Rossella London Restaurant Design Case Study

A family story, written into the walls.

Located in Muswell Hill, North London, Rossella is the second restaurant from the Meola family, whose hospitality heritage stretches back to the family's first restaurant in Italy during the 1960s. Following the success of their Kentish Town restaurant, Faber was appointed to create an interior that would celebrate three generations of family history while establishing Rossella as a distinctive neighbourhood destination.

The opportunity was to transform an existing restaurant into a place with its own unmistakable identity. Beyond creating a beautiful interior, the ambition was to establish a restaurant that felt deeply rooted in the family's story, while appealing to Muswell Hill's strong local community.

The design needed to support different styles of hospitality throughout the day, from relaxed lunches and family dining to intimate evening meals, while introducing a stronger bar offer, private dining and flexible spaces capable of serving multiple audiences within a single restaurant.

"Every community needs a community restaurant. That's what we've always tried to be, and I think that's why people have embraced us."

- Luca Meola, Owner of Rossella

An interview with owner Luca Meola

To reflect on the project, Rossella’s owner Luca Meola sits down with Faber’s Creative Director Tony Matters to discuss the thinking behind the redesign, the challenges of transforming a well-loved family restaurant and the impact the project has had on both the business and its guests.

Watch the conversation below to hear the story behind the transformation in their own words.

Commercial Impact

The project was designed to support Rossella's long-term success as a destination restaurant within the local community through a distinctive, family-rooted design. It delivers a flexible 101-cover restaurant, bar and outdoor dining space, introduces Nonna's Lounge to enhance the evening food and drink offering, incorporates private dining capability for celebrations and group bookings, transitions seamlessly from a vibrant daytime café to an atmospheric evening restaurant and bar, and strengthens local identity to encourage repeat visits and community connection.

The Design Story

Rather than recreating a single period in time, the design layers together influences from each generation of the Meola family. Furniture, materials and architectural details quietly reference different eras, creating an interior that feels as though it has evolved naturally over decades. Nostalgic without feeling contrived, the restaurant balances stained oak, polished chrome, marble, leather and backlit onyx to create a rich and tactile environment.

From Concept to Interior Design

At the heart of the space, a central bar separates the main dining room from Nonna's Lounge, where bespoke suspended chrome light panels help transform the atmosphere from day into night. Throughout the restaurant, carefully considered details - from family photographs and heirlooms to bespoke lighting and furniture - reinforce the sense that Rossella has always belonged.

The result is a restaurant that celebrates family, continuity and community, giving the next generation a place to continue writing their story.

The Halo Light Panel

Designed exclusively for Rossella, the Halo Light Panels were created to complement the restaurant's seamless transition from a vibrant daytime café to an intimate evening bar.

Precision-crafted from mirror-polished stainless steel with opal acrylic diffusers, the one-metre square pendants feature dim-to-warm LED technology that adjusts both brightness and colour temperature throughout the day, while their bold geometric form and reflective finish add a distinctive sculptural presence and subtle retro glamour to the interior.

Before and After...

The transformation is about far more than appearance. The new interiors create a restaurant with a distinct sense of identity, warmth and atmosphere - one that feels as though it has always belonged.