Design Icon

Photo By Todd Tankersley

Flamingo Las Vegas has partnered with legendary potter and designer Jonathan Adler for an art upgrade that pays homage to the resort’s history and imagery. Adler’s colorful design work has been added throughout the resort, including an exclusive lamp inspired by the resort’s namesake bird that will be installed in renovated rooms throughout 2020. He has also created a line of bespoke retail items available for purchase at the Flamingo Promenade store.

We caught up with Adler to talk about the collection, his inspiration and what it was like designing for a property that is so quintessentially Vegas. Excerpts:

This isn’t your first foray in collaborating with a hotel. Is there anything different that you need to consider when designing for a hotel vs. a private space? How do you approach it? My main hope with everything I design is that it has a real sense of place. When designing for Flamingo Las Vegas, we wanted it to emulate the high-octane, in-our-face glamour of Vegas itself.

What drew you to working with Flamingo Las Vegas specifically? When I think of Vegas, I think of the Flamingo. It’s just so iconic. I was thrilled to have a chance to play with the flamingo iconography.

Where did you get your inspiration when designing for this partnership? A lot of the inspiration for this came from the flamingo itself. Flamingos are so stylized that they’re a treat for any designer. God hit it out of the park and did a lot of work when he designed the flamingo. I just took that iconography and ran with it.

Not only is your work displayed throughout the hotel, but there is also a retail collection where guests can purchase pieces.What is your favorite piece in this retail collection? I love it all (and I’m not just saying that because I designed it). But if I HAD to pick a favorite, it would be the Flamingo Sculpture. It’s equal parts souvenir and sculpture and I’m mad for it. This isn’t your first foray in collaborating with a hotel.