Vegas News: Palazzo celebrates Holiday Season

The Palazzo Celebrates Holiday Season with Arctic-Inspired Winter December 10, 2009

While guests of The Palazzo Las Vegas will enjoy the usual sunny weather for the holiday season from December 9 through the New Year they'll also encounter the winter decor display anchored by aa special Arctic visitor: a 16-ft tall polar bear mother and 6-ft tall polar bear baby, made entirely of a specially -developed white poinsettia named "Polar Bear."

The "polar Bear" Poinsettia is developed exclusively by Ecke Ranch. The strong white coloration of the "polar Bear" Poinsettia with its bracts of deep green veining is the perfect topiary fur for the polar bear display. The custom, hand-sculpted and hand-painted heads and paws, constructed by Design Solutions (Stephen Stefanou, designer) bring the bears to life. The mother and baby bear, consisting of approximately 10,000 poinsettias planted in sphagnum moss, weights in at approximately 5,000 lbs. The bears snuggle on a custom-sculpted 'arctic ice float' that hovers over a water feature located at The Palazzo Atrium.

In addition to the larger-than-life polar bears, The Palazzo embraces the holiday season with Arctic-inspired decor elements that combine to create the breathtaking winter wonderland display. The gardens are filled with a variety of unique poinsettias and 25-ft silver tip pine trees; an 80-ft whimsical vine transitions to holiday with oversized pine cones, holiday berries, poinsettias and twinkling holiday lights; over 225,000 cranberries donated by Ocean Spray float above a water feature creating a sea of cranberries an snow will elegantly fall from above the decor adding to the Arctic theme.

Visual Merchandising & Store Design

Ice Fantasy by Tracy Dougherty (excerpt)
As the Christmas season mushrooms each year with more aggressive visual and aural stimulation, a paradox arises: how to establish a strong market presence and realize merchandising goals without adding to the dizzying, often crass, commercialization.

Expanding the notion of an alluring shop window to a large-scale, theatrical display that dwarfs the customer, Ice Fantasy featured enormous fiberglass set pieces, including a 30-ft Christmas tree capped with a hallucinogenic blue neon star and graced with larger-than-life renditions of Moore’s multicultural menagerie of tiger, parrot, monkey, panda, owl, and penguin. As an inventive tie-in to the display, children were given a coloring book upon meeting Santa, which featured illustrations of a nine-stanza Ice Fantasy poem penned by Moore and created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions, Dallas, TX.

Poinsettia Polar Bear is Unveiled

Glendora, CA. December 15, 2009
The highly anticipated poinsettia polar bears have been unveiled at the Palazzo, Las Vegas. The flower topiaries are made up of 8,000 ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettias and the tallest stands 16-ft high.
Audra Danzak, Horticulture Director for the Palazzo and the Venetian developed the concept and enlisted world-renowned designer Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Texas for the actual design and construction.
Armstrong Growers and The Ecke Ranch worked hand-and-hand with Danzak and Stefanou to devise a way to keep the poinsettias in place and looking fresh.
The structure incorporates a drip irrigation system that is supplemented with hand watering to keep the poinsettia polar bears looking fresh. The ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettias were planted one at a time by a crew of 12 people during the night for nearly a week. For each ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettia sold, The Ecke Ranch will make a donation to Polar Bears International (PBI). PBI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat throught research and education. The Palazzo will have a limited number of 'Polar Bear’ poinsettias available for purchase.
Armstrong Growers, the official poinsettia grower for The Ecke Ranch, grows hundreds of thousands of poinsettias each holiday season. Armstrong poinsettias can be found in resorts and theme parks throughout the southwest and are available at all Armstrong Garden Center retail locations and many other fine garden centers.

Philadelphia Biology Examiner

Biology Examiner does Vegas by Anne Pacitti December 8, 2009

No one ever complains that there's nothing to do in Las Vegas, and that should be true for the biologist, too. The gaming floor is not an attraction to the Biology Examiner as she only believes in gambling on love. The cyanotic blue trio and many other popular stage shows usually have Biology Examiner scratching for the exit door in about twenty minutes. However, walking down the strip, one may discover novel and innovative gardens, landscape design, zoological collections and biological architectural features that amuse, amaze and are admirable in their creativity.


The casinos are now decorated for the Christmas season, all festooned with greenery and florals. A visit to the Bellagio revealed a beautiful conservatory decorated with Christmas-theme scenes composed of flowers. Particularly impresssive were three polar bears made entirely of white carnations. ( Designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in collaboration with Andy Garcia, Director of Conservatory)



Between the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace was landscape design that could lead the traveler to think that he or she had gone to Italy by some mistake, instead. Inside, Caesar's palace decorated their Roman statues as if they were in a sea of white snowballs of white hydrangeas. Wandering around back, Roman gardens surrounding the pool area beckon one to timelessly sit and chill with the Roman gods and goddesses. One can easily forget that only a few hundred yards away are the the bustling city streets.

