COTE Vegas
Rockwell Group is renowned for evocative and narrative-driven spaces – a bent that’s strongly linked to founder David Rockwell’s lifelong love of the theatre and affinity for storytelling through design. It emerges across the multidisciplinary firm’s portfolio in countless, inventive ways, from layered lighting programs and carefully crafted spatial sequences to surprising material combinations.
At COTE Vegas, these principles converge and theatrics reign. Located within the Venetian Resort, COTE is a Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse from Gracious Hospitality Management – the same group behind COQODAQ in Manhattan, also designed by Rockwell Group. The design balances the exuberance and spirit of Sin City with COTE’s honed identity (it also has locations in New York City, Miami and Singapore). “We wanted to create a dining experience through the lens of theatricality, playfulness and empathy,” says Rockwell. “At COTE Vegas, guests feel swept up in something larger than themselves but also still connected to the intimacy of a shared meal.”
The experience is multifaceted and begins at the entry portal. Clad in charcoal tiles and angled as if carved from a single, monolithic block of stone, it’s a strong first impression that immediately transports diners from the broader context of the hotel to the restaurant’s more immersive environment.
A corridor leads to the main dining room, which unfurls to extraordinary effect; tiers of booths orbit the main bar in a setting akin to a grand theatre, and a ceiling installation evoking flower petals – a nod to COTE’s floral emblem – is golden and glowing overhead. This installation is fitted with a lighting program created by the Lab at Rockwell Group, which allows the team to alter the lighting and shift the mood.
Lighting certainly plays an important role here. As well as the ceiling installation, the sculptural steel staircase is lit in contrasting hues of cyan and red, and amber fluted-glass lamps designed by Rockwell for Leucos illuminate the booths. It plays well with the dark and moody palette of walnut, high-gloss timber, leather-finished soapstone, black granite and blackened steel.
The main dining room leans into openness and spectacle, encouraging interaction and inviting diners to be active participants. By contrast, the four private dining rooms located upstairs – one of which doubles as a karaoke lounge – and a clandestine, 14-seat bar on the mezzanine level offer moments that are more intimate yet no less imaginative.
This dichotomy speaks to Rockwell’s mission which, though often associated with creating drama through design, is also underscored by a desire to create spaces that bring people together. “Even in a city known for spectacle, diners are seeking connection and kindness,” says Rockwell. “For us, that translates into design that centres on the emotional experience of the guest, and it tracks with what we’ve been exploring in recent projects. It’s about crafting experiences that feel meaningful, resonant and empathetic, and allowing guests to slow down and engage with each other.”
