Designed by London-based Nice Projects, the restaurant has a distinctive, minimal but tactile Italian spirit that complements the striking original architecture.The restaurant is the brainchild of Italian chef, Mirko Febbrile. Somma means ‘sum’ in Italian, and reflects Febbrile’s belief that the collective choices can redefine luxuryfor the modern day.

Febbrile’s brief to the designers was to create a space that reminded him of his home in Puglia in southern Italy but, like his food, was reinterpreted in a contemporary way. ‘We were careful to avoid creating a pastiche of Italian design’ says Nice Projects co-founder Sacha Leong. ‘We did not want to reference anything too heavily and so very much added our own custom elements.’

‘The strict geometry of the modernist space with its arched vaults was a challenge to fit in a very complex brief while highlighting the simplicity of the architecture.” says Leong. ‘We wanted to showcase the beauty of the original building with its eight-metre vaulted ceilings, but create a space that felt both comfortable and refined.’

The two vaults of the 5th floor restaurant house a show kitchen, grill room, main restaurant, private dining room for eight and a wine cellar. The layout of the tables in the restaurant ensures that every table has views of the kitchen and the team of chefs.

This combination of old and new has yielded a space that feels very special, quietly confident and timeless. It has the intimacy of entering a private palazzo and the drama of a fine dining restaurant. A key decision was to locate the show kitchen directly at the entrance so that guests are greeted by the entire team upon arrival, and their dining experience starts with an amuse bouche at the kitchen counter.

Somma features two spaces: a fine dining restaurant and a pasta bar with an elegant stairway separating the two. Classic Italian materials have been used throughout. ‘Both spaces are intentionally cohesive yet distinct’ says Simone McEwan, Nice Projects co-founder. 

The restaurant features refined materials like travertine and grey marble, while the pasta bar introduces red travertine and peach linen upholstery, evoking a livelier, more informal setting for parties.’The patterned sheer curtains evoke the rugged landscape of the region but also are a subtle nod to traditional Apuglian lace workshops.