Question: What is the current state of the gaming industry? Is it turning around and how it is evolving as a result of the recession?

Sean: Thankfully, we are finally starting to see signs of life in the domestic gaming industry. Visitation numbers are beginning to improve in the Las Vegas market. While the industry is still struggling to turn a profit, it seems as if we have turned a corner. One encouraging sign is that we have recently seen a few dormant projects come back from the dead. The projects that are moving forward are, of course, on a much smaller scale than a few years back.

Question: Are clients or guests driving the demand for fresher, more exciting gaming spaces?

Sean: Both. Our gaming clients have been always tried to one-up the competition by having the newest or the most luxurious. As the bar was raised, then raised again in Las Vegas, it has led to a more discerning gaming customer. The themed gaming interiors that cater to the lowest common denominator just do not make the cut anymore. Escapism, fantasy and glamour are all part of the overall equation, but these concepts are evoked with new and exciting design vocabularies that are products of our present rather than copies of the past.

Question: Are there significant changes in particular sections of the gaming environment?

Sean: The pool areas have actually evolved most significantly in the past few years. A few of the newest resorts have built nightclubs that operate in conjunction with the pool area. Cross-pollination of bikinis, bottle service, extravagant sound systems, and luxurious cabanas has created a whole new type of elevated guest experience. More importantly, this natural synergy has turned the poolscapes into potentially lucrative sources of revenue.

Question: Describe your vision of the future of gaming design.

Sean: I believe that future casinos will evolve using technology to offer a more immersive entertainment experience and further blur the lines between nightclub, entertainment lounge, and gaming floor. The next generation of casinos will, hopefully, also do it in a more environmentally conscious fashion. Oh, and everybody is a winner! Just kidding.

Question: Have you completed any progressive or unusual gaming spaces that speak to these ideas?

Sean: Well, the interiors we designed for the wildly successful Wind Creek Casino in Alabama are a great example of what I've been talking about. This casino is on a rural Indian reservation 65 miles northeast of Mobile, Alabama. The ownership was savvy; they realized that in order to snare a gambling customer who would normally gamble in Biloxi, they really needed to show that customer something they haven't seen before. This project was designed from scratch to be dramatic and exciting, as well as comforting and familiar.

Question: Tell us something unusual about yourself.

Sean: I serve on the Nevada State Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Residential Design. And my second cousin plays football for the Philadelphia Eagles.