FIX Restaurant & Bar
Las Vegas
GRAFT

Curvy ceiling captivates casino-goers

© Ricardo Ridecos

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Capturing the attention of passersby within the intense, artificial landscape of a casino represented a significant design challenge. GRAFT decided that rather than let their design for FIX compete with the storefronts of other restaurants and shops in the Bellagio, which collectively form a complex and supernaturally glowing topography, it would celebrate one iconic element: the restaurant’s ceiling.

FIX’s ceiling plane acts as a façade and guides visitors into the space. Its surface is comprised of wood slats that alternately converge into smooth surfaces and diverge to create openness and translucency. The use of a single natural material, Padouk wood, counteracts the surrounding visual and audio overload, like a missing tooth in a gleaming smile.

Although the ceiling becomes an iconic element that stands apart from its surroundings, ironically its curvature corresponds to the building’s mechanical infrastructure. The points of greatest divergence between slats become eye-shaped openings for air diffusers.

The restaurant’s entry, a narrow passage with a gentle incline, directs guests to the bar, the highest point within the space. As the epicenter of activity, the bar is visible from all dining areas. As patrons circulate through the space, subtle shifts in the ground plane and the terracing of dining areas set the ceiling topography in motion. The bustling activity and dynamic architectural forms combined to create a room in perpetual flux.

Formal name of Project:
FIX Restaurant & Bar www.fixlasvegas.com

Location:
Las Vegas

Gross square footage:
4,000 sq. ft.

Owner(s):
Light
3885 South Decatur Blvd., Suite 3000
Las Vegas, NV 89109

MGM Mirage Design Group
3260 Industrial Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Architect:
GRAFT
3200 N. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90065
323-441-9610 tel.
323-441-9666 fax
www.graftlab.com

Left to right: Thomas Willemeit, Wolfram Putz, Lars Krueckeberg