Dale Chihuly, Fiori Di Como, 1998 Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada

It means flowers of the lake. But according to its creator, Fiori di Como could’ve just as easily been called something else.

“It looks more like a sea form to me,” says world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, “but I don’t pay much attention to titles.”

What Chihuly does pay attention to is scale, color and form. Especially how an installation fits in a space, in this case the spectacular 70- by 30-foot ceiling of the lobby in Bellagio Resort and Casino, where thousands of brightly colored, hand-blown, glass sculptures swirl together to create an undulating mass of otherworldly forms.

Originally inspired by the hotel’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Chihuly combined various aesthetics, from his chandeliers to his sea forms, and over thousands of hours during a two-year period to create Fiori di Como, which he called the “glory of Las Vegas” when it was installed in 1998.

And after 10 trips back to Las Vegas, in nearly as many years, he still feels that way today.

“I have to say that I am probably most proud of my installation at Bellagio,” shared Chihuly during a recent interview from his studio in Seattle. “I really like the way it looks and the way people respond to it. I can safely say that more people have commented to me about that installation than any other piece I’ve done.”

Whether that’s because they are viewing it inside one of the most fabulous resorts on the Las Vegas Strip rather than some stuffy museum, says Chihuly, could have something to do with it.

It is his mass appeal that has made it, well, so massively appealing. Much like Las Vegas, Chihuly charms people from all walks of life, economic strata and social backgrounds. Sure there’s a whole lot of glitz, but beneath the glamorous surface are the inner workings of a complex structure.

To peer inside his uniquely wonderful world, all you need to do is stand underneath Fiori di Como or visit the Chihuly Store at Bellagio, which offers a full representation of Chihuly’s works, from his vibrant, hand-blown, glass sculptures to lithographs, original drawings and a variety of books and videos recording Chihuly’s worldwide installations in such countries as Japan, Italy and Monaco.