Creating a Storied Steakhouse
Creating a Storied Steakhouse
When Morlights and frequent collaborators Studio K Creative were tasked with creating a new steakhouse in Las Vegas’ storied Flamingo casino, the backstory took center stage. The restaurant’s name, Bugsy and Meyer’s, a nod to legendary gangsters and Vegas impresarios Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, sets the tone for a speakeasy-style vibe throughout the space. Secret entrances, a backroom bar and plenty of atmosphere greet patrons just steps from the casino floor.
Morlights’ lighting helps spin the tale from the restaurant’s entrance. Passing through a bakery and coffee shop with a bright, tropical feel, visitors discover the main dining room via a discreet entrance. Within, a warm, dimly-lit space featuring flamingo murals and a sparkling raw bar welcomes intimate dining; careful vertical lighting provides adequate illumination for perusing menus, without disrupting the moody glow of indirect lighting from the coffered ceiling. Oversized decorative fixtures and picture lights cast pools of light throughout, creating a beautiful play on light and shadow.
In the inner Counting Room bar, a three-tiered, mirrored ceiling presented a specific lighting challenge — with a goal of avoiding any visible lamps. Precise placement of multiple mirrored coves, vertical lighting techniques and the use of perimeter glow create the feeling that the room is illuminated solely by light reflecting from the richly textured walls and bar, allowing the delicious illusions of Bugsy and Meyer’s to continue to delight restaurant patrons.
“Vegas may mean bright lights to most people, but this decadent speakeasy brought all of Morlights’ subtlety and skill into play.” — Sean Murphy
