The Wynn and Encore Hotels in Las Vegas

Wynn curtainwall dancing with the sunlight

Floor to ceiling glass brings the outside in.

Skylights on the roof at the Wynn Hotel. How many can you count?

The skylight at the Wynn buffet. With this type of environment, the old, trashy image of a Vegas buffet will be blown out of your memory banks forever.

Detail at Wynn Buffet skylight. An elaborate birdcage of metal grillwork is built within and beneath the skylight, creating a cascade of light.

Complex, beautiful details like this abound at The Wynn. This skylight extends up and over a soffit wrapping the perimeter of the Parasol Up bar. The effect is amplified by the use of mirrors at the right side of the skylight.

At the Wynn, flawless execution of difficult geometric shapes rendered in glass and other materials appear as if they were created effortlessly.

Another example where natural light is the starting point, then other elements are added to enrich the visitor experience. Skylight glass is patterned, a trellis diffuses the light while allowing the glass pattern to be seen, and deeply colorful glass lamps punctuate the space.

Glass and metal combine to create an exciting private enclosure for the losing of ones life savings.

Interest is added through the use of tassles, and the omission of glass in the area immediately surrounding the urn shape.

Mirrors used in cabinets amplify colors and textures.

Draperies, mirrors and glass ornamentation provide for an entertaining stroll.

A near-infinite array of light fixtures make free use of glass and mirrors to further shape the appearance of light.

A grand portal to a glorious outdoor space is graced with a point-supported curtainwall with structural glass mullions and highly polished chrome fittings.

The Louis Vuitton storefront in the Wynn retail esplanade. The highly stylized glass wall appears to be composed of hundreds of glass cylinders suspended in holes in a vertical sheet of glass. One wonders if illegal substances were utilized in the creation of this design.

The Dior store in the retail esplanade. Here, a pattern screened onto the back of the glass is repeated on a background a few inches behind the glass, producing a changing Moire pattern as you walk by. In this case, the designers seem to want the visitor to feel as if he is using illegal substances.

The Chanel store doesn't try to provide a psychadelic experience, but rather the experience of wealth, however vicarious that might be. The storefront glass is backed by a rich, golden (what else?) fabric seen enlarged at the upper right. Interior partitions consist of two layers of a beautiful open weave fabric, sandwiched between three lites of glass. The separation between the fabric layers give the pattern life as you walk by.

Intimate apparel purveyor Black & Satin strives for an intimate, sexy look. They use a grapevine pattern deeply etched into the front and back of the glass doors. I found these doors...um... stimulating.

The Wing Lei restaurant used the same idea - etch a pattern into the glass doors. This time, the effect was different. By adding a brass color into the etching, the pattern became an extension of the other brass portions of the door frames and handles.

This elaborate and beautiful entrance to the Alex Restaurant uses a diamond pattern cross hatching cut into the glass. This simple treatment greatly enhances the overall design.

Interior of the Alex Restaurant. The cross-hatch pattern is also used on the exterior glass, unifying the design and further gracing the space with a patterned glow of light. Couldn't afford to eat here.

In the Encore retail corridor, the In Step store kicks up its heels with a curved, rolling, heavy glass pair of doors.

Next door, the Botero Restaurant uses a stylized interlayer in the laminated glass, in doors, sidelites and the revolving door leafs and enclosure.

Across Sands Avenue, in the Palazzo, Barneys creates an upbeat and uplifting environment by placing colorful backlit patterns behind the glass in display walls and counter bases.

Mark Meshulam, Chicago Window Expert enjoying the Wynn experience