Inside Dear Daphni, Rittenhouse’s Gorgeously Designed New Mediterranean Spot

Dear Daphni’s banquette  / Photography by Jason Varney

In Greek mythology, Daphne is a nymph who transforms into a laurel tree to escape the unwanted attention of the god Apollo. The fabled figure gets a spectacular second act as the inspiration behind Rittenhouse’s Dear Daphni, a transportive Mediterranean restaurant that opened in December at luxury condo tower the Laurel.

Schulson Collective founder and CEO Michael Schulson had a Mediterranean concept in mind for some time but was waiting for the right location. “The space needs to speak to you,” says Schulson, who was drawn to the vaulted ceilings and window walls of the raw space. “We couldn’t control the natural light, so we chose to embrace it.” He turned to Kate Rohrer of ROHE Creative, a Fishtown-based interior design firm that worked on other Schulson Collective projects, with a list of inspirational adjectives — feminine, pretty, clean-looking — and one request: no clichéd blue-and-white color palettes.

The name of the concept provided Rohrer’s team with a creative north star. “Daphni became this romantic idea of a woman on vacation,” says Rohrer. “We had a lot of fun with that.”

A cozy lounge area at Dear Daphni

Seating

The 30-foot back-to-back banquette creates symmetry between the concrete pillars that are part of the building’s structural design. Philadelphia Table Co. built the walnut table bases, topped with honed marble featuring a custom fabrication for the double bullnose edge. The vintage oak frame chairs are from Betsu Studio in Port Richmond.

Light fixture

ROHE designed the serpentine chandelier that hangs above the dining room’s banquette. The fixture is made of antique brass and features 30 custom textile shades.

Flooring

The mosaic tile floor complements the center seating area. The natural stone field tile and perimeter border were made and cut to design in Morocco.

Published as “Modern Muse” in the June 2025 issue of Philadelphia magazine.