Perhaps the greatest delight and surprise came when visiting the Mirage Casino and Hotel. Here you may visit Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Siegfried and Roy were, of course, staples of Las Vegas entertaiment for almost thirty years. They were novel and wildly popular magicians who used lions and tigers in their act. What is conveyed here in the garden is their genuine love for these felines and the other animals under their care. The animals, some of them retired from the stage since the end of the act, live in a beautifully landscaped habitat that features a special memorial to their beloved royal white tiger, Sitara. Dolphins delight the visitors with their friendliness and skills in the dolphin habitat. A visitor may also become "Dolphin Trainer for a Day" in a special tutorial program at the Mirage. Even the reception area had a biological theme. Behind the reception desk was a long wall of bright tropical aquarium fish.

Mandalay Bay Casino features a shark reef. At the Wynn, Christmas decorations include an arbor of trees, trunks wrapped in lights, ornamented with hanging floral spheres.
Even leaving the city reminds one of a sense of time and beauty. When viewing the mountains surrounding the city, and certainly when viewing the Grand Canyon from the air, one can see marks of sediment and erosion, literally looking into the passage of time. As it says in the Secret Garden website, "The key to finding beauty is knowing where to look."

LIGHTS, VEGAS, ACTION: Christmas Vacation in Las Vegas

Vegas is a festive haven for the holidays by Jeannie Borbe December 4, 2009

Palm trees, late-night entertainment and all-around craziness don’t really conjure up thoughts of the holidays, but you’d be surprised how much there is to see and do during the season in Las Vegas.
Don’t let the desert and neon lights fool you. From magical garden displays to once-in-a-lifetime holiday shows, Vegas celebrates in style.
Ring in the season with a festive display.
What do flying reindeer, a polar bear family, larger-than-life toy soldiers and a Shasta fir tree have in common? They are all components of the Bellagio Conservatory’s elaborate holiday display (designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions). Each year, the enchanting winter garden touches the hearts of visitors from all over the world.

“When you get into the Conservatory for this particular display, it’s like we become children again,” said Andy Garcia, director of horticulture for Bellagio Conservatory. “It really is one of my favorites.”

This year’s display includes a polar bear family made from white carnations. Comprised of 35,000 carnations, the bears’ “fur” is kept fresh by a specially designed water drip system.
The polar bear family is considered to be a favorite among visitors: “People have been asking for that, and that is one of the things we do,” Garcia said. “We listen to the guests and the people who are walking through the Conservatory.”
Just steps away, eight “flying” reindeer soar over a giant holiday card made of thousands of blooming flowers. Another fun animal addition is the 7-foot-tall rocking horse, placed right in the center of a working train display. This year, visitors can see snow falling from above the reindeer and polar bear displays: “When the snow comes down from the ceiling, I get moved by that,” said Garcia.

The Conservatory would not be complete without its towering, 42-foot Shasta fir tree. Dressed with thousands of shimmering lights, the breathtaking Christmas tree serves as the Conservatory’s centerpiece. The gigantic ornaments and the 15-foot-tall toy soldiers standing in front of the tree both add the perfect finishing touch.

According to Garcia, the most important thing is the visitors’ reaction: “Every year, we try to bring something different or change the position of the props,” he said. “We have to take care of the flowers every day and make sure they are looking perfect for the duration of the show.”

While it takes perfection to plan out the annual holiday Conservatory display, the horticulture staff’s love for the holidays makes it all worthwhile.

“I still have chills when I come in because of everything within the Conservatory,” Garcia said “It’s peaceful, whimsical, beautiful. When [we] see these things, we go back to how we celebrated the holidays in our homes or countries where we’re from. That says a lot to me.”

Designer Michael Southgate designs

Via Bellagio Shoppes has become the latest fashion runway
for designer, Michael Southgate.

A stroll through Via Bellagio Shoppes in the Bellagio Resort & Casino showcases the latest fashion designs of Michael Southgate. Southgate collaborated with Stephen Stefanou of Dallas-based Design Solutions to create beautiful evening wear of hand-dyed synthetics and rubber adorn the high fashion mannequins as part of Bellagio’s celebration of the holidays. “Yes, rubber is an ideal medium for these fantasy gowns since it allows for easy finishing of all the costume’s details,” says Southgate.

Former Managing Director of Adele Rootstein Mannequins and theatrical designer in London’s West End, Michael Southgate, was asked by Design Solutions of Dallas, TX to undertake the “look” of the fashion icons that adorn the 8-ft diameter gold-leafed ornaments which line the retail corridor of the Bellagio Resort.

Southgate, who has spent much of his professional life creating costumes and theatrical props, has participated for thirty years in creating fashion exhibits for museums and department stores. The Metropolitan Museum in New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Christmas holiday windows for Harrod’s of London, promotional displays for Swarovski crystals of Austria, costumes in wire and glass for Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan and Daytons in Minneapolis and even a costume for a life-size Barbie doll museum exhibit in Berlin are all part of his artist portfolio.

