Columnist Kate Maddox: Celebrity home decorator brings talents to Vegas

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1999 | 9:22 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, only in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at kmaddox@vegas.com or 259-2309.

The Beverly Hills Design Group has arrived in Las Vegas. Open for just a couple of weeks, the new shop is the third installment of design guru and celebrity home decorator Gregory G. Smith.

Smith, who had successful shops in SoHo and in Beverly Hills, has been in the business for 15 years and he designs, manufactures and sells his own pieces. He is also known as "the head schmoozer" -- a title he uses on his personal business cards.

His Las Vegas shop will hopefully draw the same caliber of clientele that Smith established in New York and Beverly Hills. He has "done" the homes of Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Rosie O'Donnell, Mike Myers, John Malkovich and Robert De Niro, among others, and rumor has it that he will not "do" just your average home.

Smith, who is discreet about his celeb clients, apparently starts with an empty house and will work until the toilet paper is filled and the humidor is stocked with the finest cigars, or whatever the client prefers.

His newest showroom, located on Decatur between Tropicana and Flamingo, houses the latest in "feng shui," with live grass, deep blue walls and a koi pond to balance the different points of energy -- in accordance with the rules of the Chinese design technique.

Smith allegedly chose Vegas for his new store over other hot spots, including Miami and Paris, because of its rapid population growth and the overflow of new homes -- homes which may ultimately need an interior decorator for the elitest of the elite, right here in Las Vegas.

More foibles from our lovable mayor, Oscar Goodman.

During a wedding rehearsal on Friday night at a Sun City church, a wedding party was more than a little surprised when Goodman wandered into the chapel.

It seems Goodman got a little lost looking for a town meeting that was scheduled for ANOTHER Sun City church, and good-naturedly interrupted events at the rehearsal of Christopher and Janelle McCusker (who were married the next day -- congratulations to them).

Goodman stayed, introduced himself, met the bride and groom and their wedding party, wished them well and then disappeared into the night.

Rumor has it that Las Vegas Fire Chief Mario Trevino has his sights on another city in which to fight fires.

Trevino, who has been on the job here for about three years, has applied to be the new fire chief in Washington, D.C. Knowing a little bit about how things are run in our nation's capital, this columnist would advise him to stay right here in sunny Las Vegas. The D.C. city government is still recovering from the embattled Marion Barry years.

The Titanic exhibit launched at the Rio Monday night, kicking off an indefinite run showcasing artifacts and treasures from the doomed luxury liner, which sank deep into the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.

The party, held at the Rio's famed Napa restaurant, brought out Las Vegas society and those who were more than a little curious about what has been recovered from the ship 2 1/2 miles under the sea.

The delicious array of food offered to guests was the same fare that the passengers ate aboard the Titanic before the "unsinkable" ship hit that fateful iceberg. Beef Wellington, lamb chops, chilled shrimp and champagne were available to the guests before and after they had the chance to wander through the stellar exhibit.

The exhibit itself includes some one-of-a-kind artifacts recovered during the handful of research expeditions to the Titanic that have taken place over the past decade.

Items on display include the never-before-seen D-Deck door, which was used by first-class passengers to board the ship, and which weighs 1,600 pounds. The exhibit also includes such eerie items as one passenger's suit of clothing, shoes and eyeglasses, as well as elaborate party particulars including a corked champagne bottle, fine china and fancy jewelry. However, don't hold your breath for the diamond necklace Kate Winslet sported in the movie. That was pure Hollywood fabrication.

The Titanic exhibition has traveled around that world to places such as Switzerland, Japan, England and Germany, but it will be at the Rio for some time. And even though there is no Leonardo, it is still quite remarkable to see some very real pieces of Titanic history right in our own back yard.