Draft:Roger Thomas Wikipedia Draft

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
  • Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. ArchaicCape5107 (talk) 18:56, 11 June 2025 (UTC)

Roger Thomas (designer)

[edit]
Roger Thomas
Born1951 (age 73–74)
Salt Lake City, UT
EducationSchool of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
OccupationInterior Designer
Years active1974–present
SpouseArthur Libera (m. 2005)
Parent(s)E. Parry Thomas, Peggy Thomas
Relatives4 siblings, including Peter M. Thomas
Websitehttps://therogerthomascollection.com/

Roger Thomas (born 1951)[1] is an American interior designer best known for his work on resort hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, including the Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, and Encore Las Vegas[2] His work also extends to other areas of the world, including Wynn Macau and Encore Macau in China.[3] He is the Executive Vice President of Design for Wynn Design & Development, and principal of the Roger Thomas Collection[4]. Thomas has been named five times to the Architectural Digest AD100 list of the world's preeminent architects and designers,[5][6][7][8][9] and was inducted into the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame in 2015[10].

Early Life

[edit]

Thomas was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.[2] In the 1950s, his father, E. Parry Thomas, was CEO of the Bank of Las Vegas, the only bank willing to loan money to area casinos.[1][11]

After spending his final two years of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, Thomas earned a BFA in art history from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in partnership with Tufts University,[1] where he was trained in painting, sculpture, textiles, metalsmithing and ceramics.[12]

Career

[edit]

Interior Designer

[edit]

In 1974, Thomas began designing interiors for banks and other financial institutions. He spent seven years running the Las Vegas office of design house Yates Silverman, designed penthouses for the Stardust Resort and Casino, and designed his first casino, the Lady Luck (now the Downtown Grand), in a Saturday Night Fever motif.[1][11] Thomas felt the standard design of the city's casinos had a disorienting, claustrophobic layout lacking décor, and that their designs relied too heavily on fantasy.[1]

In 1980, Steve Wynn, a family friend, asked Thomas to join a team designing the first major ground-up resort in Las Vegas in 25 years, a hotel and casino more sophisticated than others in the city. This would become The Mirage resort and hotel, which opened in 1989.[11][13][14] Thomas's work designing the interiors of the tropical-themed Mirage and swashbuckler-themed Treasure Island, which opened in 1993, began to change the image of properties on the Las Vegas Strip from casinos with hotel rooms to luxury resorts.[1][3][15]

Beginning with the interior design for the Bellagio hotel, which opened in 1998, Wynn and Thomas "reinvented the look of the modern gambling hall by deliberately violating every previously accepted rule of casino design," helping Wynn's hotels achieve an original, more luxurious approach.[1] The Bellagio immediately became the standard against which subsequent strip resorts were measured.[3] It was designed to put gamblers at ease, with high ceilings, European-style furnishings and a wide-open, axial, easy-to-navigate layout. The Bellagio would generate the largest profits for a single Las Vegas property in the city's history.[1] At a cost of $1.6 billion, it was the most expensive hotel in the world at the time.[16]

Thomas designed interiors for the Wynn Las Vegas, which opened in 2005.[1] The resort casino design included changing the aesthetic from a low-ceiling, dimly-lit feel to bring in natural light, adding a garden atrium and pioneering the placement of chandeliers above gambling tables.[1][17] Thomas has also designed interiors for the Wynn Macau in China, which opened in 2006, the $2.3 billion, 2,000-room Encore at Wynn Las Vegas in 2009,[11] and the Encore at Wynn Macau in 2010.[18] Thomas has also worked on mass renovations for the casino at the Wynn Macau, which were completed in February 2015,[8][19] and helped design the Wynn Palace, also in Macau, a $4.2 billion resort which opened in August 2016.[20][21]

Thomas' opulent style is heavily influenced by 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, 18th-century French architecture and interiors, and 20th-century French, Austrian and US modernists.[6] The New Yorker said that "doing the opposite of what is usual has become Thomas's trademark,"[1] while Interior Design Magazine states how "His hotels embody a two-pronged approach. They are dazzling to look at, as befits the capital city of illusion and abandon, but they work on a personal level."[10]

Home Furnishings and Other Designs

[edit]

In 2006, Thomas founded The Roger Thomas Collection[5], a design brand that features luxury home and outdoor furnishings, mirrors, carpets, fabric, wall coverings, lighting and jewelry.[22][15][10] Thomas has created signature collections and pieces for brands including Quintus, Global Views, Eric Brand, Townsend Leather, Fromental, Maya Romanoff, S. Harris, Samuel & Sons, Sicis Jewels, Boyd Lighting, Koroseal and OW Hospitality.[23][22][10][24] He designed the private homes of Steve Wynn,[12] including his Manhattan duplex, where he focused on enhancements such as a lighting scheme that would suit Wynn's art collection, and custom-made furnishings.[25]

Book

[edit]

In 2024, Roger Thomas wrote his first book, Resort Style: Spaces of Celebration.[26] Published by Rizzoli, the book features a collection of essays written by Thomas discussing the emotional themes and layouts of his resort designs.[26] He partook in a book tour throughout 2024 into 2025, which included locations in Las Vegas,[27][28] Paris,[29] Milan,[30] New York,[31] Los Angeles,[32] and San Francisco[33].

