Design Solutions....Stephen Stefanou

Eastman Chemical Company: Stretching the Limits

2012-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

An Interview with Stephen Stefanou: Design Director / Design Solutions

The Eastman Innovation Lab is all about stories of materials and design advancing each other. The stories keep getting better and the Insights series larger.Design Insights was created in 2005 to dive deeper into subjects that influence design and our daily lives. Their goal is to raise video storytelling to a new level by bringing you ideas that provoke and inspire.

Link to Interview of Stephen Stefanou, President & Design Director of Design Solutions and excerpt below.

http://www.innovationlab.eastman.com/Insights/StephenStefanou/StretchingTheLimits.aspx

“I've always believed that the more complex you make a piece, the more difficult it is to copy,” says Stephen Stefanou, president and design director of Dallas-based Design Solutions.It’s hard to imagine anybody copying Stefanou’s sculptural artistry. Not only is it complex, it’s typically monumental in size.

A case in point is the 800 candy-like twisters Stefanou created for Crystals at CityCenter in Las Vegas. The 60-foot twisters, made from two-foot by eight-foot sections of Eastman Spectar™ copolyester sheet, twirl kinetically from the ceiling during the winter season.“The CityCenter project ranks as one of our very, very complex projects,” Stefanou explains.The material had to be formed perfectly so that the double helix matched up with each contiguous section.

“Putting all these together, we had to come up with some very innovative molding techniques, which we'd never done before and some very innovative materials for coating it because we wanted it to be holographic—silver. Spectar™ had the strength after it was shaped and then drilled and hung so that it would meet the structural code for hanging overhead in a public space.”

Stefanou likes to work with Spectar™ because it allows him to stretch the limits of what can be done with a transparent material. “Things can be done with Spectar™ that cannot be done with glass,” he says.

Kinetic Twisters - inspiration
Design Solutions USA
YouTube Channel Videos in HD

Spectacular Icebursts as Art

2012-01-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Sophisticated 18-ft 'Synthetic Glass' Icebursts suspend from above at Eighth Avenue Place in Calgary. Translucent 'ice' art celebrates the beautiful white winters of Canada .

The icebursts were designed by Stephen Stefanou, president of Design Solutions, as an unique element for clients who wanted a seasonal icon appropriate for a corporate venue.

Downtown Dallas gets in the Holiday Spirit

2012-01-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

Beautiful brillant red holiday ornaments are sprinkled throughout Downtown Dallas for the holiday season. Giant 8-ft ornaments were installed in many locations in the business corridors as a festive and cheerful surprise.

The ornaments complement the city street decor and lead you to the new Omni Dallas Hotel where thirteen ten-ft holiday ornaments are whimsically stacked on the front lawn.

Mini-Cooper's gift suggestion

2012-01-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Mini-Cooper of Plano makes a gift suggestion in unique fashion.

A fuchsia 8-ft round and a yellow mini-cooper ornament pairing captured the attention of thousands as they traveled the Dallas North Tollway during the holiday season.

How many North Texans found a Mini-Cooper under their tree as a result?

A New Color Palette of Holiday Decor

2011-12-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Tree of Scrolling 'Synthetic Glass' Ribbon in Copper tones.

New Omni Dallas Hotel Holiday Scene

2011-12-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Dallas' newest landmark, the Omni Dallas Hotel adjacent to the convention center, presented thirteen 10-ft brilliant-red holiday ornaments on the front lawn for the holiday season. Design Solutions of Dallas has created a spectacular holiday ornament display welcoming visitors to the new hotel. The ornaments are each 10-feet tall and weigh 1,300 lbs. Ten of the ornaments are whimsically stacked on each other, towering more than 30-feet and complemented with a whimsical hand-sculpted gold-leafed ribbon.
The display was created by Stephen Stefanou, president of Design Solutions, who was inspired by the renowned Swedish sculptor, Claes Oldenburg, best known for his public art installations featuring large replicas of everyday objects.

A13-ft Pinecone

2011-06-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Design Solutions was commissioned to create a gigantic 13-ft pinecone, Claes Oldenberg-style, for a Nevada residence. This 'Ponderosa' pinecone was hand-sculpted in perfect scale down to the smallest detail. The visiting guests experience a wonderful, whimsical surprise peeking out of the woods as they approach the custom home.

2011-04-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Design Solutions creates a custon display for a Math & Science event hosted by First lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

Advanced Placement courses in math, science and English will be added to 28 more schools in military communities across the United States through a partnership between the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) and First Lady Michelle Obama's Joining Forces initiative to support military families.
Mrs. Obama commended Americans across the country who are stepping up to provide help for military families and singled out the National Math and Science Initiative for Military Families, which is bringing AP courses to Fountain-Fort Carson High School next fall for the first time. "NMSI is working with the Department of Defense and the private sector to expand this program to you," she said. "We're thrilled about this effort and thrilled about how this effort is going to affect students like you...an education in math and science can put you on the path to success in any field you can imagine."
Mrs. Obama made the announcement Thursday at Fountain-Fort Carson High School, which will offer the successful Advanced Placement program for the first time next fall. The expansion brings the number of schools in military communities offering Advanced Placement courses to 32, which has seen a 97 percent increase in passing rates on AP math, science and English exams

NOTED DESIGNER ON DISPLAY

2011-03-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

DHome Magazine : Dallas' Best Designers

by Peggy Levinson

Noted designer Stephen Stefanou may hang his hat in Dallas, but he makes the impossible possible all over the world.

Catching up with Stephen Stefanou is not an easy feat considering how fast he moves. And thinks. And talks. Stefanou created larger-scale displays around the world in places like Rockefeller Center. And he's done it for 30 years. He's responsible for the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. He also created a cranberry bog in the shape of the Olympic circle using 13 million cranberries for the Olympics in Vancouver.

Q: If you could do anything in Dallas, what would it be?

A: I would transorm the new Woodall Rodgers Park into a Rockefeller Center, complete with a decorated 100-ft tree. I would construct vertical greenery walls all around the Arts Center to define it and creates some excitement. People won't come back if there's notherin to talk about.

New Heights of Style & Design

2011-03-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

The IAPD Magazine

by Chad Frazier & Pam Taylor

The magic of the holidays inspires the child in us all. For Stephen Stefanou, president and design director of Dalllas-based Design Solutions, capturing this sense of magic through dramatic art installations is tradition.

Well known for his work developing monumental seasonal displays at sites including Rockefeller Center in New York, MGM Grand in Detroit, and the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, Stefanou used the Crystals high-end retail environment at CityCenter, Las Vegas, to unveil the Kinetic Twisters sculptures made possible with the help of Eastman Chemical Company.

Filling the vast contemporary space of the Crystals' architecture required a sculptural design that complemented its environment. Combining Crystals' prestigious reputation for elegance and grandeur set the bar high for Design Solutions as it began bringing its larger-than-life design to reality.

"Since the Kinetic Twisters is a winter holiday installation, our goal was to create the singular emotional experience of being surrounded by awestruck wonder -- just like a small child feels during the holidays," says Stefanou. " The design was inspired by an Italian chandelier, and we wanted to capture that beauty of art glass on a truly grand scale."

The Kinetic Twisters design includes 600 strips of sparkling red and silver material extending as far as the 60-ft from the ceiling, twisting and moving with airflow in the cavernous Crystals environment. The desired result for shoppers equates to being enveloped in ribbons on Christmas morning.

Material specification trial and error:

Creating the Kinetic Twisters required astute planning and extensive material experimentation. Given the unique artistry of the sculputre and required criteria for material selection, several desgn concepts satisfying a variety of objectives and budget constraints were developed and modified to meet the desired outcome.

Despite years of searching for the perfect material to make its dream a reality, Design Solutions unveiled the Kinetic Twisters in the Crystals in Las Vegas' CityCenter in time for the 2010 holiday season. By selecting the proper material, Design Solutions ensured the beauty of its sculpture will last throughout the four month international winter holiday season.

From the onset, I set out to make the Kinetic Twisters design as complicated and distinctive as possible by adding as much artistry and skill as possible," Stefanou said. "From a design perspective, this whole process was as much about failure as it was about success, and with the expertise and assistance provided by Eastman throughout, we were able to create a stunning reality out of our concept."

Children celebrate Chinese New Year at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

2011-02-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

MGM Grand Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas celebrates the 2011 Chinese New Year in a Grand way.

February 3, 2011

'Children' frolic and play in a scenic display honoring Chinese New Year. Each child figure, created by DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas, is dressed in traditional festive Chinese costumes of brilliant color with accessories of traditional red Chinese lanterns, fish kite and parasol. The children remind everyone it is a time of year to be joyful and playful in celebrating the family and its ancestry.

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it's been called since the 20th century, remains the most important social and economic holiday in China. Originally tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the holiday was a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting. With the popular adoption in China of the Western calendar in 1912, the Chinese joined in celebrating January 1 as New Year's Day. China, however,continues to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year, although in a shorter version with a new name.

Kinetic Twist Chandeliers Delight Shoppers in Las Vegas

2010-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Another Holiday Spectacular by DESIGN SOLUTIONS!

70-ft long Kinetic Twist Chandeliers create a dazzling holiday display throughout Crystals, the retail heart of CityCenter, Las Vegas. Shimmering streamers descend from the soaring ceilings and twirl gently above the crowds.

These mesmerizing kinetic sculptures are the creative genius of Stephen Stefanou, president and design director of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas Texas.

"Crystals wanted a holiday accent that spoke to all cultures" said Stefanou.
In response, Stefanou's team customed designed, engineered, and sculpted stylized peppermint sticks in metallic red and holographic silver. The peppermint streamers were mounted onto chandlier armatures that allow them to spin and intoxicate the crowds.
It is a unique holiday display that captures the imaginations of all who visit.

See video post on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qu0Twymgs0

New York Hotels Deck the Halls

2010-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

New York Hotels Deck the Halls
USA TODAY December 4, 2010

New York Hotels deck the halls this holiday season, among which are 12-ft tall toy soldiers created by DESIGN SOLUTIONS that stand guard at the St. Regis Hotel at 5th Avenue.

When John Jacob Astor built the St. Regis in 1904, he set out to create a hotel that would reflect the elegance and luxury of hotels in Europe. Over a hundred years later, the St. Regis, now a New York landmark, still reflects that European splendor.

2010-11-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dallas Morning News by Cheryl Hall

November 28, 2010
This weekend marks the official launch of the retail rush. But for Stephen Stefanou, the holidays are pretty much a fait accompli.

Stephen Stefanou, flanked by glittering snow and ice queens that he sculpted for mega-malls in Linz, Austria, is known worldwide for his work. His Dallas-based company, Design Solutions, makes large – really large – seasonal and holiday displays and sculptural art.

As of today, his monumental "props" – all made in Big D – have been deployed, assembled and staged in shopping malls, office complexes and resorts around the globe.
Two bejeweled snow and ice queens – three times life-size – hold court at mega-malls in Linz, Austria.

His iconic 13-foot wooden cadets flank the skating rink at Rockefeller Center for the 22nd year. Shiny red ornaments are stacked three stories high and rest serenely on a cascading pool outside Radio City Music Hall.

A six-story Christmas tree floats above the main atrium floor at the Gaylord National Resort in Maryland, and nearly 800 giant, twisting mobiles twirl kinetically from the ceiling at CityCenter's glitzy retail mall in Las Vegas.

You might think that Stefanou (pronounced STEF-ahno) would be ready for a breather. But he's not.

"I'm a stimulation junkie," he says in his warehouse offices on Irving Boulevard.

