An interior design project by Diele Kerciku Architetture is transforming a historic trattoria in the center of Rome, located on one of the oldest and most charming streets in Rome’s historic center, Via del Pellegrino, close to Campo de’ Fiori. This neighborhood venue has changed its look and soul, transforming itself into Reserva Restaurante, a restaurant and cocktail bar that reinterprets South American atmospheres with contemporary sensibility through the language of interior design.
The project, initiated by a family of historic restaurateurs in the capital, had a clear goal: to create a new, spectacular, and sophisticated venue for the Roman scene. It was designed to immerse conviviality in an environment capable of evoking faraway places without ever losing the link with Italian craftsmanship and taste.
The experiential journey begins immediately upon entering, where the cocktail bar opens up as the visual and emotional centerpiece of the project. This area is dominated by a dense blanket of tropical vegetation that descends from the ceiling, creating a suspended landscape. This landscape frames the green labradorite counter, which is decorated with handmade ceramic feathers. This powerful image dialogues with the imagery of the South American forest while celebrating the refined detail of Italian craftsmanship. Behind the counter, brass shelves and two etched glass openings discreetly reveal green backdrops, creating a sophisticated play of transparencies that becomes the stylistic signature of the venue.
Arranged around the bar are the two restaurant rooms, designed as immersive and enveloping spaces. These environments are characterized by plant backdrops, velvet furnishings, walls finished in raw lime, and black Fenix tables edged in Italian walnut. The small-plank jatoba parquet flooring, with its warm, deep color, amplifies the feeling of being in an exotic yet intimate place.
Light plays a fundamental role in creating the atmosphere. Custom-designed linen lampshades suspended above the tables combine two light sources — one diffused and one focused—creating visual intimacy without sacrificing uniform lighting. In the cocktail bar, small lamps shaped like tropical fruits scattered among the leaves introduce dynamic lighting, a play of light and shadow designed to appear spontaneous and natural. Additionally, green-gray painted Vienna straw panels in the ceilings conceal spotlights while also contributing to effective sound absorption.
Functionally, the kitchen, which was previously located in the basement, has been moved to the rear of the ground floor. This choice freed up the street-facing windows and offered guests a more open and brighter space. Downstairs, the wine cellar and service rooms change their language radically, enveloped in anthracite gray that covers the walls and ceilings continuously.
A central aspect of the project is the sustainability of the systems. The restaurant is equipped with an advanced water recovery system, which collects water from kitchen appliances and refrigerators and returns it to the air conditioning systems. This flow is regulated according to the seasons, ensuring energy savings and efficiency without sacrificing comfort and performance.
As explained by the architects Vincenzo Diele and Eljor Kerciku, design is made up of “atmospheres: not just shapes and materials, but a balance of lights, sounds, and perceptions“. Reserva Restaurante thus presents itself as a sensory and sophisticated experience, capable of transporting guests to another dimension, international and enveloped in the charm of a South American elsewhere that dialogues with the historic heart of Rome.
