Client: Resorts World Casino NYC

Overview

Under the influence of Suzie Wong’s “Shanghai Mod” style, Architects Rule designed the 4,000-square-foot Baccarat Club, located within Resorts World Casino in New York City. With the help of artisans, Architects Rule infused the space with a Chinese chic look: hand-hammered copper surfaces, fretwork patterns reflected on gold-leaf walls, and a custom-designed carpet, a water wall and lighting and iron work patterned after ancient symbols of prosperity but served with a twist of Bond-Girl glamour.

Goals

To attract Asian guests and visitors to the high-rollers club, we designed a wrought-iron fretwork cashier’s cage and carpeting which riffs on the design of ancient Chinese coins. Lipstick-red ceiling light fixtures inspired by chop marks translate to read “prosperity,” “wealth,” and “treasure.” In another area, glowing purple light emanates from ellipses-shaped ceiling light, a reference to lotus patterns and artist James Turrell.
To overcome a 60-foot-long wall of windows with no view, we designed lattice-patterned window film that “devolves” above the site line. The design “activates,” depending on the quality of natural light. Aggressive Fauvist colors inspired the mosaic-tile water wall depicting symbols of good fortune (koi fish and lotus). The cascading water wall introduces soft, ambient sound that adds a bit of aural art to compliment the cheers of jackpot winners.

Process

Architects Rule blurred the lines between art and design. Our intense architect-artisan/fabricator collaborations unleashed creativity of designers and makers:

A mosaic water wall that shimmers as a gesamtkunstwerk despite hundreds of individual, stained-glass tiles, each hand cut, hand colored and pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Mixed Up Mosaics' Lesley showed us all is possible in her capable hands.

A bank of “carved-glass” windows that appear to disintegrate above the site line and which “activate” as if on a dimmer switch depending on the natural light and season. The team at Decorative Films gave us the palette of frosting and four shades of gold and the back and forth expanded design possibilities.

Mod LED light fixtures that refer back to ancient chop marks but which guests today treat as their own lucky charms choosing to stand beneath particular Chinese characters that bring them luck before hitting the baccarat tables. Falken Acrylic laser cut the Chinese characters and created the invisible mounts.
Ulster Carpet's Paul Byrne gave us an incredible color palette with which to design carpeting that feels fresh and reflects the Chinese chic theme.

Additional Information

Because of the technical knowledge and attention to detail of each of the respective artisans, Architects Rule created a Chinese chic atmosphere with art seamlessly laced into the design.