Unless you've been in the market for something other-worldly, you've probably never heard of Stefanou or Design Solutions. His offices and plant are in the industrial area of Irving Boulevard and Motor Circle.

I wrote a column about him in 1994, but he's never sought personal publicity. He prefers to be backstage, and he's not part of the Dallas fete set.

"I live here because of the airport," Stefanou says.

The 61-year-old is known for juggling two cellphones and a land line simultaneously, orchestrating the mute and hold keys with limited listener distraction.

"I don't have the best memory, so I want to do it right now while I'm thinking about it," he says.

Ray Hunt wanted traditional Christmas decorations – pure but not simple – for his Hunt Consolidated Inc. headquarters in downtown Dallas three years ago. His real estate company, Woodbine Development, knew about Design Solutions and put it into the competitive bid mix along with a half-dozen other companies. Stefanou and his team won out.

"Ray really gets down in the weeds on these types of things," says Tom Meurer, senior vice president of Hunt Consolidated. "He knew exactly what he wanted."

Four 12-foot toy soldiers were installed for their third Christmas on Friday, along with two gigantic wreaths. Two-story synthetic-glass "ice bursts" hang from ceilings in the lobby, and large, old-fashioned toys are on every floor.

"They're awesome," Meurer says.

Ocean Spray wanted something spectacular to launch its blueberry juice at an event sponsored by JetBlue Airways in June. Stefanou's answer: a 38-foot-tall bottle of Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice that weighs 14 tons and moves on wheels.

"We designed and sculpted it here [at his plant on Motor Circle] with reinforced steel, erected it at JFK Airport, pulled it out of the hangar with a JetBlue plane pulling it," Stefanou says. "By noon, it was on YouTube."

Ocean Spray project manager Cindy Taccini was blown away. "You had to blink your eyes a couple of times. 'Am I really seeing this bottle?' " she recalls. "We moved it to downtown Manhattan to Greeley Square Park. To see the bottle in a New York City street setting, with skyscrapers in the background, created such an amazing contrast. We had a terrific response."

Channel for creativity
Stefanou says he's often inspired the moment he gets the assignment or sees the space.
"I get it very clearly," Stefanou says. "Creativity comes through you, not from you. I think you're a channel for creativity that's out there."

Stefanou keeps his company lean and has only eight full-time employees. During peak installation and dismantling times, he'll have 100 contract workers, and he contracts with artisans and safety experts.

"Everything goes through structural, rigging, electrical and fire engineers," Stefanou says. "We have to have all of that cover-your-butt expertise to make sure we don't create a lawsuit, disturbance, a fire or anything that would bring negative publicity to the client."

Five years ago, Stefanou hired an engineer from Boeing Corp. to help create huge California poppies out of synthetic glass for the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. "You don't want real-glass daggers raining down on people," Stefanou says. The project cost about $600,000.
A typical project costs about $250,000, but one at the Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, this year cost $1.7 million.

Every project also goes through sensitivity and cultural screening. Stefanou learned his lesson when his Norman Rockwell-inspired, all-white male cadets debuted in Rockefeller Center in 1989.

"We got a lot of hate mail that year," Stefanou says. "The next year, we recut and replaced the faces, put a bun on the back [of the girls] and created diversity. They've been wildly popular ever since."

Barbara Buxton, Design Solution's marketing director, is amazed at how her boss calmly tackles challenges that would scare the pants off most mortals.
"His vision, no doubt, is a gift," Buxton says. "When you couple that with his quiet resolve, the results are quite amazing."

Stefanou, a native of Shreveport, La., came to Dallas in 1971, then answered a newspaper ad for a job spray-painting mannequins for a department store. That led to making large-scale seasonal displays for department stores.

A business begins
"At the time, Abraham & Straus in Brooklyn was spending $20,000 a window on bridal props," says Stefanou, who commuted to New York to do the job. "We turned the whole main floor into the Ponte Vecchio for an Italian sales promotion. "But that business ended with the death of the department stores."

In 1976, Stefanou talked Zale Corp. into buying 12,000 inexpensive floral arrangements for its jewelry stores. "I literally rented a table, chair and space heater from Abbey Rents and a 10-by-20 you-store-it [space]. I sat in it round the clock making those bouquets."

After that first job, he moved into bigger digs: two bays at a Grand Prairie filling station that had gone self-service. He hired stay-at-home moms who were more adept at making artful things than he was. "They thought what I was doing was craft abuse," Stefanou says.
"They thought [the job] was fun as long as they could pick up their kids at 3 o'clock, go home to feed them and then come back and work that evening."

In 1984, Trammell Crow wanted Christmas decorations for his new LTV Tower. Stefanou created two seraphim angels with 18-foot wingspans.

His monumental business was born.
It was authenticated when the Rockefeller family hired him five years later. "My badge of courage is I've survived Rockefeller Center being sold five times."

Design Solutions' revenue this year is about $5 million, Stefanou says. The company is still profitable despite taking a licking in 2008, when the economy ravaged the hospitality industry and the Bellagio stopped buying new pieces.

The company made up the gap this year by extending its international reach, Stefanou says. "In my world, when one door closes, there's always another one that opens."
Like those sculptures in Linz, Austria.

"The owner of that property really is very unhappy to be buying from an American source and having to pay freight to Europe," Stefanou says. "He's always grumbly because he's perplexed that he can't find it in Europe – even though he's obviously looked.

NO TREE REQUIRED

2010-11-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

An Emerging Ornament bursts on the Scene

Charlotte Observer November 15, 2010

by Cleve R. Wootson, Jr.

Crews delliverd an extra-large dose of holiday spirit uptown Sunday - a bright-red 25-ft wide Christmas ornament built to appear as if it's been dropped right in front of the Mint Museum.

The ornament, designed and installed by Dallas-based DesignSolutions, which trucked the ornament in 12 pieces from Texas. It is made of fiberglass, steel, silver leaf and polished chrome.

Christmas at National Harbor...designed by DESIGN SOLUTIONS

2010-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

Synthetic Glass Christmas tree lights up for the holidays!!

National Harbor, the 300-acre waterfront development near Washington, DC, will host a festive season of holiday events along the Potomac River including a Christmas tree lighting, outdoor market and even a water skiing Santa Claus. While visiting National Harbor, be sure to check out the spectacular holiday decorations and special events at the Gaylord National Harbor. The decor includes a 65-foot tall Christmas tree made of synthetic “candy” glass (created by Design Solutions, Dallas, TX), sparkling icicles lighting up the 20-story atrium, a miniature Potomac Express Train Village and much more. Ice! is an interactive holiday attraction and a "must see". It's a winter wonderland created entirely of 5,000 BLOCKS of ice weighing 2 MILLION POUNDS! hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and kept at a chilling nine degrees Fahrenheit.

Ants Invade Lotusland

2010-11-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ants Invade Lotusland
Lotusland has been invaded by a colony of ants—they’re big, they’re bronze and they’re exquisite. The ants—we have nine—are the creation of American artist Susan P. Cochran whose love of nature and affinity for working in bronze led to these large-scale cast bronze sculptures. She has sculpted the statuary bronze ants with amazing scale and attention to detail.

Before coming to Lotusland, they were on display at the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas and they will be at our visitor center and in the adjacent Australian garden until May 15, 2011. The Queen Ant is 24 feet long x 7 feet high and 19 feet, 17 inches wide!

The ants are living at the visitor center and in the Australian garden and are part of all guided tours. All of the ants are for sale and 20% of the proceeds from sales go to Lotusland.

Installation by DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Bellagio's Garden's Still has its 'WOW'

2010-10-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times: The Movable Buffet by Richard Abowitz
At 2am Sept 12, a Sunday morning, the Bellagio ropes off the resort's immensely popular garden. For the next week, about 115 people work in shifts , 24/7, to transform the 7300 square feet of planting area from the summer show to the fall display.Tourists gather behind the velvet rope to photograph the changeover and ogle renderings of the finished design.

If slightly less well known than Bellagio's jetting waters out front, Garcia still equates the garden, located near the elaborate Dale Chihuly in the lobby, to the famed fountains. "The WOW factor of the fountains outside has to be matched by something as exciting as the garden inside," Garcia says.

The eye-cathcer of the new show ia a set of three gigantic tre sculptures---each about 25-ft tall and weighting roughly 3300 pouonds, made of tightly wovern willow stretched over metal--provided by Design Solutions, a premier visual display & design firm in Dallas, TX.

2010-06-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Now Arriving on JetBlue Airways:

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... a blueberry juice cocktail bottle

designed and built by

Design Solutions, Dallas, TX.

Travelers at New York's John F. Kennedy International (JFK) airport got a big surprise today as crewmembers from hometown airline JetBlue Airways marshaled in the arrival of a 24,000 lb, 38 ft tall blueberry juice cocktail bottle with the airline's latest Airbus A320 livery design, "Blueberries," to commemorate the introduction of Ocean Spray's first Blueberry product line.

The new line of products which includes Blueberry and Blueberry Pomegranate Juice Cocktails, Craisins® Blueberry Juice Infused Dried Cranberries, Blueberry Sugar-Free Drink Mixes and fresh blueberries is a first for the juice category leader. Throughout the month of July, customers onboard JetBlue flights will have an opportunity to sample the tasty new line of juice and Craisins® dried cranberries as part of the airline's complimentary line-up of unlimited name brand snacks and drinks.

"We took the best of what we do for the cranberry and brought it to a new superfruit," said Larry Martin, Vice President of Marketing for Ocean Spray. "Now consumers can enjoy the refreshing taste of summer-ripened blueberries year round."

"JetBlue is constantly looking for ways to enrich the customer experience – on the ground and in the air," said Marty St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy for JetBlue Airways. "The partnership with Ocean Spray allows us to work creatively with another leading brand to provide an experience that goes above and beyond our customers' expectations."
Ocean Spray's Out of the Blue Getaways – Sip & Win!
Juice lovers can see how they measure up to the larger-than-life bottle at New York's Greeley Square Park (between 6th and Broadway, and 33rd and 32nd streets), and have an opportunity to win one of 250 prizes from Ocean Spray's custom luggage carousel. Prizes include roundtrip JetBlue travel to any of its 61 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean and Latin and South Americas, JetBlue Gift Cards ranging from $25-$100, ShopBlue merchandise and Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice products.
"What better way to kick off the summer than with an out of the blue reward from Ocean Spray?" added Martin.
When: Tuesday, June 15, 12-1 pm
Where: Greeley Square Park (between 6th and Broadway, and 33rd and 32nd streets)
Details: Open to the public

Bottle Fun Facts
The average 64 ounce bottle of Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice Cocktail is 10 inches tall. Check out the stunning proportions of Ocean Spray's latest attraction below:
38 ft – the height of an Airbus A320 aircraft or a four story building
24,000 lbs – the average weight of a city bus
54,000 gallons – the number of gallons of Blueberry Juice Cocktail the bottle could hold if filled
Ocean Spray's New Blueberry Product Line
Enjoy the taste of fresh-picked blueberries year-round with these juicy new products:
Blueberry and Blueberry Pomegranate Juice Cocktail – Available in original and diet, each eight ounce glass offers a full day's supply of Vitamin C. Juice lovers will adore the diet variety which offers the refreshing taste of blueberries with only five little calories per serving.
Craisins® Blueberry Juice Infused Dried Cranberries – Made from real fruit and have good-for-you fiber, new Craisins® blueberry dried cranberries are a tasty, juice infused, on-the-go snack.
Blueberry Sugar-Free Drink Mixes – Available in Blueberry Lemonade and Blueberry Pomegranate flavors. Sugar-Free Drink Mixes are a nutritious, deliciously flavored drink alternative packed with 100 percent daily value of Vitamin C and only five calories per serving.
Fresh Blueberries – Summer-ripened blueberries rank high among traditional fruits in naturally occurring antioxidants. Look for Ocean Spray fresh blueberries in the produce department year-round.

About Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 80 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2009 sales of $2 billion.
About JetBlue Airways
Voted "Most Eco-Friendly Airline" by Zagat's Airline Survey in 2008 and 2009, New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers Lots of Legroom and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats. JetBlue introduced complimentary in-flight e-mail and instant messaging services on aircraft "BetaBlue," a first among U.S. domestic airlines. JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. JetBlue serves 61 cities with 650 daily flights. New service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC and to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT begins in November. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JET-BLUE (1-800-538-2583).

Fantastical Oversized Ants Celebrate Beauty & Whimsy

2010-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

Bright Blooms and Fantastical Oversized Ants Celebrate Beauty and Whimsy of Mother Nature's Busiest Season

LAS VEGAS, March 22 /PRNewswire/ — In celebration of spring, Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens features a spectacular floral exhibition filled with vivid blooms and a magnificent one-of-a-kind series of large-scale bronze sculptural ants. Inspired by the social nature of these industrious creatures, American artist Susan P. Cochran created a seven-member colony that represents the ideals of cooperation and teamwork.

Four enchanting gardens, created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions with Bellagio's talented horticulture staff, provide a lush landscape for these intricately detailed creatures. Resting below two towering yellow jonquils, a queen ant allows guests to climb onto her back for a unique photo opportunity. The stunning 8,500-pound queen provides an ideal vantage point for viewing an exhibit of botanical snails and bumblebees as well as brightly colored tulips, poppies, daisies, mums and daffodils.
Steps away, three 10-foot-long ants can be found attentively preparing for the warm months ahead at the mouth of a 15-foot-tall flower pot, overflowing with rainbow-hued blooms. A beautiful spring butterfly rests atop the oversized pot while a towering 28-foot spade stands nearby. Overhead, bumblebees made of preserved sunflowers pause mid-flight in their tireless search for nectar.

Close-by another first for Bellagio's Conservatory, five giant mushrooms – ranging in size from 5 to 15 feet tall – provide a natural canopy for the pair of 6-feet-tall ants found communicating below.

A jardin a la francaise, or French garden, completes this fantasy botanical wonderland. Within its fragrant symmetrical borders, a large anthill is flanked by two water spheres. A 3-foot-long ant is seen crawling into the golden sunlight from its earthen tunnel as its industrious counterpart works nearby.

Throughout this mesmerizing exhibit, botany fans will be delighted to find a rare exhibition of 10 potted olive trees, each more than 100 years old. Over the years, these ancient trees have been carefully sculptured into oversized bonsai presentations.

Giant Ants Star in Bellagio's Spring Wonderland

2010-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Designer

Stephen Stefanou’s

New Epic Display Evokes Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Colonized by Ants

DALLAS, March 15, 2010 – The Bellagio Resort & Casino invites visitors to fall down the rabbit hole March 18h when its conservatory and botanical garden is transformed into Alice’s Wonderland……Las Vegas style! Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s beloved tale, renowned designer Stephen Stefanou, the master of monumental installations, has created a garden where visitors will feel like they have shared the magical liquid that reduced Alice to Lilliputian size.

As visitors stroll through the conservatory, they will see among the 15-ft tall mushrooms and 18-ft jonquils a colony of 10-ft long ants along with their Queen. Weighing more than four tons, this imposing monarch is 24-ft long, 19-ft wide and 7-ft tall. As she sits regally watching other ants at work and play, her royal back offers a wonderful perch for visitors to have a perfect photo opportunity. Keeping the ants company in this enchanted garden are king-size animated butterflies, jumbo bumble bees and giant botanical frogs and snails frolicking among vibrant flowers and lush foliage. In addition to a 15-ft tall long-fallen flower pot, a 28-ft tall hand spade and flowing water spheres, is a charming leaf fountain filling a pond with ‘rain’ water.

Says Stephen Stefanou, president and design director of Dallas-based Design Solutions, of the 2010 Spring Wonderland, “Ancient cultures told legends of huge ants that mined and guarded gold in the desert. What creatures are more fitting for Las Vegas, where fortunes are won every day?”

American artist Susan P. Cochran sculpted the statuary bronze ants with amazing scale and detail. Cochran’s inspiration for this exhilarating collection comes from her fascination with flora and fauna and the social nature of ants. “Ants have been living in colonies for more than a million years, supported by their instincts to cooperate and abilities to solve complex problems,” said Cochran.

Stefanou is the exclusive agent for the collection. It will be at Bellagio through September and then will travel for two years to California, Canada and Texas.

Bellagio’s 2010 Spring Wonderland is open to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Admission is free.

About Design Solutions
Design Solutions is the United States’ premier designer of year-round and seasonal displays and sculptural art and is known for its unexpectedly large-scale objects in imaginative installations. It integrates client needs with artistic conceptual goals to create must-see destinations such as the monumental holiday display at Rockefeller Center in New York and several displays per year at Bellagio including the Chinese New Year Celebration.

In Las Vegas, Design Solutions’ cutting-edge creations have been seen at Fashion Show Mall, Mirage Casino & Hotel, the Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, TI (Treasure Island) Hotel & Casino and the Venetian Resort & Casino. Most recently, Design Solutions created a spectacular display for the 2010 Winter Olympics in the City of Richmond to celebrate the its prolific cranberry industry. The iconic Canadian Olympic Committee logo became a classic cranberry bog the size of a football field filled with 13,000,000 cranberries that was positioned adjacent to the Ozone, the official Olympic celebration site.

American Express, AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, the Trump Organization, other major corporations, property management groups, municipal governments and private individuals are among Design Solution’s clients. The company also creates must-see destinations in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.

Large Bronze Ants at the Bellagio Resort & Casino

2010-03-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ants Headed to Vegas!

Palm Beach Daily News

Large Bronze Ant sculptures by Palm Beach artist Susan P. Cochran are loaded into a tractor-trailer for thier trip to the Bellagio Resot & Casino Las Vegas. The Ants will be part of their Spring/Summer garden show designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions/ Dallas, TX. Show opens March 18th.

USA Today: Design Unleashed

2010-02-18T08:16:00.000-08:00

Olympic Food Sculpture

British Columbia is not only the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's also the third largest cranberry grower in North American, behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Unless you follow cranberries, you probably did not know that.
But knowing that, what else would the zany cranberry growers of British Columbia do with their cranberries to honor the 2010 Olympic competitors? Why, build cranberry monuments, of course! Like these cranberry-filled football stadium-sized logos: the international Olympic Rings and the Canadian Maple Leaf logo.
The Olympic Rings and Maple Leaf were sculpted by DESIGN SOLUTIONS (Stephen Stefanou) and cranberry-filled in Richmond, BC, a suberb of Vancouver, so one can only hope that some of the Olympians get to see these beautiful tributes. Hopefully, the tributes are in the flight path of the aerial security, so those folks will see them.
I guess there were enough cranberries left over, after the Olympic Rings and Maple Leaf, to create a cranberry moat around Richmond city hall. Are those some big red jelly fish made from cranberry Jello?
According to USA Today, the cranberries were harvested in October and November and then frozen and shipped to Richmond. They were just thawed and poured into form a few days ago.
I hope there is a way to clean these berries and make them into juice or something edible. Can anyone even guess how much antioxidant power is in 46,000 square feet of cranberries?

Chinese New Year 2010 at the Palazzo/Venetian Resort

2010-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

TIGER AT THE PALAZZO RESORT

( 14-FT LONG X 7.5-FT TALL)

ROARING IN Strip Resorts Mark Chinese Year of the Tiger with Events & Decorations by SONYA PADGETT LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL February 11, 2010
If you want to get an idea of how important Chinese New Year is to Las Vegas, just visit any major Strip resort on Sunday.
There will be no shortage of lion dances, red lanterns, I Ching coins, citrus trees, banners, Asian dining options and entertainment.
That day marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese zodiac and the start of Las Vegas' two-week courtship of the Asian market that travels here each year for the holiday. The Chinese New Year is a 15-day holiday set by a lunar calendar. It usually falls in January or February.
The Asian market has long been important to Las Vegas, but only in recent years have local resorts enriched their offerings to appeal directly to tourists who celebrate the holiday with a trip to Vegas, resort representatives say.
In addition to the colorful and traditional dragon and lion dances, resorts now offer dining specials and book Asian entertainment, such as the group Grasshopper at Caesars Palace or entertainer Sam Hui at MGM Grand.
"I think over time, Chinese New Year has come to rank up there with some of the bigger events that take place in Las Vegas," says Ron Reese, spokesman for The Venetian and Palazzo.
While it's hard to predict percentages, resort representatives expect to see an uptick in international visitors during the next two weeks, especially since that market has been less affected by the recession.
"Las Vegas is going to see a tremendous Chinese New Year's this year," predicts Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. Caesars has been marking Chinese New Year for 35 years. "I would say at this point Chinese New Year is probably the most significant event in Las Vegas" and gaming revenues for the month should reflect that.
"It's just a great and growing market for the city of Las Vegas," Selesner says. "We're not the only ones who have recognized this."
This year, Harrahs will have lion dances at all properties, Selesner says. Nearly every major resort is decorated with traditional Asian symbols, another sign of the growing popularity of the holiday, he adds.
The Venetian and Palazzo have an Asian theme with citrus trees, red envelopes, lanterns and I Ching coins, among other things. The centerpiece of the decor is a 14-foot tiger (designed by Stephen Stefanou with Design Solutions ) in the atrium gardens at the Shoppes at The Palazzo.
"We brought a feng shui consultant in to talk about what to do," says Audra Danzak, vice president of floral and horticulture for Palazzo and The Venetian.
Some of the suggestions made were to ensure the water in ponds was still and that metal be used in certain displays.
Every decoration has a meaning and purpose to the Chinese and their placements can have an impact. For instance, bamboo and other elements were arranged in groups of eight, a number that is seen as lucky, Danzak explains.
They wanted the tiger designed by Stephen Stefanou , which took eight weeks to make, to project a proud manner but not appear too fierce.
Saturday at 3 p.m., a ceremonial dragon and lion dance is scheduled to start at The Venetian's porte-cochere and end at the upper Palazzo porte-cochere.
Also at 3 p.m. Saturday, MGM Grand will host a lion and dragon dance in the valet area and porte-cochere.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, a dragon dance will take place at The Venetian porte-cochere, wind through the casino and end at the Palazzo porte-cochere.
Also Sunday, lion and dragon dances will be at The Mirage at 3 p.m., Bellagio at 7 p.m. and Mandalay Bay at 10 p.m. The dances will be in the resorts' porte-cocheres.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aria will host a lion and dragon dance in the porte-cochere.
Chinatown also will mark the holiday with a day of entertainment and events. There will be a variety of Asian cuisines, lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations and other activities.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 21 at Chinatown Plaza, 4255 Spring Mountain Road. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger.
Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564.

2010 Winter Olympics

2010-02-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Richmond Cranberries Create Unique Tribute to 2010 Games
February 8, 2010
A spectacular tribute to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games from Richmond’s agricultural community has been unveiled in Brighouse Park, immediately adjacent to the Richmond O Zone, the City’s official site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Thirteen million floating cranberries, weighing about 13,600 kilograms (30,000 pounds), have been formed into an image of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s iconic logo which features a maple leaf, torch and the Olympic rings.

