How Baba Yaga restaurant blossomed in three counts
In 2024 Baba Yaga, a restaurant in the very heart of Tel Aviv began the process of redesign. The owners of the place set the goal to turn the space into a stylish one that aligns with the tastes of modern Tel Avivians. Interior Designer Bella Simon consulted about interior changes and recommended a landscape designer Yulia Kovalenko for the garden makeover. Yulia shared with us the garden transformation process and the technics she used to make it work.
Restaurant: Baba Yaga, Tel Aviv, Israel
Scope: Garden redesign
Restaurant redesign concept: Bella Simon, interior designer and architect
Garden redesign: Yulia Kovalenko, landscape designer
Conception and Inspiration
My clients turned to me with a request to transform a rather neglected garden into a lush, well-maintained tropical oasis. Being located in the heart of Tel Aviv, Baba Yaga’s garden is a very unique story. Its makeover could make the restaurant stand out, offering its visitors a very special inviting atmosphere.
After talking with the client, getting to know their wishes, the restaurant itself, its great location, and the concept of interior redesign, I realized how the future garden should look!
Given that Tel Aviv’s weather is hot and humid for most of the year, my idea was to make the visitors, who stepped from the furnace of city streets into the garden, feel as though they had entered a refreshing green paradise.
Besides, Baba Yaga hosts wonderful jazz concerts. Just imagine a warm summer evening, live music playing under the trees. This stunning atmosphere inspired me throughout the project.
Work in Three Stages
The entire project took about two months to complete and was carried out in several phases:
Removing the excess. Before work began, the garden was filled with a variety of mismatched pots and plants in various stages of decline.
Tidying up the remaining plants. Mature palms, strelitzias, and scheffleras were already growing in the soil, along with a beautiful old olive tree and a lemon tree in the center of the veranda. I pruned dry branches, trimmed, and replanted them.
Introducing new plants. I just added plants that harmoniously fit into the existing landscape to enliven the garden and make it more lush. On the veranda, I planted strelitzias, philodendrons, areca palms, olives, and citrus trees in new pots in such a way that guests would be surrounded by greenery from every corner of the restaurant.
All of them are relatively low-maintenance plants that thrive in the Israeli climate, yet they look magnificent, provide shade, and create the tropical garden effect I aimed for. I tried to design the entrance area to encourage people to stop, peek inside, enter, and linger. I arranged pots with sprawling palms and philodendrons to frame the entrance, creating an effect of a gateway to a mysterious garden, reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book—a botanical escape in the center of the city. Now, even newlyweds come there to take photos. I consider that a success.
It’s Not Just the Trees That Matter
When we talk about landscape design, pots, tubs, fences— everything that complements the plants and surrounds them—always play a significant role. The same is true for this project.
Initially, there were wooden planters with trellises on the restaurant veranda that gave a country-style look we wanted to move away from. We repainted these planters white and planted Strelitzia reginae (bird of paradise) in them, removing the trellises, which immediately revealed a new volume of space, opening it up, creating airiness, and making it feel much more spacious.
We also replaced an unremarkable dark fence with a new one made of white wooden slats, providing a completely different backdrop for the plants. It looks expressive, contrasting, and truly Mediterranean.
I also replaced the small pots with larger ones, identical in style and shape, and placed them on the veranda. Larger pots always look more advantageous and stylish. And one style of planter organizes and unites the space.
A New Look for the Restaurant Garden
I like the result we got. The garden already looks harmonious and is so welcoming for cozy conversations over a glass of wine. But this is only the beginning because the plants will grow and transform the space even more.
An additional source of inspiration in my work was the client’s support. They trusted and supported me at every stage of the work. They shared the joy of the transformations and continue to do so with enthusiasm. This is incredibly valuable and one of the most rewarding parts of my job. We still share stories about how guests marvel at the refreshed garden.
“Today, Baba Yaga truly has an amazing garden—no kidding. Many visitors come and say it feels like a tropical paradise. We can’t stop admiring the magnificent large tree against the backdrop of the new white slats. We constantly check for new sprouts. The entire restaurant is engaged in this process. The restaurant’s space has completely transformed. The air. The light. A new, fresh breath.”
— Margarita Gorkina, Art Director of Baba Yaga Restaurant