It might seem ironic that when a new Lebanese restaurant, Liza, opened in Beirut, I first heard about it not from local friends or colleagues, but rather, a Berlin based artist (who coincidentally, is married to a Lebanese), when she raved about the design of the place. Set on the top floor of a refurbished, 500 square meter 19th century villa (above the Metropolitan Art Society), Liza’s design transformed what could have simply been a grand, ornate space into something with an ultra contemporary flair, though no less impressive. Floor-to-ceiling arched windows serve as partitions and passageways in the lofty, light flooded interior; the custom made wallpaper patterns are like stunning modernist frescoes — large banana leaves in one room, an interpretation of Beirut cityscapes in another, and blown up ancient Lebanese lira notes in a third. Hanging from the ceiling, you will find everything from three dimensional gold stars
Nadine Khalil is an independent arts writer, researcher, curator and content specialist. After a decade-long stint in art publishing, she is currently advising art institutions such as the Ishara Art Foundation, Goethe and the NYUAD Arts Center in editorial strategy and content development. She is former editor of Dubai-based contemporary art magazine, Canvas (2017-2020) and Beirut-based magazines A mag and Bespoke (2010-2016). Her writing can be found in Art Review, Ocula, Brooklyn Rail, Goethe’s Art and Thought journal and the Women’s Review of Books. She has authored a series of artist monographs (Paroles d'Artistes) on Lebanese artists Samir Sayegh, Hanibal Srouji and the late filmmaker Jocelyne Saab curated for film festivals such as MidEast Cut and the Arab Independent Film Festival.