“As a child who was raised in the English countryside I was fascinated with Hollywood and its glamour. I latched onto that image and it became the ideal. I remember so vividly today the impression that Technicolor made on me….vivid emerald green, shocking pink plus the sequins and feathers….that all captured my imagination as they had not been part of my world,” Southgate explained.

Although many think of Southgate as a Fashion Designer, Southgate is quick to
note, “I am not a Fashion Designer but a costume designer where any material is possible as long as the final effect is stunning!”

“Wire, glass, plastic and rubber are not exactly comfortable to wear” Southgate adds,”but they do result in fantasy and glamour which is what I am all about.”

MGM Grand Detroit Holiday Season Kick-off

Grand Garden Ushers In The Holiday Season at MGM Grand Detroit

DETROIT – Just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, the holidays have a new home at MGM Grand Detroit where horticulture staff began changing out the property’s Grand Garden display this past Saturday to transform the locale into the season’s newest attraction. The removal of the garden’s inaugural fall display of massive pumpkins and giant glass-fabricated leaves will make room for one giant, dramatic holiday ornament emerging from a blanket of seasonal holly. Framed by two stands of 50-foot Canadian Birch trees aglow with festive lighting, this bold yet simple statement will draw the attention and awe of passersby.

With a distinctive style all its own, the Grand Garden is a joint creation of Stephen Stefanou from Design Solutions, the imaginative artists renowned for holiday masterpieces in Rockefeller Center and the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas; and Hamilton Anderson Associates, a Detroit-based architecture and landscape architecture firm. A burst of color in holiday red, the over-scaled ornament is inspired by the work of renowned sculptor Claes Oldenburg and measures approximately 30 feet in diameter. The single, impressive decoration is constructed of steel-reinforced fiberglass and topped off by a silver-leafed cap, hook and ring. Ilex berries and oversized pinecones complete the garden creating swirls of color throughout the grand display.
MGM Grand Detroit’s Grand Garden is a distinctive environment located at the corner of Third Street and Bagley with dynamic lighting and flourishing plants and serves as a seasonal attraction for guests and the community.

World's Largest Rock Crystal Obelisk Unveiled

WORLD’S LARGEST ROCK CRYSTAL OBELISK UNVEILED AT ENTRANCE OF THE NEW SPA TOWER AT THE BELLAGIO RESORT & CASINO.

The Bellagio Resort and Casino unveils an 18-ft tall, two-ton, rock crystal obelisk …the only one of its kind in the world!
Pharaohs of Egypt originally constructed the obelisk form which the Roman Emperors later replicated. Now a sleek, rock crystal, monolithic obelisk graces the entrance of the new Spa Tower, a luxurious 928 hotel room and spa facility expansion to the popular Bellagio Resort & Casino.

At the geneses of this project designer Stephen Stefanou enlisted the expertise of Dr. Keith Critchlow of the Royal College in London, the world’s leading expert in Sacred Geometry. “It was very important to me to employ Sacred Geometry in the design of this unique project” says Stefanou, designer of the crystal obelisk and president of Design Solutions of Dallas, TX, an international visual display company.

“Sacred geometry”, Stefanou noted, “is the ancient art and science which reveals the nature of our relationship to the cosmos. For many the obelisk form, like the great pyramids, possesses a strange power, some believe even the key to life. Historically, there has been a passionate attraction to this form by many…. the Masons, Napoleon, the Vatican, etc., all had a high regard for the obelisk. Even our forefathers, as a tribute to the founder of our country, chose to erect an obelisk which we, of course, know as the Washington Monument.” Stefanou says.

Stefanou collaborated with world-renowned Zadora whose gemstone sculptures are compared to the work of Peter Carl Faberge. Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof is the leading gemstone artist of our time who now leads a world-class workshop that makes everything form fine jewelry to large sculptures. Zadora’s work is included in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, the Middle and Far East.

An obelisk form, a slightly tapered quadrangular solid which tapers into a pointed pyramid top, is typically carved of stone. “Bellagio wanted an exquisite icon for the new conservatory entrance. We chose rock crystal because of its inherent luxurious qualities and because rock crystal is the only semi-precious gemstone that occurs large enough in nature to allow an architectural application.” Stefanou stated.

“In fact, we are currently working on other projects using crystal as the artistic medium. One concept I am particularly excited about is a rock crystal winding staircase. I think you are only seeing the beginning of rock crystal used in architectural design.”

Forbes Magazine:

The Battle of the Christmas Trees

"We had to make First Union's (Wachovia's) decorations look better than its competition," says Stephen Stefanou, whose Dallas-based Design Solutions created elaborate Christmas decorations for the southeast's second-largest bank as well as for Manhattan's Rockefeller Center. "We made number two look better than number one."

Stefanou also helped Atlanta's Lenox Square shopping center lure shoppers with a $2 million display encompassing an automated, lighted, Fantasia-esque fairies, and a kickoff party with costumed paratroopers enacting Santa's arrival at the mall.

