Restaurant Toscano

A 3,000 sq. ft. Italian restaurant, pizzeria & wine barInterior design in collaboration with RC Architecture.

This restaurant interior fuses industrial grit with playful, retro-chic swagger, creating a space that feels both cavernous and intimate. Exposed ductwork and raw concrete floors anchor the high-ceilinged room in urban authenticity, while a riot of warm Edison bulbs—strung in clusters, dangling from black cords, or caged in geometric chandeliers—bathes everything in a honeyed glow. The palette is deliberately restrained: matte black tables, charcoal bentwood chairs, and dark leather stools offset by crisp white brick walls and glossy green accents that pop like fresh basil on a margherita.

The layout is a masterclass in flow. A long communal high-top slices through the center, flanked by smaller round tables that invite lingering. Every seat has a sightline to the action: a gleaming open kitchen where pizza ovens glow red, a backlit bar stacked with emerald bottles, and a mezzanine staircase that promises more seating (or perhaps a speakeasy vibe) upstairs. Neon signage—“Fresh Pizza Mojito Bar”—buzzes in candy-colored script above the bar, its reflection dancing across polished countertops and mirrored shelves.

Texture is everywhere. A diamond-patterned tile backsplash behind the bar nods to old-school pizzerias; chalkboard menus scrawl daily specials in looping white script; wooden barrels double as side tables. Wine racks climb the walls like green glass ivy, while framed black-and-white photos and hand-painted murals add soul without clutter. The result is a space that feels lived-in yet meticulously curated—equal parts Brooklyn loft, Roman trattoria, and Havana cocktail den.