LULU Restaurant & Bar Lisbon by DC.AD Studio.

Bright and neon LULU in Lisbon is infectiously fun. This sprawling 170 square metre bar and restaurant has been inserted on the ground floor of an early nineteen-century building located in the Santos Parish. Designed by DC.AD, the functional program is expansive with a bar area, space to boogie, plenty of seating, disco bathrooms and room to boot for all the back of house facilities.

With the bar facing the entrance looking directly onto the restaurant’s main façade, this arrangement allowed the “core” of the space, which is open with a generous ceiling height, to be utilised by patrons in all its glory. Given the geometry of the lot itself, two rooms with distinct environments were created, aiming for a greater diversity of use. The first one, adjacent to the main façade, is characterised by the strong entry of natural light and clear visibility to the public thoroughfare thanks to newly-minted shop-window type openings. A fixed L-shaped sofa was designed along the bordering walls sitting alongside tables to be freely grouped and more intimate two-person spots. The second room is more relaxed with dim lighting, gravitating between a bar and a dancefloor. Punctuated by low tables and separate poufs the area is orchestrated around a DJ table and a single ample sofa with a fluid organic design.

“As far as the ambience sought for the project, the intention was to create a space inspired by the artistic period of the 1920s and specifically in an Art Deco style—as personified in the figure of the actress Louise Brooks, who gives the restaurant its name. We tried to develop a new interpretation of the aesthetic characteristics of this movement, through exhaustive attention to details and the careful selection of the textures, colours, and finishes,” explain the designers.

From the geometric patterns of the natural stone floor and the rhythmic lacquered wooden slats, to the multifaceted surfaces and coloured mirrors, a graphic and luminous sensorial intensity is defined. Softened by the introduction of vegetation or intensified by the rhythmic harshness of coloured neon lights, the decoration has played an essential role in the balance of the general ambience, intended to be somewhat nostalgic yet simultaneously up-to-date.

With a palette based on the colours of the main façade—pink, dark green, and white—a strong visual connection between the interior and the exterior has been formed. Each colour features predominantly in different zones, thereby marking the function of that room. Matched with a meticulous neon lighting system the interior can undergo a total metamorphosis at any moment, resulting in an exuberant, enveloping, and unique experience every visit.

Related: Sun Tan Noodle Restaurant in Lisbon by DC.AD + Mariana Peralta.

[Images courtesy of DC.AD. Photography by Francisco Nogueira.]