Foto Fun: Inside The Wynn Artist's Studio

A few weeks ago, while working on a lengthy profile of Wynn designer Roger Thomas that is scheduled to appear in The Advocate in June, I got a tour by his assistant of the Wynn design studios near McCarran Airport where plans for Wynn and Encore as well as the Macau editions of both were hatched. Because there were concerns about the publication of proprietary designs on this blog, I had to have Thomas' permission to post these photos, which I finally have.

Also have this news: In the next two months, Thomas said his team will be presenting to Steve Wynn ideas for redesigns of the original Wynn Las Vegas rooms. There will be new color schemes, new furnishings, new linens and drapes and mattresses. I didn't get to see any of that, but the resort is coming up on five years old in 2010. That's the typical cycle for redoing rooms for Wynn.

Anyhow, the studio. As you might suspect, there are a series of workrooms overloaded with bits and pieces of potential designs. On a daily basis, Thomas and his staff are inundated with fabrics, carpets, images of artwork and other samples from hopeful designers, precious few of which actually end up being used.

Here's the frame wall, a variety of sconces and lighting fixtures and other stacks of stuff...





There is a system intact, as much to keep track of all this as to not get accused of stealing ideas:


This got damaged and is being fixed:

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Below is an earlier iteration of the space at Encore where there is now a stage off from the pool and conference rooms overlooking:


Something needs to be hung at the Sinatra restaurant at Encore:


There are original Boteros in the hallway...


...and plenty of art involving Thomas himself:


Click on this one below to see what sort of books lurk in Roger Thomas' office library...


...but the books that really matter are these, those that Thomas has carried with him and sketched his ideas in as they occur to him for decades, all saved and lined up behind his chair:


The kids from the private Meadows School made this for Thomas after a visit:


And, of course, there is the hardhat. The pink hard hat. I did mention I was writing for The Advocate, yeah?


I shot some photos of the Sky Casino at Encore last week with Thomas. Will post that, too, when he OK's them.

Sinatra by a nose!

Wow - our polls aren't usually this interesting, but we left it up for two weeks and something weird happened. The question was: What dead star do you wish you could've seen when he/she performed in Vegas?

As of our recording of last week's show, Sinatra was way ahead. And then suddenly Elvis made a run for it and the two traded the top spots several times over the weekend.

Check out the final results here. Impressive. Dean Martin's a distant third and, sadly, nobody seems to miss the black folk. Sad, I say, because I'd see Ella and Sammy read out of the phone book.

New poll is now up. Let the games begin anew.