“Richmond was determined to make a bold and spectacular contribution to the challenge from the Canadian Olympic Committee to ‘Paint The Town Red’ in support of our Canadian athletes,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “At the same time, we’ve been able to proudly showcase to the world one of the many things that make Richmond unique – in this case our agricultural heritage, proudly represented by our cranberry growers.”The innovative tribute to the Games is 73 metres long by 58 metres wide (240 by 190 feet) or more than 4,200 square metres (46,000 square feet) in total area. It will remain on display throughout the 2010 Games.

"This installation conveys our passion as farmers, and shows our excitement in having Richmond serve as a Venue City for the Winter Games,” said Dan Keefer, representing Richmond’s cranberry growers, who collectively worked with the City to create the innovative display. “It’s also a great opportunity to spot light the cranberry to visitors from all over the world as more people worldwide are discovering the taste, versatility and health promoting properties of the wonder berry.”
“When we launched Paint the Town Red last fall we knew we had something great but we never envisioned this,” said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “The City of Richmond has embraced our campaign and this cranberry logo is an incredible manifestation of the support of Canadians for our Canadian Olympic Team. I would like to thank the City of Richmond and the cranberry growers for their creativity, I know the athletes will gain inspiration from this throughout the Games."

Originally planned for the display in front of the Richmond Olympic Oval, extreme river currents and a concern for crew safety prompted the relocation. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, often defined by the refusal to give up, the new location puts the display right in the heart of 2010 activities.
“As farmers we know that Mother Nature has a mind of her own, so we’re always adjusting to the forces of nature,” added Keefer. “We are excited to share this creation with Richmond and visitors from around the world interested in learning more about our city and the industry my family has spent more than 40 years supporting.”Richmond is the heart of Canada’s cranberry country. Cranberries represent the largest agricultural crop in Richmond, and Richmond is the largest producer of cranberries among all cities in Canada with more than 60 family-owned farms.

“We have a unique opportunity as an Olympic Venue City to showcase Richmond’s culture, resources and ingenuity, said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The combination of the installation at Brighouse Park and the harvest display in City Hall’s channel gardens is an amazing opportunity to celebrate our leading agricultural crop.”
In addition to the large cranberry installation at Brighouse Park, the water feature at Richmond City Hall will also be filled with thousands of ruby cranberries. Visitors will have an opportunity to meet some of Richmond’s third and fourth generation Richmond cranberry growers who will offer their time and don waders – outside of the traditional harvest season – to share stories of the harvest from the City Hall bog, February 13-21.

The cranberry installation is part of Richmond Revealed, a series of visual spectacles that are celebrating the diverse commerce, culture and heritage of Richmond and showcasing it to the world during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. For more information visit Richmond Revealed.

Richmond Review: Designer Turns Millions of Cranberries into Art!

2010-02-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

Dallas-based designer Stephen Stefanou is in Richmond lending his creative talents to the second-biggest Olympic spectacle in Richmond.

By Matthew Hoekstra - Richmond Review
Published: January 30, 2010 6:00

There’s nary a sniff of interest from Rover and Bowser. But in a matter of days, a piece of artwork nearly the size of a football field will be one of Richmond’s largest spectacles.
In the off-leash McDonald Beach Park on Sea Island, workers are arranging red beams to form the Olympic rings.
Within days the design will be towed down the Middle Arm in pieces and anchored on the Richmond Olympic Oval’s doorstep.
Thirteen million cranberries will then fill the floating structure and the latest Richmond Revealed display will be complete—in time for the arrival of the Olympic flame Feb. 9.
“It’s the largest scale and most daunting project we’ve ever done,” said designer Stephen Stefanou.
Told to do something with cranberries—and something big—the Dallas, Tex. designer imagined a display floating in the Fraser.
“It was a lack of a place to do it that made me to look to the river. In a way the river is the front lawn of the building, so that’s where we could put the decoration,” said Stefanou.
His crew built steel-reinforced fiberglass beams and filled them with foam, and trucks hauled the pieces to McDonald Beach earlier this week.
Alaska fishermen who’ve joined Stefanou’s team will use their boats to tow the floating sections down river when the tides are just right.
It won’t be easy. The pieces must cross under three bridges, including the Moray Channel Bridge, where clearance on either side is a matter of a few feet.
The team has also had to consider river traffic and current. Special buoys will hold the 62-by-70-metre design in place despite the tides and specialized netting will keep the berries from turning into fish food.
A giant maple leaf and flame will join the cranberry-stuffed Olympic rings in the design—one of many Stefanou has created in his firm’s 30-year history.
A pre-med-student-turned-designer, Stefanou specializes in seasonal or event-related displays, and recently returned from Las Vegas where he created a few Chinese New Year displays. Besides the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Vegas, his work has graced Rockefeller Center in New York and prestigious shopping malls of the United States.
For the Richmond project, Stefanou has been working with Ocean Spray, the cranberry co-operative that’s contracted him for less-ambitious displays of the berry in the past.
“What’s most interesting to me on this project was realizing how much science and art come together to make something like this work,” he said. “In the process of doing this, we’ve had a lot of science at play—a lot of marine engineering and disciplines that are frankly new to my company.”
For local cranberry growers, it’s an opportunity to show the humble berry to the world.
“We’ve been farming cranberries here for a long time, and we’re just excited this is happening right in cranberry country,” said Lisa May, 29, whose family started farming in Richmond in the early ’60s.
All the berries in the river display were harvested in Richmond last November. They’ve been patiently waiting in the freezer for their waterlogged Olympic journey.
“They’ve figured out a few things to make sure they’re going to last for the entire Games and maintain their beauty,” said May.
Local growers will also be dumping cranberries in city hall’s water feature during the Games. May will be one of the farmers standing in the water—wearing hip waders—telling international visitors the beauty of the bloated berry.
“I think it’s catching on in more parts of the world and more people are learning about the beauty of the cranberry. Not only do they taste good, but they’re good for you,” said May.
***
Olympic cranberry display
•13 million cranberries weighing 13,600 kilograms (30,000 pounds) will form the logo of the Canadian Olympic Committee in the Middle Arm
•It will measure 62 by 70 metres and cover more than 3,200 square metres (34,000 square feet)
•More than 30 anchors will hold the display in place
•All berries will come from Richmond farms
•Richmond is Canada’s largest producer of cranberries with more than 60 family-owned farms, the majority of which are part of the Ocean Spray co-operative
•Cranberries will be composted at the end of the installation

VegasDeluxe by Robin Leach

2010-01-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

Bellagio Conservatory celebrates Chinese Year of the Tiger

by Robin Leach

An early Happy New Year to all of our Chinese friends! The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens began its celebration of the 2010 Chinese New Year with a display rich in history and meaning (designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions). Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 14 this year, so it’s a double celebration!.
2010 is the Year of the Tiger, and the conservatory’s design is guided by the ancient practice of Feng Shui, the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a majestic tiger, whose coat is comprised of dried botanicals. The tiger stands among a garden of Taihu rocks and overlooks a tranquil pond of Koi, a symbol of abundance and fortune.
Rocks and water are viewed as essential features of any traditional Chinese garden and symbolize the larger world around us. After spending decades forming underwater, Taihu stones were chosen because they are believed to encourage circulation of ch’i, or natural energy.
Legend has it that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year, and 12 came. The third animal in the Chinese zodiac, the tiger serves as a symbol of luck and bravery. Those born in the Year of the Tiger tend to be natural leaders, competitive and self-reliant.
Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger.
Just steps away from Bellagio’s courageous feline ambassador, an 18-foot-tall Chinese God of Prosperity stands amid gold-leafed I-Ching coins, a traditional Chinese money symbol. Widely recognized as the strongest symbol of good fortune and great luck in the New Year, the God of Prosperity is flanked by two Ming Dynasty-styled dings, ancestral vessels that protect against bad fortune.
Nearby, a trio of 6-foot-tall giant pandas, made of more than 9,000 living plants, frolic in a lush garden filled with towering bamboo. Considered a national treasure in China and listed as an endangered species, pandas spend at least 12 hours each day eating as much as 84 pounds of bamboo.
Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger.
A zigzag bridge leads to a wing-tipped Ming Dynasty-styled gazebo painted a deep red lacquer with gold trim and green-tiled roofs. Red signifies happiness, while the upturned roofline wards off evil spirits. The sharp pattern of the bridge protects against negative energy and bad spirits, and a majestic mountain, seen as a pillar between heaven and Earth, serves as a backdrop.
Feng Shui was used to position the flow of water into the conservatory, and not away, ensuring the flow of positive energy. Silk Chinese lanterns add to the auspicious nature of the exhibit on display through Feb. 28.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground,

Vegas News: Celebrate Chinese New Year 2010

2010-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2010 At Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
January 7, 2010 by VegasNews
Beginning January 10, Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens will celebrate the 2010 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger, with a unique display filled with hidden meaning. The Conservatory's design (created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas, TX) will be guided by the ancient practice of Feng Shui -- the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy.
The dramatic centerpiece of this exhibit will be a majestic tiger. His 'fur' coat will be comprised of dried botanicals. The tiger will stand among a garden of Taihu rocks and overlook a tranquil pond of Koi, a symbol of abundance and fortune. Rocks and water are viewed as essential features of any traditional Chinese garden and symbolize the larger world around us. After spending decades forming underwater, Taihu stones were chosen because they are believed to encourage circulation of ch'i, or natural energy.
Legend has it that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came. The third animal in the Asian zodiac, the tiger serves as a symbol of luck and bravery. Those born in the Year of the Tiger tend to be natural leaders, competitive and self-reliant.
Just steps away from Bellagio's courageous feline ambassador, an 18-foot-tall Chinese God of Prosperity will be found amidst gold leafed I-Ching coins, a traditional Chinese money symbol. Widely recognized as the strongest symbol of good fortune and great luck in the New Year, the God of Prosperity will be flanked by two Ming Dynasty-styled dings, ancestral vessels that protect against bad fortunes.
Nearby, a trio of charming, 6-foot-tall giant pandas, made of more than 9,000 living plants, will frolic in a lush garden filled with towering bamboo. Considered a national treasure in China and listed as an endangered species, pandas spend at least 12 hours each day eating up to 84 pounds of bamboo.
Within Bellagio's Conservatory, visitors also will find a zigzag bridge leading to a beautiful, wing-tipped Ming Dynasty-styled gazebo painted a deep red lacquer with shimmering gold trim and green-tiled roofs. The color red signifies happiness while the upturned roofline will ward off evil spirits. The sharp pattern of the bridge will protect against negative energy and bad spirits. A majestic mountain, seen as a pillar between heaven and earth, will serve as a dramatic backdrop.
The teachings of Feng Shui also will be used to purposely position the flow of water into Bellagio's Conservatory, and not away, ensuring the flow of positive energy. Oversized brilliant-red, silk Chinese lanterns throughout the conservatory will add to the auspicious nature of this spectacular exhibit.
Visitors are invited to celebrate Chinese New Year in Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens January 10 through February 28.
Chinese New Year Facts:
The Year of the Tiger is February 14, 2010 - February 3, 2011
People born in the Year of the Tiger tend to be competitive and love to stand-out
Chinese New Year Conservatory Facts:
Three 6-foot-tall giant pandas comprised of Helichrysum Icicles and Hemigraphis Erect
18-foot-tall God of Prosperity
I-Ching coins are traditional money symbol
Zigzag bridges, water and the color red protect against evil and ensure positive energy

Design Solutions designs the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia

2010-01-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

13 Million Cranberries to Reveal Richmond to the World!

RICHMOND, BC, Dec. 2
Thirteen million floating cranberries, weighing about 13,600 kilograms (30,000 pounds), will form a spectacular tribute to the Olympic Games on the Fraser River next February. (This display was designed and created by Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas, TX)

A massive depiction of the Canadian Olympic Committee's logo will float in the Middle Arm of the Fraser River, just offshore from the Richmond Olympic Oval throughout the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The stunning, never-before-seen tribute to the Games will be 62 metres long by 70 metres wide (200 by 230 feet) or more than 3,200 square metres (34,000 square feet) in total area. The logo, which consists of a maple leaf and Olympic torch sitting overtop of the five interlocking Olympic rings, will be constructed from cranberries contained in a specially-constructed floating form.

