A Slice of Rome, Served Seattle Style
At Roma Roma Pizza, design shapes experience. Best Practice Architecture brought together Roman-inspired food, bold materials, and flexible seating to create a space that works for every kind of visit—from a quick slice to a long stay.
Some pizza places are built for grabbing a slice and heading out the door. Roma Roma Pizza in Seattle had a different idea.
Designed by Best Practice Architecture, the Roman-style pizzeria serves up an experience that's just as inviting as the menu itself. Whether you're popping in for a quick lunch or settling in for pizza and a spritz that somehow turns into dessert, the space makes you want to stay awhile. That's exactly what the design team intended.
Working alongside first-time restaurant owners Forrest, Renee and Colin Brunton, Best Practice transformed an existing space into a warm, colorful destination inspired by Roman dining culture—one that feels equal parts neighborhood hangout and design destination.
Not Your Average Pie
Every project starts with a story, and this one happened to begin with pizza. For Best Practice, understanding a client's passion is part of the process. For the Roma Roma team, that passion was Roman-style pizza.
Unlike the classic round pie, Roman pizza is baked in long rectangular sheets, sold by weight, and cut with scissors—a tradition that caught chef Forrest Brunton's attention during his travels and eventually inspired a restaurant of his own.
Choose Your Own Adventure
From day one, the owners knew they didn't want Roma Roma to feel like just another fast-casual restaurant.
Sure, you can grab a slice and be on your way. But you can also settle in with friends, order another drink, or linger a little longer without feeling rushed. That flexibility became the foundation of the design. A thoughtful mix of banquettes, dining tables, bar seating, and communal spaces gives guests to choose their own adventure.
Coloring Outside the Pizza Box
Drawing inspiration from mid-century Italian modernism, Best Practice layered colorful geometric flooring, richly veined marble, warm wood tones, and playful pops of color throughout the restaurant. Oversized custom orange light fixtures nod to outdoor piazza dining, adding another layer of warmth and character overhead.
Rather than competing with the architecture, the seating becomes part of the larger design language—one more ingredient in a space designed to feel cohesive from every angle. The result feels fresh, energetic, and comfortably lived in. Like it's been part of the neighborhood all along.
Learn More: See how GRC's finish options help complete the design story.
"It's about carefully crafting the palette," says Katich. "When everything comes together, it creates one cohesive hospitality space."
Built to be Busy
Furniture is one of the many tools Best Practice uses to shape the guest experience and design from the earliest stages of a project. When it comes to independent restaurateurs, those conversations often start with the budget—and where it will work the hardest. Katich encourages clients to think carefully about their seating selections, viewing them as a long-term investment that should hold up to years of guests, meals, and memorable moments.
That philosophy guided the furniture selection at Roma Roma. Hula seating carries the restaurant's design language from the dining room to the patio, creating a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. Its rounded silhouette echoes the playful geometry found throughout the restaurant.
At the bar, Half Hurdle stools introduce a touch of natural warmth with solid oak seats paired with clean tubular steel frames—a combination that complements the restaurant's layered mix of marble, wood, color, and texture.
For Katich, the details mattered just as much as the durability.
"The range of finish options on the metals and woods helped us really dial in the aesthetic and palette,"he says.
Rather than competing with the architecture, the seating became another ingredient in a space where every element works together.
Get Inspired: Want another look at Best Practice's design approach? Explore their Eye Eye project featuring GRC.
One More Slice?
The best spaces make you want to stay. At Roma Roma, every detail works together to create that feeling. From the bold material palette to the variety of seating experiences, the space is designed to be just as memorable as the pizza itself.
Come for the pizza. Stay because somehow you've been there for an hour and nobody seems to mind.
