Daniela Colli

Opened recently, the two storey Liòn restaurant is nestled between the Pantheon and Piazzo Navona. It features geometric motifs, chequered floors, mosaic pillars, brass fixtures and Art Deco-style lettering. Covering an area of 210 sq m, it’s heavily accented by the choreographic shadowing technique of chiaroscuro.

“The chiaroscuro in my projects is modulated by the use of light,” Daniela Colli told CLAD. “I believe that the alternation of light and shadow is essential to give dynamism to a space.”

Colli is the founder of Collidanielarchitetto, the atelier behind the award-winning design for Vyta Santa Margherita cafe in Florence.

The firm’s other hospitality works include the Motta Milano 1928 and the Vyta Enoteca Regionale del Lazio, which showcase Colli’s trademark preference for glass, marble, brass, rose gold copper, and lacquered wood.

Colli is currently working on the design of the Vyta eatery in London’s Covent Garden.

The three-floor Italian trattoria will be situated inside Covent Garden Market and will offer views of St Paul’s Cathedral.

“It’s a very complex project,” said Colli, “as it’s a Grade II-listed building with very small and fragmented spaces; characteristic elements of Victorian-era architecture.”

Asked about her influences, Colli said: “In the art world, futurism and Russian suprematism; among the architects: Carlo Mollino, Carlo Scarpa and Gio Ponti.

“I’m fascinated by the order and clarity of Rationalism; while the elegance, attention to detail and the materials’ preciousness is what attracts me about the Art Deco movement.”