Richmond is Canada's largest producer of cranberries with more than 60 family-owned farms. The cranberry installation is part of a new program entitled Richmond Revealed, a series of visual spectacles that will celebrate the diverse commerce, culture and heritage of Richmond and showcase it to the world during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"We are extremely proud to be an official Venue City of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games," said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. "The eyes of the world will be on us during the Games and Richmond Revealed will tell the stories of our past, present and future."

Richmond Revealed will showcase other leading local industries such as aerospace, aviation, technology and transportation. Other highlights of Richmond Revealed include:
- A giant inukshuk, up to seven stories in height, constructed out of
stacked shipping containers.
- A room-sized model of the Canadarm, Canada's internationally-famous
contribution to the International Space Station and US Space Shuttle,
along with models of the Mars Rover and other aerospace projects
contributed to by Richmond's aerospace leaders.
- A spectacular double dragon dance accompanied by mass tai-chi
performance on Chinese New Year on February 14, 2010. The dragons are
150 metres and 75 metres in length.

In addition to the large cranberry installation in the Fraser River, the water feature at Richmond City Hall will also be filled with cranberries. To celebrate Richmond's agriculture industry, visitors will be able to meet with local cranberry growers, as they demonstrate how cranberries are harvested.

"Our family has been growing cranberries in Richmond for four generations, and we're proud to continue the tradition of farming my great grandfather began in the 1880s," said Richmond grower-owner Todd May. "It's incredibly gratifying to grow a fruit that's versatile, good for you, and is enjoyed by people in different countries all over the world."

The City of Richmond is home to the Richmond Olympic Oval, the signature venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which will host 12 days of long-track speed skating competition. The City will also be home to the Richmond O Zone (www.richmondozone.ca), the largest official celebration site of the 2010 Games, featuring 17 days of free world-class live entertainment, sports and culture.

Vegas News: Palazzo celebrates Holiday Season

2009-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Palazzo Celebrates Holiday Season with Arctic-Inspired Winter December 10, 2009

While guests of The Palazzo Las Vegas will enjoy the usual sunny weather for the holiday season from December 9 through the New Year they'll also encounter the winter decor display anchored by aa special Arctic visitor: a 16-ft tall polar bear mother and 6-ft tall polar bear baby, made entirely of a specially -developed white poinsettia named "Polar Bear."

The "polar Bear" Poinsettia is developed exclusively by Ecke Ranch. The strong white coloration of the "polar Bear" Poinsettia with its bracts of deep green veining is the perfect topiary fur for the polar bear display. The custom, hand-sculpted and hand-painted heads and paws, constructed by Design Solutions (Stephen Stefanou, designer) bring the bears to life. The mother and baby bear, consisting of approximately 10,000 poinsettias planted in sphagnum moss, weights in at approximately 5,000 lbs. The bears snuggle on a custom-sculpted 'arctic ice float' that hovers over a water feature located at The Palazzo Atrium.

In addition to the larger-than-life polar bears, The Palazzo embraces the holiday season with Arctic-inspired decor elements that combine to create the breathtaking winter wonderland display. The gardens are filled with a variety of unique poinsettias and 25-ft silver tip pine trees; an 80-ft whimsical vine transitions to holiday with oversized pine cones, holiday berries, poinsettias and twinkling holiday lights; over 225,000 cranberries donated by Ocean Spray float above a water feature creating a sea of cranberries an snow will elegantly fall from above the decor adding to the Arctic theme.

Visual Merchandising & Store Design

2009-12-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Ice Fantasy by Tracy Dougherty (excerpt)
As the Christmas season mushrooms each year with more aggressive visual and aural stimulation, a paradox arises: how to establish a strong market presence and realize merchandising goals without adding to the dizzying, often crass, commercialization.

Expanding the notion of an alluring shop window to a large-scale, theatrical display that dwarfs the customer, Ice Fantasy featured enormous fiberglass set pieces, including a 30-ft Christmas tree capped with a hallucinogenic blue neon star and graced with larger-than-life renditions of Moore’s multicultural menagerie of tiger, parrot, monkey, panda, owl, and penguin. As an inventive tie-in to the display, children were given a coloring book upon meeting Santa, which featured illustrations of a nine-stanza Ice Fantasy poem penned by Moore and created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions, Dallas, TX.

Poinsettia Polar Bear is Unveiled

2009-12-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Glendora, CA. December 15, 2009
The highly anticipated poinsettia polar bears have been unveiled at the Palazzo, Las Vegas. The flower topiaries are made up of 8,000 ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettias and the tallest stands 16-ft high.
Audra Danzak, Horticulture Director for the Palazzo and the Venetian developed the concept and enlisted world-renowned designer Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Texas for the actual design and construction.
Armstrong Growers and The Ecke Ranch worked hand-and-hand with Danzak and Stefanou to devise a way to keep the poinsettias in place and looking fresh.
The structure incorporates a drip irrigation system that is supplemented with hand watering to keep the poinsettia polar bears looking fresh. The ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettias were planted one at a time by a crew of 12 people during the night for nearly a week. For each ‘Polar Bear’ poinsettia sold, The Ecke Ranch will make a donation to Polar Bears International (PBI). PBI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat throught research and education. The Palazzo will have a limited number of 'Polar Bear’ poinsettias available for purchase.
Armstrong Growers, the official poinsettia grower for The Ecke Ranch, grows hundreds of thousands of poinsettias each holiday season. Armstrong poinsettias can be found in resorts and theme parks throughout the southwest and are available at all Armstrong Garden Center retail locations and many other fine garden centers.

Philadelphia Biology Examiner

2009-12-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Biology Examiner does Vegas by Anne Pacitti December 8, 2009

No one ever complains that there's nothing to do in Las Vegas, and that should be true for the biologist, too. The gaming floor is not an attraction to the Biology Examiner as she only believes in gambling on love. The cyanotic blue trio and many other popular stage shows usually have Biology Examiner scratching for the exit door in about twenty minutes. However, walking down the strip, one may discover novel and innovative gardens, landscape design, zoological collections and biological architectural features that amuse, amaze and are admirable in their creativity.

The casinos are now decorated for the Christmas season, all festooned with greenery and florals. A visit to the Bellagio revealed a beautiful conservatory decorated with Christmas-theme scenes composed of flowers. Particularly impresssive were three polar bears made entirely of white carnations. ( Designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in collaboration with Andy Garcia, Director of Conservatory)

Between the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace was landscape design that could lead the traveler to think that he or she had gone to Italy by some mistake, instead. Inside, Caesar's palace decorated their Roman statues as if they were in a sea of white snowballs of white hydrangeas. Wandering around back, Roman gardens surrounding the pool area beckon one to timelessly sit and chill with the Roman gods and goddesses. One can easily forget that only a few hundred yards away are the the bustling city streets.

Perhaps the greatest delight and surprise came when visiting the Mirage Casino and Hotel. Here you may visit Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Siegfried and Roy were, of course, staples of Las Vegas entertaiment for almost thirty years. They were novel and wildly popular magicians who used lions and tigers in their act. What is conveyed here in the garden is their genuine love for these felines and the other animals under their care. The animals, some of them retired from the stage since the end of the act, live in a beautifully landscaped habitat that features a special memorial to their beloved royal white tiger, Sitara. Dolphins delight the visitors with their friendliness and skills in the dolphin habitat. A visitor may also become "Dolphin Trainer for a Day" in a special tutorial program at the Mirage. Even the reception area had a biological theme. Behind the reception desk was a long wall of bright tropical aquarium fish.

Mandalay Bay Casino features a shark reef. At the Wynn, Christmas decorations include an arbor of trees, trunks wrapped in lights, ornamented with hanging floral spheres.
Even leaving the city reminds one of a sense of time and beauty. When viewing the mountains surrounding the city, and certainly when viewing the Grand Canyon from the air, one can see marks of sediment and erosion, literally looking into the passage of time. As it says in the Secret Garden website, "The key to finding beauty is knowing where to look."

LIGHTS, VEGAS, ACTION: Christmas Vacation in Las Vegas

2009-12-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Vegas is a festive haven for the holidays by Jeannie Borbe December 4, 2009

Palm trees, late-night entertainment and all-around craziness don’t really conjure up thoughts of the holidays, but you’d be surprised how much there is to see and do during the season in Las Vegas.
Don’t let the desert and neon lights fool you. From magical garden displays to once-in-a-lifetime holiday shows, Vegas celebrates in style.
Ring in the season with a festive display.
What do flying reindeer, a polar bear family, larger-than-life toy soldiers and a Shasta fir tree have in common? They are all components of the Bellagio Conservatory’s elaborate holiday display (designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions). Each year, the enchanting winter garden touches the hearts of visitors from all over the world.

“When you get into the Conservatory for this particular display, it’s like we become children again,” said Andy Garcia, director of horticulture for Bellagio Conservatory. “It really is one of my favorites.”

This year’s display includes a polar bear family made from white carnations. Comprised of 35,000 carnations, the bears’ “fur” is kept fresh by a specially designed water drip system.
The polar bear family is considered to be a favorite among visitors: “People have been asking for that, and that is one of the things we do,” Garcia said. “We listen to the guests and the people who are walking through the Conservatory.”
Just steps away, eight “flying” reindeer soar over a giant holiday card made of thousands of blooming flowers. Another fun animal addition is the 7-foot-tall rocking horse, placed right in the center of a working train display. This year, visitors can see snow falling from above the reindeer and polar bear displays: “When the snow comes down from the ceiling, I get moved by that,” said Garcia.

The Conservatory would not be complete without its towering, 42-foot Shasta fir tree. Dressed with thousands of shimmering lights, the breathtaking Christmas tree serves as the Conservatory’s centerpiece. The gigantic ornaments and the 15-foot-tall toy soldiers standing in front of the tree both add the perfect finishing touch.

According to Garcia, the most important thing is the visitors’ reaction: “Every year, we try to bring something different or change the position of the props,” he said. “We have to take care of the flowers every day and make sure they are looking perfect for the duration of the show.”

While it takes perfection to plan out the annual holiday Conservatory display, the horticulture staff’s love for the holidays makes it all worthwhile.

“I still have chills when I come in because of everything within the Conservatory,” Garcia said “It’s peaceful, whimsical, beautiful. When [we] see these things, we go back to how we celebrated the holidays in our homes or countries where we’re from. That says a lot to me.”

Designer Michael Southgate designs

2009-12-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Via Bellagio Shoppes has become the latest fashion runway
for designer, Michael Southgate.

