Brutalism, Mediterranean elegance & why good design actually matters on holiday

Most holiday accommodation is agnostic about design. The brief is usually: four walls, a bed, a shower that works, and something that photographs well enough for the listing. The result — globally, consistently — is the beige-and-brushed-brass hotel aesthetic that has colonised every property from Mayfair to Marrakech.

Evarah Collection's two villas represent a different position: that where you stay should have an architectural point of view. That the building should be interesting. That the experience of moving through a space should itself be part of the holiday.

Here's what that looks like in practice at two very different properties sitting fifty metres apart in Padonan, Canggu.

Villa Zoya: the warmth you didn't know you needed

Villa Zoya's design language pulls from Mediterranean sensibility — warm natural textures, considered material choices, the kind of architecture that makes morning light into an aesthetic event. The double-height living room is the keystone: it creates a volume that feels generous without being cold, open without feeling exposed.

The indoor-outdoor flow is deliberate and specific. The main living space opens directly onto the pool terrace and outdoor bar in a way that means you're never choosing between inside and outside — you inhabit both simultaneously. In the heat of a Bali afternoon, this matters more than any interior designer note could capture.

Nomad House: the architecture people stop to photograph

Nomad House makes a different argument. Where Zoya soothes, Nomad challenges — in the best possible way. Raw concrete forms, expansive glass walls, warm material accents cutting against the brutalist structure, and lush tropical planting doing its work at every glass panel and open corner.

The design sits in dialogue with the jungle around it: the concrete is softened by the green, the hard lines are interrupted by light and leaf. It's the kind of space that photographs like an editorial shoot — not because it's trying to, but because it's well-resolved enough that the camera has nothing to argue with.

Why this actually matters

There's a body of research on how physical environment affects mood and experience — but you don't need a study to know that waking up in a beautifully proportioned room feels different to waking up in a beige box. The quality of light, the scale of the ceiling, the texture underfoot, the view from the bed — these are not incidentals. They're the difference between a holiday you remember and one that just happens.

Villa Zoya for couples, design-conscious friend groups, and anyone who wants warmth, flow and lush tropical escape. Nomad House for groups with an architectural eye, content creators, and anyone who has ever described a building as "interesting" and meant it as the highest possible compliment.

The shared DNA

Despite their tonal differences, both villas share the elements that define the Evarah Collection: three bedrooms, five bathrooms, private pools, outdoor entertaining areas, daily housekeeping, high-speed Wi-Fi and a concierge layer that means you don't have to think too hard about logistics. The architecture is the differentiator. The experience of being taken care of is the constant.