Details

The new transformation has famously channelled a chunk of Vegas glitz and personality, and any big Vegas casino needs a top-draw nightclub.

A big chunk of the Marquee appeal is down to the design. It’s got a brash sex appeal that fits Sin City so well. There are certainly rooms and areas to discover and delight but ultimately, like some Amsterdam strumpet, the qualities are on show for all to see. ICrave (out of Manhattan), drew up the concept plans. From there, Australian firm Squillace Nicholas Architects made it their own, pulling together a crack design team led by Vince Squillace, Patrick Nicholas and Mabel Chow. “The concept design in the main room was inspired by Tron – futuristic and high tech. What with the LED rings and the bathroom furniture, it’s quite futuristic in many ways,” said Mabel Chow during a tour of the site.

Right from the entrance you are given the choice of turning right to jump straight into the mayhem of the main room or turn left to the off-the-wall charms of the Boombox. At the fork in the road lurks a forbidden grotto, where a resident mermaid relaxes, or if management so decides, a dwarf will be hired to ‘whip’ her! The main room screams ‘discotheque’. A vast LED wall around the DJ booth beckons you past an island bar, through the reserved tables and onto the dancefloor. While the lighting is something else altogether: “The club’s ceiling is a mix of high-tech theatrical lighting, Barrisol rings and exposed services,” explained Patrick Nicholas. “A ‘Doppler Effect’ set of elliptical rings radiate from the DJ Booth and intersect a concentric set of rings radiating form the bar, the overlapping curves intersect with an intense geometry, reflecting and driving the energy in the room.

The second room, the Boombox, is more obviously themed. “It’s like a trashed mansion,” remarked Mabel. “It’s almost like a gang of punks has broken into a New York mansion and gone crazy. You have the graffiti and the bike chain chandelier over the bar, contrasting the wood panelling and the parquetry floor.” There’s lots to love about the Marquee interior design. Like any great design you can get endlessly lost in the detail and those touches that only happen when the truly creative lavish attention on a project with sufficient budget a focus. Mirrored skateboards act as wall lights while myriad other found objects and custom designs imbue Marquee with something unique. “Real credit has to go to Isis Construction’s building work,” noted Vince Squillace. “They met every deadline and were proactive in the way they resolved any and every issue… despite the inevitable last-minute changes by the client.

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