Inspiring design: Bondi Icebergs' Maurice Terzini stunning restaurant in Bali
Sydney restaurateur Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room, Da Orazio and The Dolphin Hotel) has just opened his latest eatery and club, Da Maria in Bali.
Terzini teamed up with Adrian Reed of Motel Mexicola to bring the flavours of the Amalfi Coast to Indonesia.
Guests can enjoy fine Italian food, an eclectic DJ line-up, signature cocktails, a carefully selected wine list and even a late night menu. But it's not just the food that instantly transports visitors to Europe, the ambience and décor are just as striking. The interior, thought up by Carl Pickering of Lazzarini Pickering Architects, is reminiscent of a 1960s Amalfi coast courtyard with a cooling, fresh blue and white palette and bold geometric styling.
The design pays homage to legendary Italian designer Giò Ponti, who designed the iconic Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel in Sorrento – the first 'Design Hotel'. With the Bali outpost, Pickering envisioned a cool, fresh space with an al-fresco feel. As it is today, the eatery combines Terzini’s contemporary take on Italian hospitality with Pickering’s classic ideas.
“‘Bali Style’ wouldn’t have worked for the ideas Maurice had for this restaurant. He wanted to serve very simple, fresh uncomplicated Italian food in a tropical setting,” says Carl Pickering. “We needed to create a restaurant that reinforced this idea. The typical ’60s Italian courtyard restaurant seemed a perfect reference. We worked on this concept to create a venue that in the end doesn’t exactly look like a ’60s courtyard restaurant, but a modern interpretation. As in all of our projects, Da Maria has a classical quality to it that won’t date. It already feels like it has always been there, that it was the only logical thing to do on that site. A timeless classic.”
With this latest venture Terzini joins the likes of Frank Camorra and Geoff Lindsay, who also recently set up shop in Bali.
