Roger Thomas of Wynn Design and Development to be honored as Design Icon at Las Vegas Market

Furniture World Magazine

World Market Center Las Vegas announced that it will honor Roger Thomas of Wynn Design and Development as a “Design Icon” on Thursday, February 12 during the Winter 2009 Las Vegas Market. In the exclusive Las Vegas Market Design Icon Lecture Series, design legends share their stories and experiences in order to inspire future designers. Thomas joins the ranks of Design Icon honorees named by World Market Center Las Vegas including Vladmir Kagan and Larry Laslo. Robert Maricich, President and Chief Executive Officer of World Market Center Las Vegas, said Thomas is an ideal choice for the Design Icon honor. “Roger is an outstanding and inspirational individual. We admire his talent and his generosity in sharing his expertise and resources with the design community. We established the Design Icon program to motivate and inspire future leaders. Roger Thomas is a singular and unique individual in the world of design and we are honored to present him with this award. His stellar talents in both hospitality design and home furnishings design are truly unmatched.” Thomas created the interiors of Wynn Las Vegas and most recently led the interior design of Wynn Macau, which opened to the public September 5, 2006. Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, opened on December 22, 2008, along with Wynn Diamond Macau, which will open January 2010, also bear his stamp. Thomas designed the interiors of properties including the Golden Nugget hotels in Las Vegas and Laughlin and the Mirage Resort, Treasure Island and Bellagio Resort on the Las Vegas strip. Honors are nothing new to the noted design legend, whose career spans nearly 40 years. (He started his career as an apprentice designer while still in his teens.) Elected to the Hospitality Design Platinum Circle in 2005, Thomas received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality. In 2007, Thomas was listed in Architectural Digest’s AD 100. The Roger Thomas Collection was inaugurated in 2006 with signature designs for APF Munn Master Framemakers. The Collection was expanded in 2007 with furniture for Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman and designs for The Natural Carpet Company and in 2008 with green sustainable lighting for Niedermaier and outdoor furnishings for Veneman. An avid supporter of the arts, Thomas is the founder of the Bank of America Nevada Fine Art Collection, the largest art collection in a financial institution in Nevada. He served on the boards of the Nevada Museum of Fine Arts, Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Nevada Ballet Theater and the Wheelwright Museum Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is currently a Trustee of the Las Vegas Art Museum and a member of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation Board. Thomas also serves as a Trustee of DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids). Additionally, he has taken an active role in the arts architecture of the city, county and state throughout his storied professional career. He served on the Nevada Arts Council, a gubernatorial appointment; and on the McCarran Airport Arts Advisory Committee; the Clark County Government Center Architect Selection Committee; the Clark County Federal Courthouse Architect Selection Committee and the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Architect Selection Committee. Thomas is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and The School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. He received a BFA in Art History from Tufts University. His work has been published in leading journals, including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Interiors and Hospitality Design. The Winter 2009 Las Vegas Market is scheduled for Feb. 9 - 13, 2009 at World Market Center Las Vegas. Attendees can register and reserve discounted rooms online at www.LasVegasMarket.com. About World Market Center Las Vegas: World Market Center Las Vegas is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and trade complex in Las Vegas. With the opening of Building C, World Market Center now stands at more than five million square feet of space, exceeding the size of any trade merchandise mart in the United States. When fully built, at $3 billion, 12 million square feet and 8 buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show complex in the world. The state-of-the-art campus showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textile and related segments, as well as the Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC), open year-round.