Tavola

Most restaurant interiors try to disappear. Tavola goes the other way. The brief was a Navigli osteria with an open kitchen — straightforward enough. What emerged was a collision of deep crimson and forest green, zellige tile running floor to counter, exposed pipes overhead painted the same red as the walls, globe pendants hanging at different heights, tropical plants pushing into every corner. The wood-fired oven burns at the back like a hearth. The long counter bar runs the length of the room, red velvet stools lined up like an invitation. It shouldn’t work. It does. The colour holds the space together in the way that strong convictions tend to — not by being cautious, but by being completely committed. Famiglia Conti wanted somewhere that felt alive from the moment you walked in. That was the only brief that mattered.