Overlooking Piazza Farnese, a stone’s throw from Campo de’ Fiori, one of Rome’s historic squares and the focal point of the capital’s nightlife, VyTA Farnese, created by interior design studio COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO combines the features of the traditional Italian bar and contemporary design.

-text by the authors

The project is an eclectic and experimental transformation of a timeless café: Caffè Farnese, a crossroads for illuminated minds and colourful characters, open from breakfast to post-dinner, where the window of the takeaway bar on Via Dei Baullari invites passers-by to uncurl and unwind.

Daniela Colli has created a space oozing with contemporary charm, fusing the refined elegance of the Renaissance period, European modernism and Millennial pink, with particular attention to detail and exquisite craftsmanship, which distinguishes the VyTA brand in its multiple spaces dedicated to hospitality, in Italy and London.

Human experience is the main focus of the project. Interaction with customers is dynamic and guests are at the heart of the space, becoming an integral part of the scene, whether they’re perched at the cafeteria, consuming finger-food while sitting on Verpan marsala-coloured leather stools, or comfortably sipping a cocktail on a pink leather sofa.

“VyTA Farnese is an unexpected place, which, with its refined materials and decorations stimulates the interaction between people. In this challenging historical moment, where social distance is the springboard from which to regenerate our lives, this project, through the design of the takeaway bar overlooking the street, and set in one of the world’s most beautiful squares, presents a clever solution to hospitality which, as an inescapable expression of sociality, opens up the urban space of our cities”, says the architect.

VyTA Farnese was born from the dialogue between place and identity.

The project fits into the historical context with refined materials such as polychrome marble, lacquered surfaces, mirrors and velvets, calibrated geometries and symmetries combined with bold shapes and a lively colour palette, from emerald green to Millennial pink with shiny copper accents. The windows on the street frame the interior, revealing a composition of playful textures and metaphysical arches with trompe-l’œil effects. 

The architecture draws inspiration from the Renaissance period in its use of elementary geometric shapes and for the articulation of the orthogonal and symmetrical plan, while the square and round arch give life to the original elements that characterize the interior design.

VyTA Farnese is developed on two levels: the ground floor houses the bar, the restaurant and the window of the takeaway bar, which allows customers to be served outdoors with piece of mind, and without having to access the premises. Three adjoining spans, connected to each other by large round arches covered in rose gold copper, create a delicate perspective game with increased depth. A bar counter with a central island shapes the matrix of the project: it is the hinge between the two rooms and embodies its intimate atmosphere, emerald green wallpaper and lacquered ceilings. In the corner room, a large arched opening frames the terrace facing Piazza Farnese and its fountain, creating continuity between inside and outside. A heavily textured staircase in Alpi green marble, embellished with rose gold copper sphere appliques, leads to the lower level which houses the kitchen and utility rooms.

The macroscale square generates the pattern of the hyper-realistic polychrome marble floor. In microscale, it becomes the evanescent decoration of the bar counter, where the overlap of pink mirror, transparent glass and sandblasted serigraphy creates a layer that dissolves, and at the same time amplifies its presence in space. Circular mirrors fragment the reflected images through inserts in white marble, while globes in pink metallized glass illuminate small tables in emerald green glass, and a triptych of arches showcases the wines of the brand.

VyTA Farnese redefines the concept of conviviality, giving the city a space that invites guests to breathe outdoors and that looks to the future of hospitality, without forgetting the great tradition of Italian bars and the ritual of coffee consumed standing at the counter as a welcome parenthesis in our bustling daily routines.

Drawings

Facts & Credits
Project title  VyTA Farnese
Architect  COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO                                          
Location  Rome, Italy
Client  VyTA
GFA  130 sqm (ground floor 65 sqm, lower floor 45 sqm, dehors 20 sqm)
Date  October 2019
Programme  bar, restaurant, take-away bar
Photography  Matteo Piazza

Suppliers
Building, structural and installation works  Cofre
Custom-made furniture  Artigianrulli
Glass works  Vetreria Bazzanese
Marble works  Fratelli Marmo
Metal works  Isel
Custom-made lighting  MMLampadari
Custom-made upholstery  Atelier +39
Structural project  ing. Cesare Lupi
Installation project  ing. Benedetto Mancini

Materials                                
Flooring  polychrome with square matrix pattern in Alpi green marble, spring pink, Carrara veined white marble
Walls  back-painted glass in emerald green, Vescom vinyl wallpaper in emerald green – Sagrara print series
Arches  rose gold metal intrados, spring pink marble cladding
False ceiling  lacquered MDF panels and plasterboard painted with emerald green Sikkens water-based paint with decorative elements in rose gold metal
Counters  interior with extra-clear glass coating and silk-screened decoration layered on rose gold mirror, exterior with ribbed glass layered on rose gold mirror, details in rose gold metal and top in pink spring marble
Back counter covering  laminated ribbed glass on rose gold mirror
Mirrors  custom-made with silver mirror and white Carrara veined marble, rose gold metal frame
Bottle racks  custom-made in rose gold metal and laminated ribbed glass coating on rose gold mirror

Lighting                      
Recessed lights  Laser by IGuzzini
Wall lamps  Pelota _W2 by Linea Light
Pendant lamps  custom-made by MMLampadari in galvanized rose gold metal with globes in pink metallized glass

Interior furniture                     
Chairs  Series 430 chair with black metal structure and Marsala coloured velvet upholstery by Verpan
Stools  Series 430 bar stool with black metal structure and Marsala coloured velvet upholstery by Verpan
Sofa  custom-made covered in pink eco-leather with rose gold copper structure made by Atelier +39

Exterior furniture
Sun umbrella  Oro summer by Il Parco with wooden structure and ecru coloured acrylic textile
Chairs  Reef by EMU in anthracite grey painted aluminum
Tables  Cambi by EMU in anthracite grey painted steel


Check out, also, VyTA Covent Garden in London by COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO, here!


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