Project name: AVLI restaurant
Interior design: DA Bureau
Design Team: Fedor Goreglyad, Vasily Portnyagin, Teona Tuzbaya, Viktoria Piskunova, Anastasia Osenchuk, Valeria Sineokova, Aleksandra Yuferova, Olga Naumova, Daria Belova
Assisting team: Yulia Grigorieva, Liya Morozova
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Photo: Dmitry Suvorov
Area: 700 m2
Year: 2025
Project description from design firms
Concept
Modern Greek is a contemporary Greek restaurant in Bali.
Its concept is built around the atmosphere of a traditional Greek courtyard, where friends and family gather for meals, conversation, and celebrations.
In this project, we brought into life both architectural and interior design expertise. On an empty piece of land purchased by the client specifically for the restaurant, we designed an full-scale Greek-style quarter from scratch.
PROGRESS
Architecture
From the outside, AVLI’s architectural volumes resemble a whitewashed oasis immersed in greenery. At the entrance, a large fern grows – a symbol of prosperity and abundance in Balinese culture. The building itself consists of several fluid, rounded forms that intersect and merge, evoking the dense, sculptural layout of a typical Greek street. Nestled within this minimalist sculptural architecture is a cosy, intimate open-air courtyard – the heart of AVLI.
Layout
The internal courtyard unites the project’s two main functional zones. The first area is focused on a bar-like atmosphere. Here, guests can enjoy cocktails overlooking an olive garden or settle in with friends in a comfortable lounge setting. On the upper floor of the building, there are fully equipped apartments with their own kitchen, living area, bedroom and terrace. These can be rented for private events in the style of a home party.
The bar zone continues seamlessly into the courtyard, sheltered by a pergola made of wave-shaped slats, and then transitions smoothly into the second main zone: the restaurant area. This space features low-level seating suitable for both couples and larger groups, as well as an expansive open kitchen where guests can watch dishes being prepared and fully immerse themselves in the venue’s hospitable atmosphere.
To use the area as efficiently as possible, the edges of the courtyard are shaped into lounge zones with minimalist soft furniture and bio-fireplaces. This planning solution introduces another scenario for the space, allowing for quiet evenings and romantic encounters.
AXONOMETRY
Textures
The harmonious combination of natural materials and textures enhances the project’s Greek ambience: white decorative plaster, natural wood, stone tiles, roughly chiselled limestone steps, white pebbles dividing the paths, a mix of woven furniture and teak-and-terra-cotta leather pieces, and cushions in heavy basket-weave fabrics topped with natural linen.
We selected every material with great care so that guests would feel warmth and harmony at every step; our entire design process was directed towards enabling the lightest and deepest possible immersion in the atmosphere we sought to create.
Light
Natural light plays a key role in shaping the identity of this project. The atmosphere of a small Greek town emerges organically through the sharp natural shadows cast upon the white architecture. These shadows appear thanks to sunlight filtering through the pergola, through olive leaves, and through reflections from decorative blocks positioned deliberately at varying angles.
As night falls, this natural lighting scenario gives way to a carefully designed coloured lighting scheme in the courtyard. This illumination completely transforms the perception of the space: the light, cosy restaurant becomes an authentic contemporary venue for stylish evening gatherings.
In this project, we created a true Greek quarter with its own authentic vibe. This was made possible through a thoughtful integration of the restaurant’s concept with both its architectural and interior design solutions. The building’s layout is rooted in the Greek tradition of gathering around food in a central courtyard, while the forms, textures, and interplay of light and shadow enrich the aesthetics of Mediterranean culture.
