| A new destination at Navarino Dunes |
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Posted: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 12:47 pm
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MKV Design, the interior designer of the internationally acclaimed Navarino Dunes, has recently completed a new dining and entertainment destination at the resort. Inbi is an extraordinary space that combines two separate buildings with an enclosed courtyard in between and a large patio overlooking the resort.
The seamless flow of outdoor areas into indoor spaces is the hallmark of MKV’s design throughout Navarino Dunes and is exemplified in Inbi with its collection of areas. The main approach is through an enclosed colonnade that leads onto the central open courtyard, framed by two distinct buildings: the main restaurant and the lounge bar. The restaurant is an imposing double-height structure with a pitched tiled roof, whereas the bar is a single-storey totally transparent structure that is open on all its sides, offering a complete indoor/outdoor experience.
The restaurant building has been partially sub-divided to provide two distinct dining experiences. The “inner sanctum” is the statement space with soaring volume rising to a timber-clad ceiling – a modern interpretation of ancient Greek temples and a connection with other monumental architectural forms located around the site. Oversized openings offer great views to the outside, while the open kitchen and sushi bar whet guests’ appetites for the culinary experience to come. To the front, the restaurant is more informal with a human scale where upholstered seating gives way to rattan. Magnificent bronze fretwork adorns the walls in various geometric patterns that are ageless; contemporary chandeliers and wall lights suggest the twinkling candlelight and flambeaux associated with the banqueting halls of Greece through the ages.
The courtyard is at the heart of the venue, a delightful intermediate area between the restaurant and lounge bar where guests can eat or drink, listening to live music or on other occasions just soaking up the peace. There are different seating areas progressing from the main entrance point towards the sea. High-back rattan armchairs nestle under oversized metal sculptural trees filled with bougainvillea, and clusters of organic-shaped stools carved out of tree trunks sit next to informal banquettes piled with plush cushions. At the end of the courtyard, there is a sunken seating area – a romantic hideaway surrounded by ancient olive trees.
The lounge bar design is modern with Asian references. The centrally located bar is double-sided and designed in two sections on different levels, giving guests the opportunity to sit comfortably at dining height on the outdoor covered terrace or at the higher bar stool level along the main indoor bar counter. Within the lounge bar oversized combination sofas are surrounded by armchairs and organic shaped stools, while cocoon chairs hanging from the ceiling add a playful note. An elegant modern fireplace inevitably creates a focal point and its effect is dramatically heightened by the sculptural patinated copper wall which surrounds it, burnished by the reflections of the flames.
The inner patio is the last in Inbi’s sequence – a modern interpretation of a secret garden with further options for lounging, eating, drinking or dreaming. On the elevated decks there are sun beds for gazing at the stars whilst listening to the sounds of the Japanese-inspired water sculpture that is the focal point of the space. Oversized trellis forms interspersed with elegant pendant and free-standing lights create a beautiful architectural segue to the sea.
“To my mind, the design of Inbi says a lot about how we want to live our lives today. We travel confidently through various environments and expect to choose an experience now which will be quite different from the experience we may select later,” says Maria Vafiadis, Managing Director of MKV Design. “A definition of a luxury resort experience is how seamlessly the guest can move from one to the other, satisfying all the senses in the process.”
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