Celano Design Studio has announced the arrival of two new restaurant concepts opening this summer at Resorts World Las Vegas – the city’s highly anticipated resort opening on 24 June.
Celano is the creative lead behind the design of two of the hotel’s new dining concepts, including ¡Viva!, a new Mexican restaurant from acclaimed chef Ray Garcia that celebrates life through food, drinks and fun, as well as Here Kitty Kitty Vice Den, a hidden speakeasy located within Zouk Group’s Asian hawker-inspired food hall Famous Foods Street Eats.
Together with local architect Marnell Companies, Celano has designed two unique spaces with lively and welcoming atmospheres, which will serve as the backdrops for the talented chefs and their teams.
The design of ward-winning chef Ray Garcia’s new Mexican restaurant ¡Viva! draws inspiration from Mexican culture yet features distinctly Las Vegas touches. In addition to a main dining room, ¡Viva! offers an indoor promenade patio, a bar, outdoor patio with wooden trellis and lush greenery, and a private dining room housing ¡Viva!’s exclusive tequila and mezcal collection.
“When designing ¡Viva!, we wanted to create a collection of spaces with individual atmospheres that are wholly unique, yet still come together to tell the same story – one that represents the lively culture and tradition of Mexico and the regional modern Mexican cuisine for which chef Ray Garcia is known, while celebrating its location in the heart of Las Vegas,” notes Vincent Celano, founder and CEO of Celano Design Studio.
Adding: “We embraced natural elements like wood and greenery while pairing them with vibrant colours and artwork to create a layered and rich experience filled with texture, festivity, and life. There is nothing in Vegas quite like it.”
Highlights of the space include an ‘exploding flower’ infinity mirror that doubles as an art installation and interactive Instagrammable experience; the main bar featuring a bottle display influenced by the architecture of ancient ruins around Mexico; a dazzling driftwood sculpture resembling a tree in bloom in the centre of the dining room; and a vibrant mural designed by Miami-based Chalk & Brush, inspired by the culture, landscape, architecture, and patterns of Mexico, which acts as a backdrop for the indoor promenade patio as well as the indoor bar.
Meanwhile, to find Here Kitty Kitty Vice Den, guests must first visit Ms. Meow’s Mamak Stall, which is located inside Famous Foods Street Eats. Similar to the Mamak stalls found throughout Singapore and Malaysia, this small retail store features shelves packed with Asian snacks, games, and drinks – plus a unique shelf lined with lucky cat sculptures that serves as the unexpecting entrance to Here Kitty Kitty.
“With Here Kitty Kitty, our goal was to create an exclusive cocktail bar that serves as a respite where guests can pause and plan out their evening, or stay and imbibe with Mrs. Meow,” says Celano. “We layered design features like an industrial bar, wooden rafters, and brick walls, with cultural Chinese elements to create a rich atmosphere with eclectic and authentic touches.”
The intimate 800-square-foot space features a bar with a library of glowing liquor bottles and a lounge area that exudes a comfortable warmth. A mix of traditional Chinese, industrial, and modern design elements are utilized throughout Here Kitty Kitty to create the feeling that the space had been carefully built and curated over time. Metal cocktail tables are paired with hand-painted Chinese ottomans while the walls are adorned with neon tigers, a tiger mural, a traditional Chinese children’s poem written in Mandarin, and worn Chinese advertisements.
