Custom lighting company handworks art glass, wood, bronze and steel into dramatic lighting fixtures for resort designed to reflect Pacific Northwest culture and Cowlitz Tribe’s heritage
June 6, 2017 - Lighting
Royal Contract Lighting announced that it has created hundreds of custom lighting pieces for the Ilani Casino Resort. The 368,000 square-foot, $510 million entertainment center, a joint effort of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Salishan-Mohegan LLC, is located in Washington State near Vancouver and Portland OR. Fanto Group, which provides decorative, architectural, interior/exterior electric and gas commercial lighting to the hospitality and commercial markets, chose Royal Contract Lighting for the project.
“It was exciting to work with Fanto Group to create lighting for this premier facility,” said Paul Spacek, president of Royal Contract Lighting. “The company has deep expertise and experience: they’ve provided lighting for prestigious hotels, resorts, and commercial projects all across the United States.”
“We view our role as a facilitator that makes the client’s dream become a reality within the available budget,” said Jim Fanto, president of Fanto Group. “Royal Contract Lighting’s in-house engineering and manufacturing, along with the company’s ability to source high-quality materials at a reasonable price, made it the logical choice to work with us on Ilani.”
Friedmutter Group designed the 368,000 square foot casino resort to reflect the culture of the Northwest and pay tribute to the heritage of the Cowlitz Tribe. The facility incorporates stone, wood, and glass and offers sweeping views. In addition to the 100,000 square-foot gaming space, which includes 2,500 slots and 75 gaming tables, there are 15 different restaurants, bars, and retail shops, as well as entertainment venues.
Fixtures Custom Crafted to Match Resort Design Themes
Royal Contract Lighting created hundreds of pieces for the facility’s lighting, including 12 enormous fixtures for the resort’s outdoor ceilings. Designed in the form of waves, the three largest measure 49 feet-long and weigh in at approximately 1,800 pounds each.
For the entry portal, Royal Contract Lighting created 10 chandeliers made of curved art glass that was overlapped and layered to achieve a woven effect. Sizes vary, with the largest being 76 inches-high and weighing 1,000 pounds. Glass also features prominently in the 3 triple-pendant fixtures of hand-blown Venetian art glass created for the VIP lounge.
The entertainment lounge was outfitted with 15 pendant light fixtures designed to resemble slices of tree trunks. These fixtures, with frosted opal-white acrylic panel covers and bronze details, vary in size, with the largest being 66 inches and adjustable up to a height of 114 inches.
Glass Fish Glide Through Casino
The 36 aquatic-themed chandeliers built for the casino are each made up of 50 11 inch by 5 inch hand-blown amber-colored glass fish; in their entirety, the chandeliers are 106 inches-long and 92 inches-high. Nearly three dozen vertical basket clusters with tapered cherry-wood ribs hang above the slot machines. The casino bar is outfitted with eight 24” by 128” cluster pendants, each consisting of 5 concave and convex hand-blown glass pieces hand-paddled to create an organic appearance.
For the ceiling of the casino’s high-limit section, Royal Contract Lighting fabricated a 720 inches-long, 84 inches-wide, 60 inches-high 12,000-pound chandelier made up of dangling multitone and textured glass “kebabs.” The overall effect is a subtle shimmering curved edge with a multilevel bottom surface.
Royal Contract Lighting also created seven 14 inches by 4 inches by 36 inches wall sconces out of natural brushed brass with clear, textured glass.