New York Times: Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum

Works in Progress by Bruce Weber

If there's a hub of the annual whirlwind that is Christmas in New York, it's probably Rockefeller Center -- the famous tree, the skating rink, the strolling carolers and brass , not to mention the likelihood that more tourists carrying more gift-wrapped packages toddle through there than any other place on earth. This season, amid the regular hoopla, there'll be, literally, a different drummer. Two, actually, each made out of fiberglass and standing 10-5-ft tall ( not including plumes in their hats0> Plus two equally out-sized buglers , a flutist and a cymbalist.

The six Christmas cadets, as they're being called by Rockefeller Center Management Corporation, are to be installed on November 28th and 29th, on the esplanade above the skating rink, three each on the north and south sides.

The figures are custom designed and fabricated by Dallas-based company, Design Solutions, owned and operated by Stephen Stefanou.

M Magazine : How the Garden Grows

Back of House: by Jacqueline Y. Metcalfe

Among the many sights and sounds of the Las Vegas strip, few have captured the hearts and imaginations of locals and tourists alike as Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

Even with its entertainment, sumptuous culinary delights and voluptuous Tuscan architecture, the claim to fame of Bellagio seems to be its emphasis on the intrinsic pleasure of nature's beauty.

The crowning achievement is the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. One not be a plant lover or flower expert to appreciate and be seduced by the beauty and artistry of these gardens. this is the height of nature, theatre and art coming together to form a completely soul-stirring experience. The mastermind behind this masterpiece is Audra Danzak, Director of Horticulture for Bellagio who collaborates with Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions of Dallas, TX.

"People are amazed by the sheer abundance of flowers," Danzak hypothesizes. "It's so much more than just a lot of flowers though. It's the way they're selected, the way they're designed, the different texture, color--again, it's what you're trying to say." When all is said and done, Bellagio's Conservatory & botanical Gardens set the stage for a show filled with the art, beauty, theatrics and sensory-pleasing kind of entertainment that only nature can provide.

Martha Stewart: Christmas How-To's from Fine Living Network

Martha Stewart: How-to for Christmas

There's something comforting about seeing quiet neighborhoods alive with Christmas lights on frosty December evenings, but careful planning is necessary to create a safe and attractive lighting arrangement. For advice on smart and beautiful ways to illuminate the outside of her house during the holiday season, Martha calls upon Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas. Stephen and his colleagues are renowned for design projects, which include the grand holiday decorations at New York City's Rockefeller Center and those at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Rather than winding a string of Christmas lights around the thatched columns on Martha's front porch, Stephen opts for light netting. These nets eliminate the need to individually place every light, and are available in various sizes. Stephen uses a net made up of 150 lights, wraps it around the column, and hides its wires in nearby greenery. Plastic cable ties are used to secure the net in place. Light netting is effective for hedges, trees, or other large areas since multiple nets can be connected to each other. Stephen recommends arranging the lights while they are lit so that you can see exactly where you are placing them.
Stephen then illuminates the front door wreath with two spotlights, set atop each column. He uses light sockets and bulbs that are weatherproof and waterproof, made specifically for outdoor use. Each of the spotlights holds a 40-watt bulb, clips easily into place, and their wires can be hidden in nearby greenery.
Safety note: Use lights that are made for outdoor use and that are approved by the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL). All light strands should have fuses, so if one strand overloads, the fuse will blow and the lights will go out. If an overload occurs on an unfused strand, there is a chance of overloading circuits in your house. Never leave a bulb socket empty; if you want to black out a particular light, cover it with electrical tape. Also, always use heavy-duty, UL-listed exterior extension cords to power your outdoor lighting displays, and try to use an outlet with its own circuit, such as a little-used garage outlet, to avoid overloading the circuitry in the house.
From Martha Stewart Living Television

Review Journal: Room of Blooms, Summer Celebration

Seasons change in a big way at Bellagio Conservatory by Sonya Padgett May 23, 2004

Audra Danzak gestures toward a section of the Bellagio Conservatory filled , at the moment, with nothing but potential. Danzak ( Director of Horticulture) and a host of floral designer, contractors, hotel workers and others undertake this process five times a year, stripping the conservatory to the bottom of its beds, then rebuilding it into a magical world that delights and enthralls visitors with nothing more than flowers, props and a few special effects. (Danzak collaborates with Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas, TX )

"The show is summer, Americana, patriotic but not too patriotic," Danzak says. "It's all subtle. I don't want people to think of war when they see the show but people are patriotic. We live in America and I want to celebrate that in the right way," Danzak says.

DuPont Magazine: Making Seasons Shine

Making Seasons Shine: Tradition, whimsy and DuPont finishes help Design Solutions turn holiday decor into destination presentations. December 2004

In November, cherry pickers, scaffolding, and yards of black plastic adorned the lobbies of some of the best-known addresses in America. After Thanksgiving, however, the curtains lifted on exquisite seasonal tableaux that ushered in the holidays season.

