Lucia – Italian Bistro — 33NEST ARCHITECTURE

Lucia – Italian Bistro, Glenwood Park

ELEVATING NEIGHBORHOOD DINING THROUGH ADAPTIVE REUSE, LAYERED DETAILING, AND SPATIAL PRECISION.

Lucia is a newly transformed Italian bistro located in the heart of Glenwood Park, Atlanta. 33 Nest provided full architectural design services and prepared stamped construction documents for permitting through the City of Atlanta. Working within the existing footprint of a former pho restaurant, the project centered on reimagining the guest experience while retaining key infrastructure, such as the kitchen layout, to streamline the build. The goal was to bring the client’s vision for an intimate, character-rich dining space to life - balancing warmth, flow, and regulatory compliance in equal measure.

OUR SERVICES: Light Commercial Remodel // Concept Design // Design Development // Interior Design // Construction Documents // Permit Expediting

LUCIA - ITALIAN BISTRO

Location: GLENWOOD PARK, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Client: PRIVATE

Status: PRE-CONSTRUCTION

Estimated Completion: WINTER 2025

Presentation: LUCIA - ITALIAN BISTRO SUMMARY

Design & Permitting Strategy

The remodel focused heavily on reshaping the front-of-house while preserving much of the back-of-house kitchen layout. One of the primary design challenges was maximizing seating capacity without compromising accessibility or safety. We carefully reworked the overall floor plan to ensure all egress paths remained code-compliant and that ADA requirements were fully integrated into the space planning. Our team guided the client through Atlanta’s commercial permitting process, delivering detailed, stamped drawing sets that satisfied both design intent and regulatory criteria. By taking a pragmatic yet imaginative approach, we were able to help the client navigate city requirements while elevating the overall spatial experience.

EXISTING FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN

Bar Redesign & Spatial Intervention

A defining feature of the Lucia transformation is the redesigned bar area, which introduces both architectural clarity and material richness to the space. The bar wall was extended slightly to create a stronger visual anchor and accommodate custom metal shelving finished in brass. This shelving was designed to float elegantly above a textured, warm-toned bar face that features vertically oriented green tiles. Above, a soffit was introduced to define the bar zone and embed recessed lighting, adding intimacy and refinement to the guest experience. The overall bar composition balances texture, rhythm, and openness - establishing a signature focal point visible from every angle of the dining room. Shown here are two views: a full-color render that illustrates the final design intent, and a white model of the existing conditions prior to our intervention.

Banquette Seating Concept Design

Seating was a key component of the spatial strategy for Lucia. To enhance comfort and accommodate more guests within the modest footprint, we developed a layered banquette seating plan that optimized both perimeter walls and the dining room center. Along the windows, continuous banquette seating was introduced to define the edge of the room and bring softness to the architecture. In the corners, custom L-shaped banquettes made efficient use of space that is often underutilized in typical layouts. At the center of the dining room, we designed a series of back-to-back banquettes clad in wood, with a blend of leather and velvet upholstery to bring tactile contrast and elevated detailing to the interior. The accompanying sketches were used to communicate intent, materiality, and seating proportions to both the client and contractors - ensuring clarity from design through execution.