Contemporary but traditional. Exciting but relaxing. Public but private. Catch a snippet of the conversation as interior architects Ken Kulas and Ann Fleming describe their spaces and you might be confused by the antonyms used in the same breath.

Their work as the owners of Cleo Design often requires them to create two things at once. Use the refurbishment of the casino and bar areas of the Las Vegas Hilton as an example.

“The lounge is very contemporary and exciting, but it’s inspired by many elements from old Las Vegas hangouts like the Peppermill,” says Kulas, ’80 BA Art History. “We want that contemporary twist so it appeals to a broader market, but we’re also trying to bring back the historic glamour of old Las Vegas.

“The traditional makes people feel comfortable, but contemporary makes it an exciting place to be.”

The act of dining in a restaurant itself involves contrasting elements, Kulas says. “Part of eating out is that it’s something you do in public; you do it in part to be with other people. But at the same time, you’re also looking to have an intimate experience with the people you’re with.”

They often use architecture to create intimate vignettes in their large dining spaces. At the Carmel Room, the Rampart Casino’s gourmet restaurant, they used arches and drapes to create nooks. At one end of the restaurant, behind glass doors, is the “library” room. The settees, which are flanked by end tables along the walls, are meant to feel like living room sofas rather than banquet seating. The use of a warm, monochromatic color scheme ties it all together.

“We try to create different settings within one restaurant so diners have subtly different experiences,” says Fleming. “People will remember if they dined in ‘the library’ or they’ll tell their friends to request a table behind the draped nook. It’s all about creating a variety of experiences.”

Fleming and Kulas met when both were in-house designers for Mirage Resorts. There they had designed public spaces for Treasure Island, Golden Nugget, and the Mirage. At the Bellagio, Kulas was primarily responsible for the convention, high-stakes gaming, and showroom areas. Fleming worked on the Tower suites, Jasmine restaurant, and baccarat areas.

After MGM bought Mirage Resorts in 2000, the pair decided to launch their own firm. Cleo Design now has nine employees working for residential and commercial clients around the globe, including Hard Rock properties in Florida and the Wynn Macau.

In their hometown, they’ve designed the interiors of Fusia restaurant in the Luxor, Twin Creeks Steakhouse at the Silverton, and local La Salsa Mexican Cantinas. At Mandalay Bay, their list of clients include Café Giorgio, The Chocolate Swan, Nike Golf Store, The Reading Room, and The Art of Shaving.

“Hospitality is very exciting because it’s make-believe,” says Fleming.

Still, they can’t sacrifice function when coming up with an over-the-top design. So, while the Carmel Room’s serving stations are tucked out of diners’ sight, they’re not so far back that the wait staff has trouble serving the guests.

The latest trends in restaurant design actually place function at the heart of the room. “Dining now is much more than the food,” Kulas says. “Open kitchens and tableside preparation of elegant bananas foster or simple guacamole bring drama to the whole experience. And it somehow makes the food more ‘home cooked’ than when meals just arrive on a plate like banquet service.”

Accomplishing the sometimes competing goals of the restaurant owner and the chef can be tough, they both say. And the bigger the project, the more complicated the design choices become. “Everybody has an opinion, including the guests,” Kulas says.

“People just know when a design is somehow wrong — when the lighting is just a bit off or the tables are a bit too close,” Fleming says. “But when all the pieces come together, they don’t just know it, they feel it.”