Architect Alberto Cipriani Brings the Adriatic Coast to LucAle's New Home

For Hong Kong-based Italian architect Alberto Cipriani, designing LucAle’s new home wasn’t simply about creating a beautiful space, it was about telling a story that aptly reflected the spirit and character of the restaurant.

That story begins in the waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Born in Verona in the Veneto region of Italy, Cipriani's architectural journey started young, inspired by a father who built things with his hands and a childhood spent playing with Lego. "I never had any doubt that architecture was my future," he recalls.

After studying in Venice and working closely with former students and collaborators of the legendary Carlo Scarpa, Cipriani's path eventually led him to Hong Kong - a detour from his original plan to go to California. He has now been in the city for 19 years. "I never made it to Santa Monica; I ended up in Hong Kong," he laughs.

A Concept Born from Connection

When Cipriani was commissioned to undertake the LucAle project - recommended through mutual friends of the owners - his brief was an open one. Upon discovering that the restaurant's founders, Luca and Alessandro hailed respectively from regions along Italy's Adriatic coastline: Luca from Abruzzo and Alessandro from Emilia-Romagna, and  Cipriani himself coming from Veneto, a connection became clear. "The water is the same, the feeling is the same," he explains. The Adriatic Coast thus became the guiding inspiration for the design. “For me, we are underwater here," says Cipriani.

An Underwater World

Step into LucAle today, and you're surrounded by Cipriani's vision. The striking and detailed ceramic panels covering the walls represent shoals of fish. The contemporary modular chandeliers are respectively named "Manta" and "Luccio"—the latter, whose name refers to the Mediterranean barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena), is a nod to the saltwater bounty of the Adriatic. Their shadows dance across surfaces, evoking sunlight filtering through water.

The blue and white geometric patterns reference the iconic and ubiquitous beach huts - "bagni" - that line the Italian coastline. Even the wood in the restrooms was chosen to resemble sand.

"When I started to see all the connections to the sea, that was my green light," notes Cipriani.

Light as Architecture

For Cipriani, lighting was paramount - 95% of the project, he estimates. And here, he drew inspiration from one of modern architecture's giants.

"Le Corbusier used to say that geometry is the result of the light eating the forms," Cipriani shares, quoting the legendary architect. "So if you don't have a good light, you go nowhere. Light is key, especially in interior architecture."

The result is an intimate atmosphere where illumination shifts from the brighter front to the more subdued rear, always ensuring that the food remains perfectly lit. The dark tabletops were also chosen deliberately. "The dishes are super colourful, so if everything is light, the visual impact of the food is less. The dark wood creates a contrasting frame."

Craftsmanship and Collaboration

True to his Italian roots - and his early exposure to Scarpa's detail-obsessed generation - Cipriani focuses on craftsmanship. The ceramic panels were made by an Italian company based in Bali, which became so invested in the project that the craftspeople documented the entire production process. The chairs and tables are Italian, as are the  chandeliers.

"There's a lot of Italian style in it," he notes. " Of the Italian restaurants I know, LucAle, is probably the only one that employs Italians - between chefs and staff, there are at least half a dozen."

Solving Constraints Creatively

The project did not come to fruition without challenges, the main one being a seemingly impossibly tight timeline that saw construction racing against Christmas and Chinese New Year holidays. The recessed entrance, required by fire regulations (doors must open outward without blocking the public pavement), became an "event" - an elegant negative space that bears the restaurant's logo. "It's always interesting to create something good out of a constraint," says Cipriani.

The exposed ceiling, typical of Hong Kong but somewhat unusual for a European architect, was embraced rather than hidden. " Above was madness, but we successfully made the most of it."

A Space That Speaks for Itself

Perhaps what is most striking about Cipriani's design is what's not there. No Chianti bottles hanging from ceilings. No stereotypical Italian restaurant tropes.

"There's no art hanging on the wall. The space speaks because I'm an architect, not an interior designer. Over-decorating is not what I want. Essential things, solving complex issues with very simple solutions - that's my style."

The result defies easy categorisation. It's not quite fine dining, not quite trattoria. It's something else entirely - a space that transports diners not to a generic idea of Italy, but to a specific memory of the Adriatic coast, where the sand meets the sea and sunlight dances across the water. As Cipriani puts it: "It reminds me of when I was a kid, enjoying my time on the seaside, playing in the water and building sandcastles."

For LucAle's new chapter, that sense of nostalgia - authentic, personal, and quintessentially Italian - is perhaps one of the most welcoming ingredients of all.

Check out Alberto’s Website Below:

https://albertociprianiarchitect.com/portfolio/restaurant-2/