New York-based architecture and interior design studio Rockwell Group, has unveiled COTE Vegas, at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas – the brand’s first West Coast outpost and its most ambitious project to date…
COTE Vegas references the language and atmosphere of its predecessors, but it evolves into a wholly new, progressive take on the theatrical aspect of dining. Inspired by COTE’s flower emblem, Rockwell Group guides visitors on a journey into the heart of the dining room, gradually opening up and revealing itself like the petals of a flower. This runway-like experience feels performative, similar to passing through a series of thresholds before entering a grand theatre, with the show-stopping bar as the main feature.
Image credit: Michael Kleinberg
Clusters of tiered banquettes sit beneath a glowing flower ceiling installation. The mezzanine-level DJ and PDRs have a skybox-like feel and appear to float above the dining room. The evening offers guests an unfolding, memorable experience with music, special culinary performances at the tableside grills and a bespoke, dynamic lighting installation and overlay, designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group. All of this enhances the overall design, allowing the COTE team or DJ to carefully set the mood of the evening with the right rhythm for any crowd.
Guest’s first impression of the restaurant presents a sharp contrast to the ground floor of The Venetian: a narrow, black geometric entrance framed by glowing golden light draws you in and reveals the bar beyond. The angled, black chiselled stone tile walls mark a bold departure from The Venetian’s light-coloured marble, featuring semi-transparent horizontal bands in the storefront glass that offer glimpses of the produce and wine displays. Alternatively, when approaching from the Restaurant Row façade, guests pass by angled black metal wall panels with black storefront glass, displaying neon signage.
Image credit: Michael Kleinberg
Guests are greeted by a lacquered-wood host stand with a stone countertop and metal base, set on a granite floor that leads into a small rotunda clad in green, reeded tile. Moving from the welcoming area and past a monumental green wall, guests enter the main dining room – a dramatic viewpoint, almost like stepping into a grand theatre – where anticipation builds through curving tiers of double-sided, mirror-finish banquettes that cascade down toward the central island bar.
A five-petal lighting and ceiling installation finished in gold metal fans out in all directions, evoking the brand logo. It reveals layers of light and reflections that respond to the DJ, whose booth is located above the dining room on the mezzanine level. Rockwell Group has designed a theatrical lighting rig that can retract and project the logo as a light-based animation. Sound is synchronised with the lighting system, making the flower emblem on the dining room ceiling a truly dynamic element.
Image credit: Michael Kleinberg
The custom bar features a black, fluted bar die topped with solid marble. The surrounding floor is engraved with curved bands of leather-finished black granite, a tactile detail that echoes the flower pattern on the ceiling and reinforces the bar’s gravitational pull.
Banquette tiers form an auditorium-style seating arrangement, with lower tiers featuring smaller booths and upper tiers housing the largest and most intimate spaces, nestled beneath a glowing gold leaf wall with decorative pendant lighting. The seating pattern resembles petals, while banquettes are upholstered in green leather with high-gloss wooden surrounds. Custom martini and champagne carts can be wheeled to individual tables upon request. Restrooms feature custom gold shimmering wallcoverings, green soapstone sinks, and soft lighting.
Image credit: Michael Kleinberg
Leather-finish soapstone tables are paired with fluted-glass table lamps by David Rockwell for Leucos, placed between each booth to case a gentle glow. In contrast, large raw-metal table lamps by Manu Bañó anchor the ends of the banquette tiers, their laser-cut discs designed to rotate and catch the light from the spotlights above.
Enhanced dynamic lighting has been carefully designed through the dining room’s striking green wall, including a ‘lightning bolt button’ that staff can press for a burst of light during key or celebratory moments. The custom UI features specific colours aligned with COTE branding, showcasing the client’s attention to detail even in the smallest, behind-the-scenes aspects. The UI enables staff and DJs to control various lighting effects.
The second floor, mezzanine level, houses a secret bar, alongside four Private Dining Rooms. Guests ascend to the mezzanine via a striking blackened steel staircase with granite treads, illuminated by a cool cyan glow. In keeping with COTE tradition, the polished red plaster staircase connects to a double-height Boos Block storage area, while neon signage enhances the theatrical display. Upstairs, dark corridors with niches for artwork lead to the dining rooms.
Image credit: Michael Kleinberg
The largest Private Dining Room functions as a karaoke lounge with inset carpets and luxurious sound-absorbing drapery. The glazed ceramic and soapstone chef’s station features two grills. Soapstone dining tables sit beneath a walnut ceiling, while pocket doors provide access to an exclusive balcony that connects to the DJ and artist’s green room lounge. A walnut wood enclosure unifies the three smaller Private Dining Rooms, which feature ceiling-mounted angled mirrors, green leather chairs and soapstone tables. Flexible leather panels between the three spaces can be used to create separate, soundproofed experiences and events.
With COTE Vegas, Rockwell Group and Gracious Hospitality Management have crafted the brand’s most ambitious destination yet – an immersive, precisely choreographed environment where architecture, performance and cuisine meet. Designed with the scale and spectacle of Las Vegas in mind, the restaurant transforms each threshold into a moment of anticipation and every detail into part of a broader narrative. The result is a boldly theatrical dining experience that establishes a new benchmark for experiential hospitality on the Las Vegas Strip.
Main image credit: Michael Kleinberg