A stroll through Via Bellagio Shoppes in the Bellagio Resort & Casino showcases the latest fashion designs of Michael Southgate. Southgate collaborated with Stephen Stefanou of Dallas-based Design Solutions to create beautiful evening wear of hand-dyed synthetics and rubber adorn the high fashion mannequins as part of Bellagio’s celebration of the holidays. “Yes, rubber is an ideal medium for these fantasy gowns since it allows for easy finishing of all the costume’s details,” says Southgate.

Former Managing Director of Adele Rootstein Mannequins and theatrical designer in London’s West End, Michael Southgate, was asked by Design Solutions of Dallas, TX to undertake the “look” of the fashion icons that adorn the 8-ft diameter gold-leafed ornaments which line the retail corridor of the Bellagio Resort.

Southgate, who has spent much of his professional life creating costumes and theatrical props, has participated for thirty years in creating fashion exhibits for museums and department stores. The Metropolitan Museum in New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Christmas holiday windows for Harrod’s of London, promotional displays for Swarovski crystals of Austria, costumes in wire and glass for Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan and Daytons in Minneapolis and even a costume for a life-size Barbie doll museum exhibit in Berlin are all part of his artist portfolio.

“As a child who was raised in the English countryside I was fascinated with Hollywood and its glamour. I latched onto that image and it became the ideal. I remember so vividly today the impression that Technicolor made on me….vivid emerald green, shocking pink plus the sequins and feathers….that all captured my imagination as they had not been part of my world,” Southgate explained.

Although many think of Southgate as a Fashion Designer, Southgate is quick to
note, “I am not a Fashion Designer but a costume designer where any material is possible as long as the final effect is stunning!”

“Wire, glass, plastic and rubber are not exactly comfortable to wear” Southgate adds,”but they do result in fantasy and glamour which is what I am all about.”

MGM Grand Detroit Holiday Season Kick-off

2009-12-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Grand Garden Ushers In The Holiday Season at MGM Grand Detroit

DETROIT – Just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, the holidays have a new home at MGM Grand Detroit where horticulture staff began changing out the property’s Grand Garden display this past Saturday to transform the locale into the season’s newest attraction. The removal of the garden’s inaugural fall display of massive pumpkins and giant glass-fabricated leaves will make room for one giant, dramatic holiday ornament emerging from a blanket of seasonal holly. Framed by two stands of 50-foot Canadian Birch trees aglow with festive lighting, this bold yet simple statement will draw the attention and awe of passersby.

With a distinctive style all its own, the Grand Garden is a joint creation of Stephen Stefanou from Design Solutions, the imaginative artists renowned for holiday masterpieces in Rockefeller Center and the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas; and Hamilton Anderson Associates, a Detroit-based architecture and landscape architecture firm. A burst of color in holiday red, the over-scaled ornament is inspired by the work of renowned sculptor Claes Oldenburg and measures approximately 30 feet in diameter. The single, impressive decoration is constructed of steel-reinforced fiberglass and topped off by a silver-leafed cap, hook and ring. Ilex berries and oversized pinecones complete the garden creating swirls of color throughout the grand display.
MGM Grand Detroit’s Grand Garden is a distinctive environment located at the corner of Third Street and Bagley with dynamic lighting and flourishing plants and serves as a seasonal attraction for guests and the community.

World's Largest Rock Crystal Obelisk Unveiled

2009-12-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

WORLD’S LARGEST ROCK CRYSTAL OBELISK UNVEILED AT ENTRANCE OF THE NEW SPA TOWER AT THE BELLAGIO RESORT & CASINO.

The Bellagio Resort and Casino unveils an 18-ft tall, two-ton, rock crystal obelisk …the only one of its kind in the world!
Pharaohs of Egypt originally constructed the obelisk form which the Roman Emperors later replicated. Now a sleek, rock crystal, monolithic obelisk graces the entrance of the new Spa Tower, a luxurious 928 hotel room and spa facility expansion to the popular Bellagio Resort & Casino.

At the geneses of this project designer Stephen Stefanou enlisted the expertise of Dr. Keith Critchlow of the Royal College in London, the world’s leading expert in Sacred Geometry. “It was very important to me to employ Sacred Geometry in the design of this unique project” says Stefanou, designer of the crystal obelisk and president of Design Solutions of Dallas, TX, an international visual display company.

“Sacred geometry”, Stefanou noted, “is the ancient art and science which reveals the nature of our relationship to the cosmos. For many the obelisk form, like the great pyramids, possesses a strange power, some believe even the key to life. Historically, there has been a passionate attraction to this form by many…. the Masons, Napoleon, the Vatican, etc., all had a high regard for the obelisk. Even our forefathers, as a tribute to the founder of our country, chose to erect an obelisk which we, of course, know as the Washington Monument.” Stefanou says.

Stefanou collaborated with world-renowned Zadora whose gemstone sculptures are compared to the work of Peter Carl Faberge. Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof is the leading gemstone artist of our time who now leads a world-class workshop that makes everything form fine jewelry to large sculptures. Zadora’s work is included in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, the Middle and Far East.

An obelisk form, a slightly tapered quadrangular solid which tapers into a pointed pyramid top, is typically carved of stone. “Bellagio wanted an exquisite icon for the new conservatory entrance. We chose rock crystal because of its inherent luxurious qualities and because rock crystal is the only semi-precious gemstone that occurs large enough in nature to allow an architectural application.” Stefanou stated.

“In fact, we are currently working on other projects using crystal as the artistic medium. One concept I am particularly excited about is a rock crystal winding staircase. I think you are only seeing the beginning of rock crystal used in architectural design.”

Forbes Magazine:

2009-12-03T13:41:00.001-08:00

The Battle of the Christmas Trees

"We had to make First Union's (Wachovia's) decorations look better than its competition," says Stephen Stefanou, whose Dallas-based Design Solutions created elaborate Christmas decorations for the southeast's second-largest bank as well as for Manhattan's Rockefeller Center. "We made number two look better than number one."

Stefanou also helped Atlanta's Lenox Square shopping center lure shoppers with a $2 million display encompassing an automated, lighted, Fantasia-esque fairies, and a kickoff party with costumed paratroopers enacting Santa's arrival at the mall.

New York Times: Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum

2009-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

Works in Progress by Bruce Weber

If there's a hub of the annual whirlwind that is Christmas in New York, it's probably Rockefeller Center -- the famous tree, the skating rink, the strolling carolers and brass , not to mention the likelihood that more tourists carrying more gift-wrapped packages toddle through there than any other place on earth. This season, amid the regular hoopla, there'll be, literally, a different drummer. Two, actually, each made out of fiberglass and standing 10-5-ft tall ( not including plumes in their hats0> Plus two equally out-sized buglers , a flutist and a cymbalist.

The six Christmas cadets, as they're being called by Rockefeller Center Management Corporation, are to be installed on November 28th and 29th, on the esplanade above the skating rink, three each on the north and south sides.

The figures are custom designed and fabricated by Dallas-based company, Design Solutions, owned and operated by Stephen Stefanou.

M Magazine : How the Garden Grows

2009-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Back of House: by Jacqueline Y. Metcalfe

Among the many sights and sounds of the Las Vegas strip, few have captured the hearts and imaginations of locals and tourists alike as Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

Even with its entertainment, sumptuous culinary delights and voluptuous Tuscan architecture, the claim to fame of Bellagio seems to be its emphasis on the intrinsic pleasure of nature's beauty.

The crowning achievement is the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. One not be a plant lover or flower expert to appreciate and be seduced by the beauty and artistry of these gardens. this is the height of nature, theatre and art coming together to form a completely soul-stirring experience. The mastermind behind this masterpiece is Audra Danzak, Director of Horticulture for Bellagio who collaborates with Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions of Dallas, TX.

"People are amazed by the sheer abundance of flowers," Danzak hypothesizes. "It's so much more than just a lot of flowers though. It's the way they're selected, the way they're designed, the different texture, color--again, it's what you're trying to say." When all is said and done, Bellagio's Conservatory & botanical Gardens set the stage for a show filled with the art, beauty, theatrics and sensory-pleasing kind of entertainment that only nature can provide.

Martha Stewart: Christmas How-To's from Fine Living Network

2009-12-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart: How-to for Christmas

There's something comforting about seeing quiet neighborhoods alive with Christmas lights on frosty December evenings, but careful planning is necessary to create a safe and attractive lighting arrangement. For advice on smart and beautiful ways to illuminate the outside of her house during the holiday season, Martha calls upon Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas. Stephen and his colleagues are renowned for design projects, which include the grand holiday decorations at New York City's Rockefeller Center and those at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Rather than winding a string of Christmas lights around the thatched columns on Martha's front porch, Stephen opts for light netting. These nets eliminate the need to individually place every light, and are available in various sizes. Stephen uses a net made up of 150 lights, wraps it around the column, and hides its wires in nearby greenery. Plastic cable ties are used to secure the net in place. Light netting is effective for hedges, trees, or other large areas since multiple nets can be connected to each other. Stephen recommends arranging the lights while they are lit so that you can see exactly where you are placing them.
Stephen then illuminates the front door wreath with two spotlights, set atop each column. He uses light sockets and bulbs that are weatherproof and waterproof, made specifically for outdoor use. Each of the spotlights holds a 40-watt bulb, clips easily into place, and their wires can be hidden in nearby greenery.
Safety note: Use lights that are made for outdoor use and that are approved by the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL). All light strands should have fuses, so if one strand overloads, the fuse will blow and the lights will go out. If an overload occurs on an unfused strand, there is a chance of overloading circuits in your house. Never leave a bulb socket empty; if you want to black out a particular light, cover it with electrical tape. Also, always use heavy-duty, UL-listed exterior extension cords to power your outdoor lighting displays, and try to use an outlet with its own circuit, such as a little-used garage outlet, to avoid overloading the circuitry in the house.
From Martha Stewart Living Television

Review Journal: Room of Blooms, Summer Celebration

2009-12-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Seasons change in a big way at Bellagio Conservatory by Sonya Padgett May 23, 2004

Audra Danzak gestures toward a section of the Bellagio Conservatory filled , at the moment, with nothing but potential. Danzak ( Director of Horticulture) and a host of floral designer, contractors, hotel workers and others undertake this process five times a year, stripping the conservatory to the bottom of its beds, then rebuilding it into a magical world that delights and enthralls visitors with nothing more than flowers, props and a few special effects. (Danzak collaborates with Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas, TX )

"The show is summer, Americana, patriotic but not too patriotic," Danzak says. "It's all subtle. I don't want people to think of war when they see the show but people are patriotic. We live in America and I want to celebrate that in the right way," Danzak says.

DuPont Magazine: Making Seasons Shine

2009-12-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Making Seasons Shine: Tradition, whimsy and DuPont finishes help Design Solutions turn holiday decor into destination presentations. December 2004

In November, cherry pickers, scaffolding, and yards of black plastic adorned the lobbies of some of the best-known addresses in America. After Thanksgiving, however, the curtains lifted on exquisite seasonal tableaux that ushered in the holidays season.

Stephen Stefanou is founder, president and lead designer at Design Solutions which decorates corporate interiors for the holidays. Clients include Boston's Prudential Center and the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where Design Solutions formed a 34-ft tree from 68 giant gold-leafed ornaments.

Stefanou also strives to increase a property's intangible value, that certain something that makes visitors choose to visit one location over another. "in today's hospitality and retail market, being a must-see attraction is a competitive advantage," he says.

Design Solutions offers no catalog , no stock items. Each project is conceived and scaled to site conditions. Stefanou works with several different artists to conceptualize treatments based on each client's marketing objectives budget as well as the aesthetic direction established by the property's original architect during design and construction.

