Interior design studio Fettle has used pink and yellow hues throughout Italian restaurant Cicchetti in London‘s Piccadilly to capture the “magic of dusk” in Venice.
Venetian architecture has long been a source of inspiration for Fettle. But when it came to designing Cicchetti – which means “small plates” in Italian – the studio particularly wanted to focus on the colours of the city’s spectacular sunsets.
The detailing of the glossy wooden water taxis, which glide down the canals, provided another source of inspiration.
These themes are seen straight away in the restaurant’s entrance lobby, where surfaces are panelled with wood and inlaid with zigzag yellow fabric. A peachy orange chandelier with ruffle-like folds of glass helps illuminate the space.
An adjacent room houses the restaurant’s bar, anchored by a high-sheen wooden counter with crimson-red lamps placed at either end to complement the blush-pink stools.
Drink bottles are stored in a series of mirrored arches. The rich yellow walls were also inset with decorative mirror panels, each surrounded by scalloped borders.
A small tree enclosed by seating banquettes forms the focal point of the main dining room.
On the wall just behind is a geometric mural made using the verre églomisé technique, in which a design is gilded onto the rear face of glass to produce a reflective finish.
Fettle felt it was key to showcase glass craftsmanship within Cicchetti’s interior, given its longstanding tradition in the commune of Venice and the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon.
In keeping with this theme, Murano glass pendant lights with leaf-like shades were suspended from the ceiling, while swirly sconces illuminate the mirrored wall panels.
A graphic mix of scallop and chequerboard-patterned terrazzo floors features throughout the restaurant. Green and white tiles form stripes on the stairs, which lead down to a 20-seat private dining room.
This cosy, wood-lined space is finished with bespoke wine cabinets and a hand-painted ceiling mural of the sky.
London’s dining scene is always expanding. A couple of months ago, Town restaurant opened in Covent Garden, featuring space-age interiors that draw on Verner Panton designs and vintage Apple logos.
Further west, Don’t Tell Dad Eatery opened in Queen’s Park, complete with a host of playful design details like secret drawers and tabletop artworks.
The photography is by Helen Cathcart.
