| Noted chef Todd
English continued his highly praised Mediterranean menu in
the Las Vegas version of Olives. Overlooking the Bellagio
fountain show, the sleek and inviting restaurant was designed
by Jeffrey Beers, International. Brad Oldham provided lights
and several architectural elements for the Las Vegas Olives
and for the Olives that opened three years later at The Beau
Rivage Resort in Biloxi.
Brad Oldham designed and manufactured 4-foot
bronze candelabra olive trees with electric candles that have
become iconic in the restaurant’s environment. Each
olive tree was hand-sculptured, cast and polished. Once the
bronze work was complete, the sculpture was UL-lit for electric
lighting. The hand-cast wax shades were cast in the studio
to get the right color and exact size. Oldham worked with
the project’s general contractor, the electrical contractor
and the lighting architect to develop the shipping and installation
strategies for the lights and other products for both restaurants.
Work performed included:
• Four 4-foot
bronze-cast candelabra trees with electric candles (Las Vegas).
• 120-linear-feet of olive-pattern, hand-cast, faux-bronze
ungulated sofit wall treatment. The designers originally asked
for a flexible pressed-tin pattern, but tin was not flexible
enough for the project needs, so Oldham created a custom wall
treatment that looked like bronze. (Las Vegas)
• Cast resin pod grills (LED-lit) to top a custom room-divider
(Biloxi)
• Three 12-foot candelabra bronze trees with a total
of 22 “arms” (Biloxi)
• Four bronze-cast wall sconces to match the candelabra
trees (Biloxi)
• A 9.5-foot bronze “tree” in the entrance
(Biloxi)
• Door handles to a private dining room that resembled
vines with amber pods on top (Biloxi)
When Interior Design magazine reviewed the design
of Olives, its writer noted that the restaurant’s most
exciting “wow factor” was the cast-bronze, olive-tree
sculptures in the dining room.
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