Stephen Stefanou is founder, president and lead designer at Design Solutions which decorates corporate interiors for the holidays. Clients include Boston's Prudential Center and the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where Design Solutions formed a 34-ft tree from 68 giant gold-leafed ornaments.

Stefanou also strives to increase a property's intangible value, that certain something that makes visitors choose to visit one location over another. "in today's hospitality and retail market, being a must-see attraction is a competitive advantage," he says.

Design Solutions offers no catalog , no stock items. Each project is conceived and scaled to site conditions. Stefanou works with several different artists to conceptualize treatments based on each client's marketing objectives budget as well as the aesthetic direction established by the property's original architect during design and construction.

Las Vegas Review Journal: Doomed banyan tree finds new home at Bellagio Conservatory

Florida community see beloved tree saved from wood chipper -- at least for now...by Sonya Padgett LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL January 22, 2006

Palm Beach, FL is a tree-loving community. Residents especially loved a 110-ft tall banyan tree that was more than a century old. Standing along the main road leading into Palm Beach, the tree was so grand and so beloved that a donor gave thousands of dollars for floodlights to illuminate the tree at night. It was with great sadness that the town bid farewell to that tree last June, not felled by man but brought down by a disease that threatened the rest of the barrier island's trees.

And though seven months later it is dead, the massive ficus still has a life, of sorts. Last week, (at the suggestion of Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions) the 200,000-pound banyan became the focal point of Bellagio Conservatory's Chinese New Year display. It will remain in the conservatory for the next 11months.

A garden has been planted within the tree and guests can walk through it to view the orchids, bromiliads, mums and other plants and flowers. In a future display, the tree will serve as a butterfly habitat.

Los Angeles Times: Flying Colors:

Los Angeles Times by Roy Rivenburg March 26, 2005 (excerpt)

Bellagio's seasonal one-upmanship rite turns the Strip aflutter.

The changing displays are a hit with locals and tourists. And the outlandish props seem to be sparking a battle of one-upmanship along Las Vegas' Strip. ; Even within the Bellagio, there's new competition.... the world's tallest chocolate fountain, a glass-encased contraption that pumps 2 tons of molten chocolate.

"Our challenge." says Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas, TX. and a member of the atrium's brain trust, " is to create a must-see destination for the jaded eyes of consumers who have seen everything."

It's a wild ride. " No one has any idea of the inner workings," he says.

Like many here, Stefanou has an eccentric past. In college, he was a pre-med major but soon discovered "I excelled in fraternity; our parties rocked."

He dropped out, got a job painting mannequins and later began designing department store window scenes. That evolved into a company that created monstrous holiday decorations for Trump Tower and Rockefeller Center.

Along the way, the snowy-haired 56-year old became a devotee of Werner Erhard and launched a sideline business selling crystals " the size of automobiles."

His metaphysical bent seeps into some of the atrium decor, such as the 3,000-pound, glow-in-the-dark cyrstal obelisk parked by the side entrance. It was sculpted by Baron Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, a gem artisit whose clients include sheiks and aristocrats.

Union Station Holiday Decor

Union Station presented a unique opportunity for DESIGN SOLUTIONS. The historic facade in Washington, D.C., had just undergone a 200 million dollar renovation providing a new retail venue as well as maintaining its original function.

Three 36-ft wreaths with custom gold-leafed and velvet bows were created to herald the special events inside. A large and intricate snow village with a bustling train display delighted the commuters.

Trump Tower Holiday Decor

Donald Trump asked Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS to "create the most beautiful Christmas wreath in the world" for his world headquarters, Trump Tower, in New York City; one that would match his reputation and his brand.

Trump Tower has been the most successful high-rise condominium, multi-level retail and office complex in the world. The 18-ft wreath is covered in gold leaf ornamentation, Italian mini-lights and is crowned with a custom, hand-sculpted, hand-applied gold leaf bow.

Sony Entertainment World Headquarters' Holiday Decor

Sony Entertainment purchased the former AT&T building designed by Phillip Johnson during the pivotal period of his architectural style. In transforming the somber AT&T lobby for the music and multi-media-based Sony, Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas, designed a whimsical 35-ft tall bow to mount in the existing oculus as a bridge from the old to the new ownership. There was no change to the architecture itself but the concept for the client was entirely different.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was also hired to design and install concepts for the Sony retail stores as well as a giant tree for the adjacent fifteen-story atrium.

Leo Burnett Advertising Agency's Holiday Decor

The world's largest advertising agency, with headquarters in Chicago, IL, commissioned Stephen Stefanou with DESIGN SOLUTIONS to design, create and install a single, large, elegant Christmas tree to stand in the main lobby.

The tree rests on a colorful octagonal, drum-shape pedestal and soars to an overall height of thirty-two feet.

The pedestal's design repeats the ceiling design detail and the geometric interior style. Three coordinating gold-leafed platforms surround the tree as staging for special events.