Las Vegas Review Journal: Doomed banyan tree finds new home at Bellagio Conservatory

2009-11-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

Florida community see beloved tree saved from wood chipper -- at least for now...by Sonya Padgett LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL January 22, 2006

Palm Beach, FL is a tree-loving community. Residents especially loved a 110-ft tall banyan tree that was more than a century old. Standing along the main road leading into Palm Beach, the tree was so grand and so beloved that a donor gave thousands of dollars for floodlights to illuminate the tree at night. It was with great sadness that the town bid farewell to that tree last June, not felled by man but brought down by a disease that threatened the rest of the barrier island's trees.

And though seven months later it is dead, the massive ficus still has a life, of sorts. Last week, (at the suggestion of Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions) the 200,000-pound banyan became the focal point of Bellagio Conservatory's Chinese New Year display. It will remain in the conservatory for the next 11months.

A garden has been planted within the tree and guests can walk through it to view the orchids, bromiliads, mums and other plants and flowers. In a future display, the tree will serve as a butterfly habitat.

Los Angeles Times: Flying Colors:

2009-11-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times by Roy Rivenburg March 26, 2005 (excerpt)

Bellagio's seasonal one-upmanship rite turns the Strip aflutter.

The changing displays are a hit with locals and tourists. And the outlandish props seem to be sparking a battle of one-upmanship along Las Vegas' Strip. ; Even within the Bellagio, there's new competition.... the world's tallest chocolate fountain, a glass-encased contraption that pumps 2 tons of molten chocolate.

"Our challenge." says Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas, TX. and a member of the atrium's brain trust, " is to create a must-see destination for the jaded eyes of consumers who have seen everything."

It's a wild ride. " No one has any idea of the inner workings," he says.

Like many here, Stefanou has an eccentric past. In college, he was a pre-med major but soon discovered "I excelled in fraternity; our parties rocked."

He dropped out, got a job painting mannequins and later began designing department store window scenes. That evolved into a company that created monstrous holiday decorations for Trump Tower and Rockefeller Center.

Along the way, the snowy-haired 56-year old became a devotee of Werner Erhard and launched a sideline business selling crystals " the size of automobiles."

His metaphysical bent seeps into some of the atrium decor, such as the 3,000-pound, glow-in-the-dark cyrstal obelisk parked by the side entrance. It was sculpted by Baron Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, a gem artisit whose clients include sheiks and aristocrats.

Union Station Holiday Decor

2009-11-27T12:44:00.001-08:00

Union Station presented a unique opportunity for DESIGN SOLUTIONS. The historic facade in Washington, D.C., had just undergone a 200 million dollar renovation providing a new retail venue as well as maintaining its original function.

Three 36-ft wreaths with custom gold-leafed and velvet bows were created to herald the special events inside. A large and intricate snow village with a bustling train display delighted the commuters.

Trump Tower Holiday Decor

2009-11-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

Donald Trump asked Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS to "create the most beautiful Christmas wreath in the world" for his world headquarters, Trump Tower, in New York City; one that would match his reputation and his brand.

Trump Tower has been the most successful high-rise condominium, multi-level retail and office complex in the world. The 18-ft wreath is covered in gold leaf ornamentation, Italian mini-lights and is crowned with a custom, hand-sculpted, hand-applied gold leaf bow.

Sony Entertainment World Headquarters' Holiday Decor

2009-11-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Sony Entertainment purchased the former AT&T building designed by Phillip Johnson during the pivotal period of his architectural style. In transforming the somber AT&T lobby for the music and multi-media-based Sony, Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas, designed a whimsical 35-ft tall bow to mount in the existing oculus as a bridge from the old to the new ownership. There was no change to the architecture itself but the concept for the client was entirely different.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was also hired to design and install concepts for the Sony retail stores as well as a giant tree for the adjacent fifteen-story atrium.

Leo Burnett Advertising Agency's Holiday Decor

2009-11-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

The world's largest advertising agency, with headquarters in Chicago, IL, commissioned Stephen Stefanou with DESIGN SOLUTIONS to design, create and install a single, large, elegant Christmas tree to stand in the main lobby.

The tree rests on a colorful octagonal, drum-shape pedestal and soars to an overall height of thirty-two feet.

The pedestal's design repeats the ceiling design detail and the geometric interior style. Three coordinating gold-leafed platforms surround the tree as staging for special events.

IBM Corporate Holiday Decor

2009-11-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

The architect for this rare complex of buildings near Dallas, TX came from the school of Ricardo Legoretta, Mexico's premier architect.

Mr. Legoretta created a fantastic multi-use complex incorporating a hotel, retail and corporate use. To complement the great monolithic towers and soaring , vibrant-hued walls, DESIGN SOLUTIONS interpreted Klaes Oldenbefg's concept of large-scale 'found objects' and placed them around the project.

An 8-ft diameter ornament appears to float in the lagoon, other ornaments were 'tossed' along the grassy lawns and a whimsical and charming surprise for all who visited the corporate campus.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

2009-11-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was chosen to create a once-in-a-lifetime project, conceptualized by the legendary Gene Moore, window designer for Tiffany & Co for over 40 years. Stephen Stefanou brought to life Mr. Moore's vision of a winter wonderland. This"Ice Fantasy" involved original life-size characters, ice-covered trees and frosted gardens, state-of-the-art lighting techniques and an outdoor "Northern Lights" light show every night during the holiday season.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was presented the coveted Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine GRAND PRIZE and FIRST PLACE, RETAIL CENTERS.

Hines Interests

2009-11-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Gerald Hines, Houston-based developer, is recognized as America's premier developer of luxury corporate projects.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS was asked to create a holiday icon suitable for 222 Berkeley's winter garden that complemented the traditional corporate environment. Stephen Stefanou has executed many magnificent projects for Hines's top buildings in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Beverly Hills, Chicago and Minneapolis. DESIGN SOLUTIONS also designed a fantastic interior for Deutsche Bank.

St. John's Knits....It's Snowing!

2009-11-27T10:06:00.001-08:00

It is snowing ....................................................giant, brilliant, crystal snowflakes at St. John's Knits. Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas, TX was asked to create a holiday icon that echoed the St. John's Knit brand.

High-end apparel with iconic style deserves no less than beautiful, fanciful crystal snowflakes.

Equitable Tower in New York City

2009-11-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

America's largest insurance company, Equitable Life Insurance, commissioned Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS of Dallas to create a concept for their conservative Corporate World Headquarters in New York City. This concept supports the profile of the client while being perfectly in scale with the enormous atrium lobby. The natural pine-cone composition also complements rather than detracting from the large-scale commissioned painting by Roy Lichtenstein that hangs prominently in the lobby.

Coca Cola's World Headquarters

2009-11-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

The Coca Cola Company commissioned DESIGN SOLUTIONS to design and create Christmas elements for their world corporate headquarters complex in Atlanta, Georgia.

The project was designed to enhance the interior and exterior architecture of the building as well as the impressive fountain sculpture at the entrance and to support the client's Christmas programs for local charities. DESIGN SOLUTIONS also created a whimsical topiary sculpture to be compatible with and complementary to the client's world-class sculpture garden.

American Express World Headquarters

2009-11-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Amercian Express Corporation chose Stephen Stefanou of DESIGN SOLUTIONS in Dallas to create a custom project for their newly completed World Headquarters at New York's World Financial Center, designed by Caesar Pelli. Because of the prominence of the client's art collection, DESIGN SOLUTIONS consulted with their art consultant, Swanke Hayden Connell, to establish an aesthetic for corporate giant which would support their corporate persona. Two 16-ft wreaths, beautifully trimmed in plain and faceted gold-leafed ornamentation, dramatized the main entrances announcing the holiday program within. Red and gold tapestries depicting Christmas scene from around the world hang from rods and finials of hand-applied gold leaf. These tapestries were designed to tie in with the client's international target market, and included scenes from Christmas around the world.

New Yok Times: Corporate Christmas

2009-11-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

Rockefeller Center Holiday Tree and Angels

What's the Idea for Corporate Christmas? New York Times November 27, 1994

Stephen Stefanou thinks Christmas is capital. And so should landlords of A+ properties, who he contends would be better off paying big bucks upfront to create memorable and reusable holiday displays than wasting money on one-time, small-scale decorations.

Dallas Morning News: Getting Designs on Santa

2009-11-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Corporate Artist dresses up Buildings for the Holidays...by Cheryl Hall Dallas Morning News, November 27, 1994

Stephen Stefanou's deadlines and travel itinerary might make Santa sweat.
The last month has been a bit of a blur as the Dallas designer has scurried from city to city tending to last-minute details for his decorative Christmas displays.
By today, every oversize wreath, ornament and gilded bow has to be out of his workshop and ready for prime-time seasonal viewing in New York, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., Miami, Minneapolis and, of course, Dallas.
When NBC Today cameras scan outside NBC studios Monday, Mr. Stefanou gigantic ornaments and toy soldiers will take front and center in their glitzy Rockefeller Center setting.
When traders stream onto the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, their early start will be brightened by an 8-ft, motorized, jeweled ornament representing the globe.
And when Dallas workers return to Trammell Crow Center after Thanksgiving greeted by old acquaintances --two greater-than-life angels hovering above the lobby.
"My biggest success is when a corporate executive walks in and for a second is a child," says this transformational designer. "For that moment he smiles and giggles. It's amazing to see it happen."
Unlike Santa, however, this harbinger of the holidays can't rest now that his deliveries are made. A second incredible rush lies ahead. He must make his goodies magically disappear after New Year's --- and not a day sooner.

Fashion Show is dressing up for the Holidays!

2009-11-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

Fashion Show Magazine/ December 2005 by Kate Silver

The largest retail center on the Las Vegas Strip will again be adorned with jaw-dropping, larger-than-life holiday decorations created by Stephen Stefanou of Dallas-based DESIGN SOLUTIONS, one of the world's preeminent designers of seasonal holiday environments.

Stefanou, who typically doesn't decorate shopping center for the holidays, believes Fashion Show is in a league of its own. "Fashion Show is no ordinary shopping center. Its commanding presence created by ceilings and spaces that seem to go on forever, along with its status as the premier fashion retail venue in Las Vegas, calls for exciting decor above and beyond the norm. We eagerly accepted the challenge."

Fashion Show's holiday decor features tow 12-ft snow crystal maidens, a 36-ft holiday tree that features a five-ft diamond-like snowburst tree-topper, giant sugar plus fairies of glass, crystal and jewels , and shimmering 12-ft wreaths of "diamonds."

Fashion Show joins an impressive list of other landmark venues well dressed for the holidays by DESIGN SOLUTIONS. These include Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, Embarcadero Center, Coca-Cola World Headquarters and even The Bellagio Resort & Casino.

"Erte was arguably the greatest costume-designer in history," says Stefanou. "His designs are glamorous, unusual, elegant, opulent and timeless. Isn't that how we all want to look during the holidays?"

Los Angeles Times: Making the Strip Bloom

2009-11-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Conservatory's seasonal change-out planted with hard work and flowers. by Susan King ( excerpt from Los Angeles Times, May 31, 2007)
A 42-ft Ferris wheel filled with sunflowers reaches toward the 55-ft tall glass ceiling, while hot air balloons launch into the air and return to the ground. In another area, a 1962 beige Corvette convertible on loan from a car museum in Bowling Green, Ky., appears to be driving past classic gas pumps. (Decor was designed and created by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas, TX)

"We're here for seven days, 24 hours a day," said Tim Hunter, manager of the conservatory. "It's always got to look nice in here," explained Hunter. While the Bellagio does not disclose the amount of revenue spent on the conservatory, he said it is "well worth the money".

