Even though Lobby Supper Club's opening party coincided with Leonardo DiCaprio's birthday in 2005, the dance club's heat didn’t last long. It was a surprise because Sam Nazarian and Brent Bolthouse were the Nightlife forces behind the venue. As the A-list flocked to their other venues, Hyde Lounge, Area and Privilege, Lobby quietly closed and buzz-worthy designers Frank X. Medrano and Steve H. Brabson of Franklin Studios were brought in to give it a complete overhaul. Details are still hush-hush, but we charmed them into giving us some hints.

What will Lobby Supper Club look like when it reopens in October?
FXM: It'll be lavish, ornate, and a flashback to early 20th century high society.

What's it like to work for Brent Bolthouse?
FXM: He’s got a great sensibility of what people want in LA and he knows how to give it to them.
SHB: [Bolthouse and Nazarian] are risk takers. They assume that they're at the top of the food chain and they're going to stay there.

What do you think of "Top Design?"
SHB: No comment.
FXM: It's pure entertainment. It's somewhat insulting to true interior designers. It doesn't seem like you can discover a 'top designer' in 40 episodes. It's entertainment, pure entertainment. [Ed. note: Medrano used to work at KWID, which is owned by Kelly Wearstler, one of the judges on "Top Design."]

What's your inspiration?
SHB: We're fans of Carlos Scarpa and Santiago Calatrava. We like Italian and Spanish designers and architects because they're more in touch with the world of fine art and they are sort of poetic in their design.

What else are you working on?
SHB: We just signed a big project with the Light Group in Las Vegas. It's a huge complex [called] The City Center. It's going to be a combination of a nightclub, lounge, and gaming room. It's a new thing to mix all these things together in one room, so that you can go with your girlfriend and as she has a drink, you can go gamble. Project CityCenter.


The Franklin Studios boys just designed Tengu in Santa Monica. Isn't it purrrty?