IBM Corporate Holiday Decor

The architect for this rare complex of buildings near Dallas, TX came from the school of Ricardo Legoretta, Mexico's premier architect.

Mr. Legoretta created a fantastic multi-use complex incorporating a hotel, retail and corporate use. To complement the great monolithic towers and soaring , vibrant-hued walls, DESIGN SOLUTIONS interpreted Klaes Oldenbefg's concept of large-scale 'found objects' and placed them around the project.

An 8-ft diameter ornament appears to float in the lagoon, other ornaments were 'tossed' along the grassy lawns and a whimsical and charming surprise for all who visited the corporate campus.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was chosen to create a once-in-a-lifetime project, conceptualized by the legendary Gene Moore, window designer for Tiffany & Co for over 40 years. Stephen Stefanou brought to life Mr. Moore's vision of a winter wonderland. This"Ice Fantasy" involved original life-size characters, ice-covered trees and frosted gardens, state-of-the-art lighting techniques and an outdoor "Northern Lights" light show every night during the holiday season.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was presented the coveted Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine GRAND PRIZE and FIRST PLACE, RETAIL CENTERS.

Hines Interests

Gerald Hines, Houston-based developer, is recognized as America's premier developer of luxury corporate projects.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was asked to create a holiday icon suitable for 222 Berkeley's winter garden that complemented the traditional corporate environment. Stephen Stefanou has executed many magnificent projects for Hines's top buildings in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Beverly Hills, Chicago and Minneapolis. DESIGN SOLUTIONS also designed a fantastic interior for Deutsche Bank.

St. John's Knits....It's Snowing!

It is snowing ....................................................giant, brilliant, crystal snowflakes at St. John's Knits. Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas, TX was asked to create a holiday icon that echoed the St. John's Knit brand.

High-end apparel with iconic style deserves no less than beautiful, fanciful crystal snowflakes.

Equitable Tower in New York City

America's largest insurance company, Equitable Life Insurance, commissioned Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas to create a concept for their conservative Corporate World Headquarters in New York City. This concept supports the profile of the client while being perfectly in scale with the enormous atrium lobby. The natural pine-cone composition also complements rather than detracting from the large-scale commissioned painting by Roy Lichtenstein that hangs prominently in the lobby.

Coca Cola's World Headquarters

The Coca Cola Company commissioned DESIGN SOLUTIONS to design and create Christmas elements for their world corporate headquarters complex in Atlanta, Georgia.

The project was designed to enhance the interior and exterior architecture of the building as well as the impressive fountain sculpture at the entrance and to support the client's Christmas programs for local charities. DESIGN SOLUTIONS also created a whimsical topiary sculpture to be compatible with and complementary to the client's world-class sculpture garden.

American Express World Headquarters

Amercian Express Corporation chose Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas to create a custom project for their newly completed World Headquarters at New York's World Financial Center, designed by Caesar Pelli. Because of the prominence of the client's art collection, DESIGN SOLUTIONS consulted with their art consultant, Swanke Hayden Connell, to establish an aesthetic for corporate giant which would support their corporate persona. Two 16-ft wreaths, beautifully trimmed in plain and faceted gold-leafed ornamentation, dramatized the main entrances announcing the holiday program within. Red and gold tapestries depicting Christmas scene from around the world hang from rods and finials of hand-applied gold leaf. These tapestries were designed to tie in with the client's international target market, and included scenes from Christmas around the world.

New Yok Times: Corporate Christmas

Rockefeller Center Holiday Tree and Angels

What's the Idea for Corporate Christmas? New York Times November 27, 1994

Stephen Stefanou thinks Christmas is capital. And so should landlords of A+ properties, who he contends would be better off paying big bucks upfront to create memorable and reusable holiday displays than wasting money on one-time, small-scale decorations.

Dallas Morning News: Getting Designs on Santa

Corporate Artist dresses up Buildings for the Holidays...by Cheryl Hall Dallas Morning News, November 27, 1994

Stephen Stefanou's deadlines and travel itinerary might make Santa sweat.
The last month has been a bit of a blur as the Dallas designer has scurried from city to city tending to last-minute details for his decorative Christmas displays.
By today, every oversize wreath, ornament and gilded bow has to be out of his workshop and ready for prime-time seasonal viewing in New York, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., Miami, Minneapolis and, of course, Dallas.
When NBC Today cameras scan outside NBC studios Monday, Mr. Stefanou gigantic ornaments and toy soldiers will take front and center in their glitzy Rockefeller Center setting.
When traders stream onto the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, their early start will be brightened by an 8-ft, motorized, jeweled ornament representing the globe.
And when Dallas workers return to Trammell Crow Center after Thanksgiving greeted by old acquaintances --two greater-than-life angels hovering above the lobby.
"My biggest success is when a corporate executive walks in and for a second is a child," says this transformational designer. "For that moment he smiles and giggles. It's amazing to see it happen."
Unlike Santa, however, this harbinger of the holidays can't rest now that his deliveries are made. A second incredible rush lies ahead. He must make his goodies magically disappear after New Year's --- and not a day sooner.

