Vladimir Kagan to speak during ‘Design Icon’ lecture series at Winter Las Vegas Market

World Market Center and Las Vegas Design Center, in cooperation with Junior League of Las Vegas, American Society of Interior Designers, AIA of Las Vegas and Las Vegas Home & Design, are pleased to welcome design legend Vladimir Kagan back to Las Vegas for the January Market, taking place Jan. 28 – Feb. 1, 2008. Kagan will address Market attendees as part of a new “Design Icon” series, presented exclusively by WMC.

The focus of the new Design Icon series is to provide a platform for industry legends to share their stories and experiences to inspire the next generation of designers. Regarded by those in the world of interior design as the “grandfather of modern furniture design,” Kagan will make a special appearance during Winter Las Vegas Market and will speak to designers and attendees on Jan. 31 at 2:00 p.m. at WMC’s World Forum, followed by a book signing and open house at the Morelli House Jan. 31.

“Vladimir was a guest speaker at a First Friday event at Las Vegas Design Center last year, and his talk was a phenomenal hit among designers,” said Dana Andrew, vice president of marketing and public relations, WMC. “We are delighted to welcome him back to Las Vegas during January Market and believe he is the perfect choice to kick off our new Design Icon series.”

Kagan is internationally known for his innovative sculptured furniture including the “serpentine sofa,” “barrel chair” and “cubist dining chair.” Connoisseurs and museums avidly collect his designs.

According to European Magazine, “Vladimir Kagan is one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century. His furniture designed in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s have become icons of modernity and an obligatory reference to every designer. He is the creative grandfather of a whole new generation of designers.” His furniture is part of the permanent collections in the Albert Museum, London; the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among many others.

Kagan is also the lead interior designer for the Junior League of Las Vegas’ mid-century Morelli House preservation project. Kagan became involved with the local Junior League’s project by a twist of fate. The day after the Junior League dropped into Las Vegas Design Center to inquire about leads for mid-century modern furnishings for the Morelli House, Kagan was to be the guest speaker at Las Vegas Design Center’s First Friday Designer Lecture Series. Upon a Las Vegas Design Center official introducing Kagan to the Junior League, he enthusiastically offered to take on the project as lead interior designer showcasing his selected furnishings.

Due to Kagan’s efforts, the primary areas of the Morelli House are almost completely furnished with authentic Vladimir Kagan-designed mid-century furniture selected and placed by the master himself. Kagan solicited donated furnishings from his manufacturers, American Leather and Wieman Preview and also donated pieces from his own historical collection.

The Design Icon lecture is open to Market attendees of the trade only. To RSVP for the lecture, please e-mail Events@LasVegasMarket.com. To RSVP for the open house and book signing at the Morelli House, which is open to the general public, please e-mail jrleagueoflv@aol.com by Jan. 28, 2008.

The restoration of the Morelli House

Antonio Morelli, longtime orchestra leader and musical director at the Sands Hotel, built the house in l959, which was originally located on the Desert Inn Golf Course (now the Wynn Resort). In 2001, the Junior League saved it from demolition and relocated it to the corner of Ninth Street and Bridger Avenue on the outskirts of the historical district in downtown Las Vegas. After years of hard work and fundraising, the Junior League is in the final phase of its restoration and rehabilitation efforts to meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Structures. The Morelli House restoration was made possible by funding from the Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs and by donations from League members and the community.