Spacegram Serves Up Italian Hospitality With a Twist at Scusa Restaurant in Lisbon.

In a city and time where restaurants often chase the latest trends, Spacegram has taken a different approach with Scusa. Located in Lisbon, this 250-square-metre contemporary Italian restaurant places substance over style.

The Portuguese studio was tasked with reimagining the interior without falling into stereotypes—no checkered tablecloths or hanging chianti bottles here. Instead, Spacegram created a space that feels Italian through warmth, materiality, and an unwavering focus on food as the main event.

Highlighting Natural Materials: Restaurant Nómada in Lisbon by Spacegram.

Otherworldly and experiential, Spacegram’s design for Restaurante Nómada captures the ethereal energy of travel and nomadic life, while highlighting natural materials in surprising ways.

The design palette draws from Italy’s diverse landscape, from Alpine lakes to Puglian olive groves, translated through warm oranges, golden yellows, and rich terracotta tones. These colours aren’t applied as surface decoration but woven throughout the architecture itself. Custom timber slat walls create rhythm and texture, while soft pendant lighting casts everything in a honey-coloured glow that makes the space feel perpetually sun-drenched.

The furniture tells its own story of Italian craftsmanship. Tables feature what Spacegram calls “pizza folding”—curved edges that encourage intimate gatherings and conversation. Paired with custom yellow leather seating, these pieces blend seamlessly with the wall textures, creating a cohesive environment where every element supports the next.

Six Hospitality Interiors that Prove Less is More.

We’re used to wine-and-dine spots emulating the energy that is often associated with the activity itself, so it makes it all the more impressive when the interior manages to capture the serenity of the experience in a very trip-hop manner.

Downstairs, Scusa reveals its playful side through the “Popcorn” installation—a sculptural piece that has quickly become one of Lisbon’s most photographed restaurant features. The basement’s darker palette and dramatic lighting create an entirely different mood. Encased in golden mirrors and warm lighting, this organic bronze sculpture symbolises rising dough and creative energy, embodying Spacegram’s belief that good design should surprise as well as serve.

“Food should be centre-stage at any restaurant,” explains Spacegram, and this philosophy permeates every decision. Rather than competing with the culinary experience, the interiors support it through careful consideration of acoustics, lighting, and spatial flow.

The studio’s approach reflects a broader design ethos: “Not everything needs to be ‘now’. Timeless Design has its place.” This philosophy results in a space that feels both contemporary and enduring—precisely what’s needed in our Instagram-driven hospitality landscape.

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[Images courtesy of Spacegram. Photography by Francisco Nogueira.]