New Heights of Style & Design

The IAPD Magazine

by Chad Frazier & Pam Taylor

The magic of the holidays inspires the child in us all. For Stephen Stefanou, president and design director of Dalllas-based Design Solutions, capturing this sense of magic through dramatic art installations is tradition.

Well known for his work developing monumental seasonal displays at sites including Rockefeller Center in New York, MGM Grand in Detroit, and the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, Stefanou used the Crystals high-end retail environment at CityCenter, Las Vegas, to unveil the Kinetic Twisters sculptures made possible with the help of Eastman Chemical Company.

Filling the vast contemporary space of the Crystals' architecture required a sculptural design that complemented its environment. Combining Crystals' prestigious reputation for elegance and grandeur set the bar high for Design Solutions as it began bringing its larger-than-life design to reality.

"Since the Kinetic Twisters is a winter holiday installation, our goal was to create the singular emotional experience of being surrounded by awestruck wonder -- just like a small child feels during the holidays," says Stefanou. " The design was inspired by an Italian chandelier, and we wanted to capture that beauty of art glass on a truly grand scale."

The Kinetic Twisters design includes 600 strips of sparkling red and silver material extending as far as the 60-ft from the ceiling, twisting and moving with airflow in the cavernous Crystals environment. The desired result for shoppers equates to being enveloped in ribbons on Christmas morning.

Material specification trial and error:

Creating the Kinetic Twisters required astute planning and extensive material experimentation. Given the unique artistry of the sculputre and required criteria for material selection, several desgn concepts satisfying a variety of objectives and budget constraints were developed and modified to meet the desired outcome.

Despite years of searching for the perfect material to make its dream a reality, Design Solutions unveiled the Kinetic Twisters in the Crystals in Las Vegas' CityCenter in time for the 2010 holiday season. By selecting the proper material, Design Solutions ensured the beauty of its sculpture will last throughout the four month international winter holiday season.

From the onset, I set out to make the Kinetic Twisters design as complicated and distinctive as possible by adding as much artistry and skill as possible," Stefanou said. "From a design perspective, this whole process was as much about failure as it was about success, and with the expertise and assistance provided by Eastman throughout, we were able to create a stunning reality out of our concept."