Fashion Show is dressing up for the Holidays!

Fashion Show Magazine/ December 2005 by Kate Silver

The largest retail center on the Las Vegas Strip will again be adorned with jaw-dropping, larger-than-life holiday decorations created by Stephen Stefanou of Dallas-based DESIGN SOLUTIONS, one of the world's preeminent designers of seasonal holiday environments.

Stefanou, who typically doesn't decorate shopping center for the holidays, believes Fashion Show is in a league of its own. "Fashion Show is no ordinary shopping center. Its commanding presence created by ceilings and spaces that seem to go on forever, along with its status as the premier fashion retail venue in Las Vegas, calls for exciting decor above and beyond the norm. We eagerly accepted the challenge."

Fashion Show's holiday decor features tow 12-ft snow crystal maidens, a 36-ft holiday tree that features a five-ft diamond-like snowburst tree-topper, giant sugar plus fairies of glass, crystal and jewels , and shimmering 12-ft wreaths of "diamonds."

Fashion Show joins an impressive list of other landmark venues well dressed for the holidays by DESIGN SOLUTIONS. These include Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, Embarcadero Center, Coca-Cola World Headquarters and even The Bellagio Resort & Casino.

"Erte was arguably the greatest costume-designer in history," says Stefanou. "His designs are glamorous, unusual, elegant, opulent and timeless. Isn't that how we all want to look during the holidays?"

Los Angeles Times: Making the Strip Bloom

Conservatory's seasonal change-out planted with hard work and flowers. by Susan King ( excerpt from Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2007)
A 42-ft Ferris wheel filled with sunflowers reaches toward the 55-ft tall glass ceiling, while hot air balloons launch into the air and return to the ground. In another area, a 1962 beige Corvette convertible on loan from a car museum in Bowling Green, Ky., appears to be driving past classic gas pumps. (Decor was designed and created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas, TX)

"We're here for seven days, 24 hours a day," said Tim Hunter, manager of the conservatory. "It's always got to look nice in here," explained Hunter. While the Bellagio does not disclose the amount of revenue spent on the conservatory, he said it is "well worth the money".

"The conservatory is what sets us apart from the other hotels," said Hunter, explaining the attention to details. "There are people who come in every year just to see a certain show."

Las Vegas Sun: Casinos Open Arms for Asians

Chinese New Year turning into Lucrative Holiday!
Las Vegas Sun by Liz Benston January 25, 2006

A Chinese propensity to gamble is a long-held truism in Las Vegas that has yet to be documented with any accuracy. But some say there is a cultural basis for gambling during Chinese New Year -- a holiday that is inextricably tied to testing one's luck.
If a person wins a wager, it could bring new luck for the rest of the year, or so the tradition goes. Losing a bet could rid the bettor of bad luck that's accumulated over the past year.

The Bellagio Conservatory features a pagoda, Tang Dynasty horse and other traditional Chinese decor (designed by Stephen Stefanou with Design Solutions in Dallas, TX) in celebration of Chinese New Year. Many hotels plan special events for the holiday.

Season's Greetings Stunner

Season's Greetings Stunner

(excerpt from Plastics Distributor & Fabrictor Industry Magazine September 2009span>)
In the worlds of entertainment, hotel and casino design and corporate branding, bigger is always better. Designers and promoters want eye-catching glitz, glamour and bright lights. They want “Pop!” They want a “Wow!” And for the past 40 years, Stephen Stefanou and his team of designers at Design Solutions, Dallas, Texas, have developed a reputation for big, bold visual displays tailor made for every space and crafted with care down to the finest detail. The grandeur the visual display firm has brought to hotels, casinos, and other public spaces across the world has drawn international acclaim for their unique design – and their scale.
Design Solutions has been commissioned to develop breath-taking displays at some of the country’s most extravagant venues. They have designed gold-leafed, mirror spangled holiday statues and displays at the Bellagio, beautiful LED-lit translucent starbursts and life-sized caribou for the MGM Grand in Detroit, and holiday fixtures of all shapes and sizes at A-plus properties and corporate headquarters around the globe.
The company’s most recent installation, a holiday spectacular at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on the Potomac River in National Harbor, MD, is just the latest example of the vision and innovation Design Solutions brings to every project.
“When the Gaylord National came to us with a request for a unique holiday attraction, we knew at once that the hotel’s dramatic 18-story atrium would provide us both with a one-of-a-kind challenge and a one-of-a-kind opportunity,” says Stefanou, president and CEO of Design Solutions. “Not only was the space enormous, requiring us to create an equally large installation, its size and height also demanded a material that would be lightweight and highly sculptable.”
From Concept to Creation
Faced with these challenges, the Design Solutions team set out to create an attraction that would not only fill the spacious atrium, but also provide a reason for both locals and tourists to visit the Gaylord during the slower-than-usual winter<>They wanted something that would draw people in from all corners of the city – a true attraction that people would have to see to believe,” he explains.

