Studio Y. was approached to form the graphic and interior identity of a new Middle Eastern fusion restaurant in the heart of Sydney’s Lane Cove. We took this brief and shaped an entire brand ethos built around family dining and traditional Middle Eastern food culture.

The brand identity for Lillah takes its origins from the Hebrew/Arabic word for beautiful night or ‘night beauty’. It melds the authentic DNA of Middle Eastern food with the gathering of friends and family. The space design celebrates not just one culture from the region but is informed by many different motifs throughout the Middle East and even extending to North Africa. The central dining area for example was inspired by the lead designer’s travels around Morocco. The skylight mimics an open courtyard with high walls, ivy covered arabesque forms and terracotta hues often seen in traditional Moroccan houses or ‘Riads’.

It was important that the bones of the space informed the interior; so a lot of the brickwork was exposed and washed in the same nude tone used throughout. The colour palette was inspired by explorations into Old Jeddah in the heart of Saudi Arabia. The overarching philosophy was to create a space which was inspired by the region but also culturally neutral. In order to transcend ancient architecture and create a contemporary interior; the traditional silhouettes were formed by modern finishes like powder coated white steel. Mashrabiya screens were created out of woven brass and the flooring was buffed to reveal a honed concrete finish. In order to build a space that felt like it had seen years of history we even had the white gloss tiles on the front of the bar purposely cracked and filled with terracotta grout to mimic a space that had seen time.

The result is an interior which is warm, spiced and social. The lighting scheme offers a minimal and contemporary layer, showering the space in a soft warm glow. Lillah presents a humble dining experience in a paired back setting that’s subliminally ancient yet contemporaneously refined.