i-talia, new delhi, india

The design of the new I-talia restaurant and café takes the sophistication of the original Bangalore brasserie to a new level, inspired by the collision of rustic simplicity and catwalk glamour. Within the very classical shopping centre environment at Vassant Kunj, we wanted to create two very different dining experiences that were true to the roots of their Italian cuisine.

We were also minded of the historic connections between India and Italy, which saw Roman ships making use of the monsoon to cross the Indian Ocean in order to trade spices, gems and ivory with gold in the first century. We felt that this dialogue between aromatic and exotic spices with the allure of gold and silver created a narrative that ties these two countries together and generated our brief for the restaurant.

The restaurant opened in February 2009.