resonant.
A Living Heritage
By reimagining the Palace Hotel as an African-inspired steakhouse, The Meat & Wine Co. has created more than just a restaurant it has breathed new life into one of Perth’s most iconic heritage landmarks. Guests are invited into a space where history and heritage are honoured, while African culture and design infuse warmth, intimacy, and a sense of shared connection.
The Palace Hotel’s rebirth stands as a powerful example of how heritage spaces can be transformed with sensitivity and creativity, ensuring their stories continue to be lived and celebrated for generations to come