Following intensive ideation and conceptualization, the team settled on the idea of a Christmas tree. But not just any Christmas tree. They promised to create the largest hanging Christmas tree in the world – a 6 0-feet tall “Tree of Light” formed from a total of 110 curvilinear holly leaves, each measuring an amazing eight to 12-foot long. The 7,000- pound seasonal stunner would be topped with a hand-sculpted ribbon bedecked in hand-applied gold leaf. And using technology more commonly associated with The Walt Disney Resorts’ famous outdoor light spectaculars and arena-sized concert shows, the team designed a dramatic lighting scheme featuring 40,000- watt Syncrolite external spotlights and a variety of theatrical lighting and strobe lights that provide lighting from the inside out. Material Making the Difference “The combination of size, highly detailed display elements, and mold ability challenges made our choice of material imperative to the project’s ultimate success,” says Stefanou. Based on the firm’s past experience, they quickly chose Eastman Spectar™ copolyester PETG, a durable, flexible and lightweight material perfect for such largescale applications. According to Stefanou, the material’s flexibility is key. Dubbed “Candy Glass” by the resort’s canny marketers, Eastman Spectar™ possesses incredible, brittle-free bending attributes not matched by competing glass alternatives. A mainstay in visual merchandising environments worldwide, the innovative material enjoys a global reputation for delivering strong, durable and transcendently translucent results.

Phil Coffey, the Gaylord National’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, says that the Tree of Light is “a singular work of art that we are delighted to share with our guests and visitors. We couldn’t be more pleased to showcase this new attraction as the centerpiece of a new mid- Atlantic holiday tradition.”

NY Times: Las Vegas Adapts to Reap Chinese New Year Bounty...New York Times February 21, 2007

The New York Times ( excerpt February 21, 2007) by Steve Freiss

Las Vegas Adapts to Reap Chinese New Year Bounty...

At the Bellagio, the theme of the 14,000-sq-ft conservatory is changed only five times a year, and Chinese New Year is one of those times. The current display ( designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas) features live tangerine trees, a 45-ft-tall pagoda, 18-ft-tall 'god of fortune' and a mechanical pig with a moving tail, snout and eyes.

'You'll see a lot of Chinese lanterns hanging in groups of six because multiples of six are lucky numbers," the Conservatory manager, Sharon Hatcher, said. "Everything here are multiples of six or eight, because those are the lucky numbers. Even the number of koi we have in our pond are multiples of eight . We want to maintain as much positive energy for luck for the new year celebration."

Las Vegas Sun: GRAND DESIGNS: Stefanou brings passion & size to displays at Fashion Show Mall, November 25, 2003 Las Vegas Sun Newspaper

Las Vegas Sun Newspaper by Kristen Peterson November 25, 2003
Stephen Stefanou likes big things. His dreams are big. His passions are big. when it comes to the holidays, his designs are copious.
At the Fashion Show Mall, his Erte-inspired holiday display features sculpted, jeweled ornaments of slender women, stretching as much as 25-ft and costumed in red velvet and lace.
I need a client who needs something really different," Stefanou said. "I always dream everything big, which requires architectural design, thought and engineering."
"We didn't just want a decorating scheme to decorate the building," Karen Kozemchak, Fashion Show mall marketing director, said. "We want to create an environmental feeling and link it to what we're about, fashion and design."
"With this square footage, you cannot decorate the mall," Stefanou said. "You have to create destinations within the mall."
"Erte was arguably the greatest costume designer in history," said Stefanou. " His designs are glamorous, unusual elegant and opulent. All those characteristics translate extremely well into holiday decor well suited to the fashion retail environment."

Omaha World-Herald December 1, 2007

Shadow Lake Towne Center

(excerpt from Omaha World-Herald)
With competition for the holiday dollar fierce, stores and shopping centers rely on more than well-stocked shelves and competitive prices to attract shoppers. The addition of seasoal decor such as trees, garlands, lights and giant ornaments lends a festive air and is intended to put customers in the holiday spirit.

The looks are carefully considered. Village Pointe's decor, for example, was provided by DESIGN SOLUTIONS, a Dallas-based company that also decorates Rockefeller Center in New York City , the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Design Solutions also handled Shadow Lake Towne Center, according to operations manager, Bryan Boyce.
A live 35-ft-tall tree topped by a 4-ft gold star stands inn the middle of the outdoor shopping center. Covering it are golden pinecones, large multi-colored lights and about 5,000 smaller, twinkly ones.
We've gotten a lot of really positive feedback," said Alicia Peters, marketing director at Shadow Lake.

Peters calls the decorations which the shopping center owns, an investment in the property. We'll keep them for years to come.

At Shadow Lake, shoppers sometimes inquire about the price of the nutcrackers or the stars, Boyce said.

"It's a great feeling to see it when it's done and throughout the season you get a lot of compliments," he added. "We all enjoy it -- I know I do."