After working with designer Serena Zanello of Santa Monica, California-based Ctrl Arch on Il Postino and Lighthouse Bar and Grill in San Diego, restaurateur Antonio Mastellone brought her in once again for his newest project: La Villa.

“The brief was to create an elegant, warm restaurant in the heart of [San Diego’s] Little Italy; an Italian restaurant that’s different and unique with a touch of style,” she says. “My idea was a modern [interpretation] of an antique Italian villa, [achieved] by mixing antique and modern elements together. The historic mood would be made by architectural details and materials and the modern mood by colors and furniture.”

To do this she opened up the space with light colors, new skylights, and architectural elements like wood beams on the ceiling. She used faux paint to emulate the look of corten, while gray modern floor tiles contrast the stone walls. And custom murals and artwork are at the same time contemporary, and “remind me of ancient times,” she explains.

The standout: the patio. “The patio became a terrace facing an Italian landscape: the patio wall with his rustic look and modern cut creates a great contrast with the stones on the ‘villa’ walls, the white box of the bar, green cushions and white statues reminiscent of ancient Rome, and the artwork created on commission by artist Bethany Barton.”

Adds Zanello: “Little Italy is a touristic area with a lot of restaurants that all look pretty much the same. We had the opportunity to work with an articulate space and a huge patio, and we wanted something different and outstanding for this location.”