For Alain Alegretti’s newest, Azure by Alegretti in the recently opened Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, designer Chris Sheffield found inspiration in “Alain's Mediterranean heritage, and his strong connection to the sea,” says Sheffield, founder of Philadelphia-based SLDesign. “We wanted to evoke the luxury of the palatial Belle Epoque hotels of the French Riviera and the fanciful post-war modernism of Italian architect Gio Ponti.”

Says Alegretti: “I've always dreamed of opening an ocean side seafood restaurant, so when this came along we couldn't pass it up. My goal was to bring a taste of my own French Riviera roots to the Jersey Shore.”

With that in mind, there’s a statuarietto marble bar with a brass and antique mirror backbar; French oak paneling inlaid with brass trim envelopes the 18-foot vaulted ceilinged space; banquettes are wrapped in blue leather; chairs feature curved walnut backs; and three Ponti-inspired geometric carpet patterns are done in sea-inspired white, cobalt, and sea foam. Meanwhile, custom chandeliers and wall sconces inspired by 1960s Italian design “create a sense of intimacy and wonder overhead,” says Sheffield. “We really manipulated the scale of the patterns and tried to keep it playful. We wanted to design a fine dining space that was energetic and aspirational, not stuffy and formal.”

The highlight, says Sheffield: the Pucci-inspired, hand-tufted carpet in the private dining room. “Everything else in the room is a deep vermilion color—the aniline dyed wall panels, the leather upholstered dining chairs, even the ceiling finish is an abstract print featuring a vermilion stripe, but the carpet bursts out of the corner of the wedge-shaped room and fills it with energy.”  

Alegretti’s favorite element: the Christian Lacroix curtains in the main dining room. “They are huge in size and the colors are loud and vibrant and I think that dynamic works really well off the subdued ocean views.”