Personal Life

[edit]

Thomas maintains homes in Las Vegas, Nevada and Marin County, California.[15] He was raised as a Mormon[1]. He has twice been married to women, and came out as gay in 1996, at the age of 44.[1] He has said that coming out improved his work by allowing him to be more authentic.[11] He is married to Arthur Libera, a licensing agent for artists and designers.[1]

Honors and Awards

[edit]
Year Outlet Nominee Category Result
2005 Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) Roger Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award[18] Won
2007 Architectural Digest Roger Thomas AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design[5] Won
2008 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show Roger Thomas Designer of the Year[18] Won
2009 World Market Center Las Vegas Roger Thomas Design Icon Award[18] Won
Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Roger Thomas Sarno Lifetime Achievement Award[18][34] Won
2010 Architectural Digest Roger Thomas AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design[6] Won
2011 University of Nevada, Las Vegas Roger Thomas Hall of Fame[35] Won
2012 Architectural Digest The Roger Thomas Collection AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design[7] Won
Academy of Art University Roger Thomas Art Design Icon of the Year[36] Won
2014 Architectural Digest The Roger Thomas Collection AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design[8] Won
2015 Interior Design Roger Thomas Hall of Fame Inductee[10] Won
2017 Architectural Digest The Roger Thomas Collection AD100: Top 100 Architecture & Interior Design[9] Won
2019 Interior Design Scorpio for Boyd Lighting Best of Year Awards, Sconce[37] Won
2022 Interior Design Harmony Collection for Koroseal, collaboration with Clodagh Design and Stacy Garcia Best of Year Awards, Contract Wallcovering[38] Honoree

Bibliography

[edit]
Year Book Title Publisher ISBN
2024 Resort Style: Spaces of Celebration New York: Rizzoli 978-0-8478-9995-1[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Lehrer, Jonah (2012-03-19). "Royal Flush". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  2. ^ a b "What I've Learned Podcast: Designer Roger Thomas". Hospitality Design. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  3. ^ a b c Hansel, Mark (2009-02-20). "Roger Thomas is honored as home-grown design icon". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  4. ^ SBID (2017-03-10). "Q&A with Roger Thomas | SBID". Society of British & International Interior Design. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  5. ^ a b c Staff, Casual Living (2009-02-16). "Roger Thomas Honored as 'Design Icon'". Furniture Today. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  6. ^ a b c architecturaldigest.com (2010-01-01). "2010 AD100: Roger Thomas". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  7. ^ a b architecturaldigest.com (2012-01-01). "2012 AD100: The Roger Thomas Collection". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  8. ^ a b c architecturaldigest.com (2014-01-01). "2014 AD100: The Roger Thomas Collection". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  9. ^ a b Digest, Architectural (2015-11-18). "2017 AD100: The Roger Thomas Collection". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  10. ^ a b c "Roger Thomas: 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee". Interior Design. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  11. ^ a b c d e "The Man Behind the Strip". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  12. ^ a b Digest, Architectural (2013-11-30). "Designer Roger Thomas's Early Career". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  13. ^ Motavalli, Jim (2014-08-12). "The Cantankerous Mr. Wynn". SUCCESS. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  14. ^ "End of an era: Looking back at The Mirage's impact on the Las Vegas Strip". Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV. 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  15. ^ a b c "Leaving Las Vegas". ELLE Decor. 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  16. ^ Macy, Robert (1998-10-15). "World's costliest hotel opens on the Las Vegas strip". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  17. ^ "Casino design and why the house always wins". www.bbc.com. 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  18. ^ a b c d e "2009 Honoree: Roger Thomas". UNLV Center for Gaming Research. December 21, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019.
  19. ^ Newsdesk (2014-08-20). "Wynn ups cap on design services for Cotai's Wynn Palace - GGRAsia". Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  20. ^ Cohen, Muhammad. "Wynn Opens Extravagant $4.2B Palace In Slumping Macau". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  21. ^ "Roger Thomas". Hospitality Design. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  22. ^ a b Jaffe Dan, Sharon; Lee, Margaret (2008-05-01). "Capital Design Week; Party Central; On the Bookshelf". Home & Design. Archived from the original on 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  23. ^ "The creator of "Evoca-tecture"". The Roger Thomas Collection. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  24. ^ Dolan, Molly (2014-03-14). "Roger Thomas Collection and OW Hospitality join forces for carpet range". Sleeper. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  25. ^ Goldfarb, Brad (2014-03-01). "This New York Apartment Features a Museum-Worthy Art Collection". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  26. ^ a b c "Resort Style: Spaces of Celebration". Rizzoli USA.
  27. ^ Merritt, Alan (2024-05-09). "Explore Roger Thomas's Design Philosophy at HD Expo 2024". JUSTNOWNEWS®. Retrieved 2025-06-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "Roger Thomas, iconic designer behind wynn resorts, to host fundraiser and author's talk at The Neon Museum, May 10 | The Neon Museum Las Vegas". neonmuseum.org. 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  29. ^ officeinsight, Special Report from (2025-02-03). "Maison et Objet January 2025 was a Vibrant Confluence of Creativity and Innovation - officeinsight". Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  30. ^ "Rubelli at Milan Design Week 2025". www.rubelli.com. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  31. ^ "Resort Style by Roger Thomas". AllEvents. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  32. ^ "Panels 2024". Pacific Design Center. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  33. ^ Moretti, Otto (September 10, 2024). "Roger Thomas Redefines Luxury Design in Acclaimed Book 'Resort Style: Spaces of Celebration'".
  34. ^ "Casino interior designer Roger Thomas to get achievement award". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  35. ^ "Hall of Fame 2011 Inductees | College of Fine Arts | UNLV". www.unlv.edu. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  36. ^ "Wynn designer Roger Thomas named Art Design Icon of the Year by Academy of Art University". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  37. ^ "Best of Year Awards Winners 2019". Interior Design. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  38. ^ "Interior Design's 2022 Best of Year Award Winners". Interior Design. Retrieved 2025-06-11.