Designing a Lisbon Apartment Remotely for an American Client
How do you make a new apartment feel like home before you have fully settled into the country?
For an American client relocating to Lisbon, the answer began with a clear design direction, thoughtful space planning and a carefully curated shopping list.
The living and dining room and terrace were designed entirely online, using photographs, video, measurements and online communication.
Project overview
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Client: American lady relocating to Lisbon
Spaces: Living room, dining area and terrace
Service: Essence Package
Process: 100% online
Style: Mediterranean-Moroccan with subtle Portuguese references
The starting point
The apartment already had several distinctive qualities:
Beautiful natural light
Views across Lisbon
Sea-foam-coloured window mouldings
A terrace with terracotta tiles
An existing green outdoor table and six chairs
The aim was to build on these features rather than compete with them.
What the client needed
The new interior had to feel:
Warm
Personal
Relaxed
Practical for everyday life
Comfortable for entertaining
Connected to Lisbon
It also needed to include:
Dining for six
Generous seating
A reading corner
Plants
Storage
Layered lighting
Ceiling fans with integrated lights
A comfortable outdoor lounging area
Two mood boards, one final direction
Two bespoke mood boards were created for the living and dining room.
They explored different combinations while maintaining the same warm identity.
The client selected:
The main direction from one proposal
The green sofa from the alternative
Terracotta dining chairs
Terracotta plant pots
A simpler standing lamp
Ceiling fans with integrated lights
This allowed the final design to feel collaborative rather than predetermined.
The final living and dining concept
The selected scheme included:
Green L-shaped sofa
Dining table for six
Terracotta dining chairs
Faux fireplace with framed television above
Comfortable reading chair
Small coffee table
Sideboard with green tile detailing
Natural plants in terracotta pots
Layered lighting
Subtle Portuguese artwork and references
The green and terracotta palette responds naturally to the window mouldings, terrace tiles and views across the city.
The terrace
The existing green table and chairs were retained.
New elements included:
A comfortable lounging piece
An umbrella
Large terracotta pots
Outdoor cushions
A rug
Discreet cushion storage
Solar wall lighting
Solar string lights
A decorative watering can
The result creates continuity between the interior and exterior.
From design to shopping
The final shopping list included products from several suppliers, selected according to:
The approved direction
The client’s budget
Product dimensions
Availability in Portugal
Delivery possibilities
Each image in the shopping list linked directly to the vendor’s website.
What was included in the project
As an Essence project, the client received:
Online consultation
Two bespoke mood boards
Approved design direction
2D space planning
Curated shopping list
Clickable purchasing links
Professional digital booklet
30-minute implementation clarity call
What about 3D and walkthrough videos?
This particular client chose Essence Package, so photorealistic 3D renderings and a walkthrough video were not part of her package.
Clients who prefer to see the proposed room more realistically before purchasing can select Signature, which adds:
Photorealistic 3D renderings
A walkthrough video of the proposed interior
This is particularly useful when designing remotely or making decisions for several connected spaces.
A new home with a sense of place
The final concept does not simply furnish the apartment.
It brings together the client’s lifestyle, Mediterranean warmth, subtle Moroccan influence and the colours and textures of Lisbon.