"The conservatory is what sets us apart from the other hotels," said Hunter, explaining the attention to details. "There are people who come in every year just to see a certain show."

Las Vegas Sun: Casinos Open Arms for Asians

2009-11-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year turning into Lucrative Holiday!
Las Vegas Sun by Liz Benston January 25, 2006

A Chinese propensity to gamble is a long-held truism in Las Vegas that has yet to be documented with any accuracy. But some say there is a cultural basis for gambling during Chinese New Year -- a holiday that is inextricably tied to testing one's luck.
If a person wins a wager, it could bring new luck for the rest of the year, or so the tradition goes. Losing a bet could rid the bettor of bad luck that's accumulated over the past year.

The Bellagio Conservatory features a pagoda, Tang Dynasty horse and other traditional Chinese decor (designed by Stephen Stefanou with Design Solutions in Dallas, TX) in celebration of Chinese New Year. Many hotels plan special events for the holiday.

Season's Greetings Stunner

2009-11-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings Stunner

(excerpt from Plastics Distributor & Fabrictor Industry Magazine September 2009span>)
In the worlds of entertainment, hotel and casino design and corporate branding, bigger is always better. Designers and promoters want eye-catching glitz, glamour and bright lights. They want “Pop!” They want a “Wow!” And for the past 40 years, Stephen Stefanou and his team of designers at Design Solutions, Dallas, Texas, have developed a reputation for big, bold visual displays tailor made for every space and crafted with care down to the finest detail. The grandeur the visual display firm has brought to hotels, casinos, and other public spaces across the world has drawn international acclaim for their unique design – and their scale.
Design Solutions has been commissioned to develop breath-taking displays at some of the country’s most extravagant venues. They have designed gold-leafed, mirror spangled holiday statues and displays at the Bellagio, beautiful LED-lit translucent starbursts and life-sized caribou for the MGM Grand in Detroit, and holiday fixtures of all shapes and sizes at A-plus properties and corporate headquarters around the globe.
The company’s most recent installation, a holiday spectacular at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on the Potomac River in National Harbor, MD, is just the latest example of the vision and innovation Design Solutions brings to every project.
“When the Gaylord National came to us with a request for a unique holiday attraction, we knew at once that the hotel’s dramatic 18-story atrium would provide us both with a one-of-a-kind challenge and a one-of-a-kind opportunity,” says Stefanou, president and CEO of Design Solutions. “Not only was the space enormous, requiring us to create an equally large installation, its size and height also demanded a material that would be lightweight and highly sculptable.”
From Concept to Creation
Faced with these challenges, the Design Solutions team set out to create an attraction that would not only fill the spacious atrium, but also provide a reason for both locals and tourists to visit the Gaylord during the slower-than-usual winter<>They wanted something that would draw people in from all corners of the city – a true attraction that people would have to see to believe,” he explains.

Following intensive ideation and conceptualization, the team settled on the idea of a Christmas tree. But not just any Christmas tree. They promised to create the largest hanging Christmas tree in the world – a 6 0-feet tall “Tree of Light” formed from a total of 110 curvilinear holly leaves, each measuring an amazing eight to 12-foot long. The 7,000- pound seasonal stunner would be topped with a hand-sculpted ribbon bedecked in hand-applied gold leaf. And using technology more commonly associated with The Walt Disney Resorts’ famous outdoor light spectaculars and arena-sized concert shows, the team designed a dramatic lighting scheme featuring 40,000- watt Syncrolite external spotlights and a variety of theatrical lighting and strobe lights that provide lighting from the inside out. Material Making the Difference “The combination of size, highly detailed display elements, and mold ability challenges made our choice of material imperative to the project’s ultimate success,” says Stefanou. Based on the firm’s past experience, they quickly chose Eastman Spectar™ copolyester PETG, a durable, flexible and lightweight material perfect for such largescale applications. According to Stefanou, the material’s flexibility is key. Dubbed “Candy Glass” by the resort’s canny marketers, Eastman Spectar™ possesses incredible, brittle-free bending attributes not matched by competing glass alternatives. A mainstay in visual merchandising environments worldwide, the innovative material enjoys a global reputation for delivering strong, durable and transcendently translucent results.

Phil Coffey, the Gaylord National’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, says that the Tree of Light is “a singular work of art that we are delighted to share with our guests and visitors. We couldn’t be more pleased to showcase this new attraction as the centerpiece of a new mid- Atlantic holiday tradition.”

NY Times: Las Vegas Adapts to Reap Chinese New Year Bounty...New York Times February 21, 2007

2009-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

The New York Times ( excerpt February 21, 2007) by Steve Freiss
Las Vegas Adapts to Reap Chinese New Year Bounty...

At the Bellagio, the theme of the 14,000-sq-ft conservatory is changed only five times a year, and Chinese New Year is one of those times. The current display ( designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions in Dallas) features live tangerine trees, a 45-ft-tall pagoda, 18-ft-tall 'god of fortune' and a mechanical pig with a moving tail, snout and eyes.

'You'll see a lot of Chinese lanterns hanging in groups of six because multiples of six are lucky numbers," the Conservatory manager, Sharon Hatcher, said. "Everything here are multiples of six or eight, because those are the lucky numbers. Even the number of koi we have in our pond are multiples of eight . We want to maintain as much positive energy for luck for the new year celebration."

Las Vegas Sun: GRAND DESIGNS: Stefanou brings passion & size to displays at Fashion Show Mall, November 25, 2003 Las Vegas Sun Newspaper

2009-11-25T12:44:00.000-08:00
Las Vegas Sun Newspaper by Kristen Peterson November 25, 2003
Stephen Stefanou likes big things. His dreams are big. His passions are big. when it comes to the holidays, his designs are copious.
At the Fashion Show Mall, his Erte-inspired holiday display features sculpted, jeweled ornaments of slender women, stretching as much as 25-ft and costumed in red velvet and lace.
I need a client who needs something really different," Stefanou said. "I always dream everything big, which requires architectural design, thought and engineering."
"We didn't just want a decorating scheme to decorate the building," Karen Kozemchak, Fashion Show mall marketing director, said. "We want to create an environmental feeling and link it to what we're about, fashion and design."
"With this square footage, you cannot decorate the mall," Stefanou said. "You have to create destinations within the mall."
"Erte was arguably the greatest costume designer in history," said Stefanou. " His designs are glamorous, unusual elegant and opulent. All those characteristics translate extremely well into holiday decor well suited to the fashion retail environment."

Omaha World-Herald December 1, 2007

2009-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Shadow Lake Towne Center
(excerpt from Omaha World-Herald)
With competition for the holiday dollar fierce, stores and shopping centers rely on more than well-stocked shelves and competitive prices to attract shoppers. The addition of seasoal decor such as trees, garlands, lights and giant ornaments lends a festive air and is intended to put customers in the holiday spirit.

The looks are carefully considered. Village Pointe's decor, for example, was provided by DESIGN SOLUTIONS, a Dallas-based company that also decorates Rockefeller Center in New York City , the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Design Solutions also handled Shadow Lake Towne Center, according to operations manager, Bryan Boyce.
A live 35-ft-tall tree topped by a 4-ft gold star stands inn the middle of the outdoor shopping center. Covering it are golden pinecones, large multi-colored lights and about 5,000 smaller, twinkly ones.
We've gotten a lot of really positive feedback," said Alicia Peters, marketing director at Shadow Lake.

Peters calls the decorations which the shopping center owns, an investment in the property. We'll keep them for years to come.

At Shadow Lake, shoppers sometimes inquire about the price of the nutcrackers or the stars, Boyce said.

"It's a great feeling to see it when it's done and throughout the season you get a lot of compliments," he added. "We all enjoy it -- I know I do."

A New York Holiday Icon

2009-11-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

A perfect photo opportunity awaits holiday tourist every year in New York City at 1251 Avenue of Americas/Rockefeller Center just across from Radio City Music Hall. A spectacular stack of ten ( plus three separate ) over-scaled holiday ornaments 'float' just above the water feature. This popular holiday decor designed by Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions has become iconic to the New York holiday landscape.

Grand Tulips on Display

2009-11-24T10:56:00.000-08:00
Giant, 45-tall, Parrot Tulips bloom in colorful splendor at the entrance of MGM Grand Detroit.

Stephen Stefanou of Design Solutions custom-designed a beautiful debut of Spring for the passersby and guests of the casino in the heart of Detroit. Each tulip petal is custom-sculpted in 'synthetic glass' and hand-painted in a custom finish. Adding a bit of whimsy to the display is a hand-spade in perfect proportion.

Design Solutions and Stephen Stefanou

2009-11-24T09:58:00.000-08:00
Stephen Stefanou has been in the design and display industry for over thirty-five years.
Mr. Stefanou and his award-winning firm, Design Solutions, have put together a team of brilliant designers and technicians to shape the company in its present form. The firm designs corporate headquarters, mixed-use venues, city plazas, resorts and casinos plus residences for private clients around the world as well as the interiors of private and corporate jets.
Several years ago when major developers became interested in promoting their buildings, Stephen Stefanou saw an opportunity to transfer skills from retail display to the enhancement of commercial properties. When contacted by Trammell Crow to provide a holiday display for his new premier building in Dallas, TX, Stephen created a display of a 14th-century Renaissance angel with an 18-ft wingspan, which is to this day a beloved tradition in the lobby of the Trammell Crow Company national headquarters. His vision for Rockefeller Center’s holiday décor has been on display for more than twenty-five years.

For the Nasher family, owners of the most profitable shopping center per square foot in America, Design Solutions created the breathtaking “Crown Jewels of Atlantis” display. The show depicted a garden of large, museum-quality crystals breathing color. It was the most highly attended exhibit of its kind in this country. The rock quartiz crystal Obelisk which stands in the Bellagio Resort & Casino's conservatory garden is his creation. For over eight years, Stefanou has created five seasonal displays each year for Bellagio Resort & Casino’s conservatory garden which has garnered much press and proved to be very successful for the resort.

In addition to private clients, Design Solutions’ corporate client roster contains such giants as AT&T, the Trump Organization, Rockefeller Center, American Express, Sony Corporation, MGM Mirage, Hunt Oil, Gaylord National, The Coca-Cola Company and many more.

Mr. Stefanou also owns Krystallos, Inc., a company that markets museum-quality minerals and fossils to the interior design and architectural industry. He has a keen interest in rock crystal architeture.......staircases, fireplaces, doors, etc. The quality of Stefanou’s work is always elegant and visionary. His success lies not only in his artistry, but also in his ability to integrate client needs with artistic conceptual goals. His work has been published in leading design publications such as: Town & Country, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Texas Homes and Dallas/Fort Worth Home and Garden to name a few.

A Magnificent,60-ft tall 'Synthetic Glass' Holly Tree

2009-11-23T15:41:00.000-08:00
The Christmas holidays at the Gaylord National Resort are high-lighted by a custom-designed, 60-ft tall, chandelier tree made solely of beautiful, translucent, 'synthetic glass' adorned with overscale red, holly berries.

Possessing all the beauty of art glass and none of the hazards, synthetic glass opens up a world of creative options to the design field.
Stephen Stefanou, president and lead designer of Design Solutions, has explored many design opportunities using synthetic glass which is created using a technique very similar to art of glass blowing.
16-ft tall poppies with 8-ft diameter, colorful, translucent blooms......25-ft long autumnal leaves.......Giant 28-ft tall, winter icebursts are just a few of the spectacular portfolio items.

You are only limited by your imagination.

Design Solutions
800.765.0801