Angeline restaurant - Atlantic City, USA

When it comes to aesthetics, casinos are rarely considered to be a bastion of good taste, but this recent opening inside the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa definitely delivers sharp enough interiors to make you think twice. In celebrity chef Michael Symon’s kitchen, the focus will be on classic Italian cooking, using red-sauce family recipes. But out in the dining room, the design is all about that oft-reference balance of old and new world.

New York City-based firm Parts and Labor design establishes this style right at the entrance, with the restaurant’s name in gold foil, a subtle nod to old-school Brooklyn storefront signages. Inside, the interplay of old and new is much more prominent.

The bar area is expectedly glitzy with its brass and leather stools, honed onyx bar top, and the illuminated bottle display. The main dining room boasts plenty of texture, too: there are semi-circle banquettes in grey leather as well as red, chairs upholstered in tweed, some in velvet, tables come in brass and in marble. Most of this was custom-designed by Parts & Labor.

While Angeline’s public spaces beautifully mix casino glam with the comfortable familiarity of your typical neighbourhood Italian restaurant, the 24-seat private dining room strives to take the level of intimacy up a notch. The design team wanted it to evoke the warmth of your mama’s dining room. So the ceiling was lowered, there are black-and-white family photos set against the walls, which are cloaked in floral wallpaper, chairs are in chocolate brown leather, and wood cabinets house tableware. And to really complete this fantasy, there’s even lace curtains, too.