First Fridays, Taking a Closer Look at Design a Suite Downtown

The first design competition of its kind held in Las Vegas, Design A Suite Downtown challenged local interior designers to create an original, inspired vision for a luxury suite at one of downtown Las Vegas' most iconic properties, El Cortez Hotel & Casino. On July 27, a panel of judges including some of the top creative minds in interior designer gathered and selected four finalists who's vision and creativity earned them the opportunity to make their designs come to life.

Join us as we present the 18 designs submitted for this innovative competition. Competition Advisor and Judge Brian Thornton, IIDA, will provide an expanded look at each submission and walk you through the judging process followed for each entry.

About Design a Suite Downtown

Sponsored by the El Cortez Hotel & Casino and held in partnership with Las Vegas Design Center and World Market Center Las Vegas, Design A Suite Downtown is a one-of-a-kind design competition in which local Las Vegas interior designers will remodel 10 of the hotel casino's luxury suites. For more information, please visit www.designasuitedowntown.com

About Brian Thornton, IIDA

Founder of Brian G. Thornton Designs, Brian Thornton, IIDA, has more than 30 years of hospitality, commercial, upper-end residential and retail design experience. In 2008, Thornton served as Director of Design for MGM Mirage's design group in Las Vegas. The same year, Thornton founded designMINDS, a local, creative networking organization for the interior design and architecture community which has quickly become one of the most significant professional organizations in Las Vegas. In 2010, Thornton launched a luxury lighting line for the hospitality and residential markets along with a faucet line in conjunction with Pfister.