Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

NERO Restaurant

This is a project by Giovanni D'Ambrosio and it is located at Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. There are seven images for NERO Restaurant.

: © design Studio Giovanni D'Ambrosio

Project images

Designer's statement

The NERO Bali bar/restaurant, built in 2000, is situated in the dazzling heart of Kuta; the shopper’s paradise of Indonesia’s most famous island.

The internal part of the restaurant changes atmosphere according to the time of the day. During the day, at lunchtime, the sun penetrates through the two linear openings covered with glass and so its rays feeds the plants with energy, which for their part create a shadow on the tables. The vegetation has taken possession of the huge pieces of tennis net, coming down from the ceiling in the form of green curtains in different measures, capturing nature in geometric forms. It’s a real challenge in a wild island like Bali. At dinner time, it’s the light which gives colour to the place, in an harmonious collaboration with authentic and religious objects like the altars for the Balinese offerings dedicated to the various spirits, which make us immediately acquainted with the Balinese Hindu culture.

The materials used for this restaurant are all forthcoming from the island, but they have all been ‘translated’ into a modern style. The batù pilah stones, the little black river stones and the palm wood were left in the original state, while the cubes made of cement, which we can find in the ninfeum and the rectangules made of cement used for a part of the wall are the results of an interesting piece of handwork, which is very common in Bali. The black ceiling was composed of a net, which is normally used for the orchid nursery as a protection from the often burning sun. The wall and the pavement made of cement shatter an image of a soft and tangible carpet instead of a hard, untouchable material. This example participates to the creation of an illusion, which we can find as a thread through the whole project. One of the walls is made of thousands of little, wooden cubes, cut in different sizes, creating a rich profundity. The omnipresent Balinese rice paddies, full with water, reflect like enormous mirrors the passing clouds. It was here that the idea for the multiple use of mirrors for the restaurant was born.

These components are all de-materialized by using a big cube covered with mirrors, containing the kitchen area. Here all the dishes pass through serving-hatches, which look like small TV’s . This reflecting block serves as a multiplier of the space and clients, and the sensation of light increases. This way, a mysterious feeling will be created like in an enchanting forest; it’s the illusion which gives structure to the atmosphere and the space.

The tables, the chairs and the accessories were especially designed for this occasion by the same studio. The legs of the tables pass through the tabletop in order to be transformed into arms which can hold flowers, a candle or even bowls filled with fruit.

Climbing the small stairs, cutting its way straight through the kitchen-cube, we will find the first floor. These stairs, made of stone, are also surrounded by mirrors and reflect surprisingly a multiplication of the person climbing or coming down the stairs. On the first floor you can have dinner, enjoying the view through the semi-transparent curtains of plants.

The restaurant is a sensory project, where nature and its colours, the light, the matter, the food and its smells are the ingredients of a cuisine which in Bali is called NERO.