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1. Recording Academy's Grammy After-Party Is "Dark, Mysterious" Circus Spectacle for 5,500

2. Inside the Grammy Parties: Midnight Brunch at the New W, Black Eyed Peas at the Palladium, MusiCares' Neil Young Honors

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News Archive for Diffa Dining By Design

EVENT REPORT 11.10.09 5:07 PM

Dark and Moody Accents, Animal-Inspired Decor Appear on Tabletops at Diffa's Dining by Design

A table designed by Mario Pinto with Scott Heuvelhorst Interiors
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash

FROM CHICAGO "This looks like a serial killer's home. There should be conspiracy theories written on the wall," said one guest at Thursday night's Cocktails by Design event, which served as a kickoff for a three-day Dining by Design benefit hosted by Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS. The event filled the eighth floor of the Merchandise Mart with 42 dining environments decorated by design-industry professionals ranging from painters to architects to fashion designer Maria Pinto. With so many creative professionals behind the tables, the environments ranged from a wooden box tacked with newspaper clippings and bathed in an eerie blue light—which inspired the serial-killer comment—to a cozy gazebo setting filled with fairy lights and plush Ralph Lauren pillows.

Though there were tables that defied categorization, some dining environments illustrated popular design trends; one theme was "dark and sexy atmospheres, which we're seeing everywhere this year," said Diffa's director of special events, Peggy Bellar. At an installation from Interior Investments by Gensler, black moving blankets hung behind a table surrounded with dark leather chairs; a chandelier made of painted black cardboard crowned the scene. Hermes glasses in deep purple hues spruced up place settings at a table that Herman Miller by Richard Bliss and Solomon Cordwell Bunez designed; and lacy black napkins dotted the table that Maria Pinto decorated with Scott A. Heuvelhorst Interiors. Artist Francine Turk's design also created a dark, moody ambience with black chalkboard walls, charcoal sketches of crows, and framed paintings of gold Gothic crosses. MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design

THE SCOUT 04.02.09 9:00 AM

Trend From Diffa: Putting the Focus on AIDS

Graffiti in the New York Design Center's space
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash

FROM NEW YORK A number of tables at Diffa's Dining by Design event this past week placed an emphasis on the nonprofit’s mission—raising money for AIDS service organizations—without sacrificing style or striking a somber tone. MORE >>

Diffa Dining by Design, New York Design Center, Parsons the New School for Design, Fashion Institute of Technology

THE SCOUT 04.01.09 4:15 PM

Trend From Diffa: Bright, Inventive Lighting

Jes Gordon's glowing dining environment
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash

FROM NEW YORK Lighting fixtures at Diffa’s Dining by Design event this past weekend came in many forms, including sand buckets, umbrellas, and paint cans. There were also multiple spaces with glowing accents, from tabletops to floors. MORE >>

Diffa Dining by Design, Benjamin Moore, Kravet

THE SCOUT 04.01.09 3:15 PM

Tabletop Trends From Diffa: Tumblers, Chunky Silverware, Fake Flowers

David Beahm's table for Continental Airlines
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash

FROM NEW YORK Among the recurring motifs in the table settings at Diffa’s Dining by Design event this past week were a mix of fancy pieces and more rustic touches. There were thick ceramic plates, tumblers, and flatware in dark, heavy materials as well as a thick, fancy silverware. And several designers traded live plants for silk flowers. MORE >>

Diffa Dining by Design, H.P., Continental Airlines, Ralph Lauren Home, Tiffany & Company

EVENT REPORT 04.01.09 2:42 PM

With Move to Architectural Digest Show, Diffa Raises Awareness and Foot Traffic (and Still Delivers Design Ideas)

Michael Tavano's graffiti-inspired room for the New York Design Center
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash

FROM NEW YORK On Monday night, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (Diffa) hosted its annual Dining by Design gala at Pier 94—the culmination of five days of events based around tables created by artists and interior, event, and fashion designers. This year, the organization was approached by Architectural Digest to be a part of its home design expo, affording showgoers a chance to also check out Diffa’s installations. "I think running concurrently with the Architectural Digest Home Design Show is an incredible experience in every way. People who are coming to the show are interested in design, but might not have known about us,” said Peggy Bellar, Diffa’s director of special events.

This time the number of tables dipped from 39 to 32, but pairing with Architectural Digest and lengthening the public viewing time to three days helped double foot traffic. “Certainly, this year is a tough year for everyone, and it is great to join forces and expand opportunities for exposure,” Bellar said. Diffa estimates the amount of money raised, however, dropped from $1.031 million to $750,000. MORE >>

Diffa Dining by Design, Diffa, Benjamin Moore, Stolichnaya Elit, New York Design Center, Architectural Digest, Rockwell Group, Kravet

THE SCOUT 01.21.09 10:00 AM

Eco-Conscious Arrangements Without Flowers

Big Red Sun's towering greenery at Diffa's Dining by Design showcase
Photo: Selena Souders

Established 15 years ago in Austin, Texas, environmentally conscious landscape and event design company Big Red Sun recently opened a new botanical studio and boutique in Venice. Selena Souders is the group's owner and principle designer. For events, the firm uses lush succulents and ocean-inspired elements like shells and dried sea fans—and may occasionally add a peony or orchid as an accent piece, but typically avoids cut flowers. The company also creates custom vessels for events. In addition, Big Red Sun offers its Venice space for events and group workshops on plant-related topics such as composting. —Alesandra Dubin

Going Green, Diffa Dining by Design

BEST OF 2008 11.24.08 8:00 AM

New Ideas for Food and Decor

A tabletop decor at the Robin Hood Foundation's gala
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash

MORE >>

Robin Hood Foundation, Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design, About Face Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Library, Bloomberg, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Superga

TREND SPOTTED 09.18.08 4:17 PM

Shells Wash Up on Diffa Table Designs

A wall of shells behind Bliss Design's table
Photo: Alen Lin for BizBash

In a trend that was particularly fitting for the Los Angeles stop of Diffa's eight-city Dining by Design tour, many designers incorporated shells and other sea-inspired details into their creations. Here's a look at how designers achieved beachy looks at their tables. MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design, Soolip Floracopia, Kravet, Bliss Design, Paul Bott

TREND SPOTTED 09.18.08 11:10 AM

Diffa's Abundant Lanterns

The bevy of paper lanterns at Barclay Butera's table
Photo: Alen Lin for BizBash

Lanterns in all shapes and sizes popped up at Diffa’s Dining by Design event, and not all of them hung predictably from the ceiling. Here’s a look at how designers incorporated the decorative light sources into their creations.
MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design, Soolip, Floracopia, Bliss Design, Paige and Coleman, Nicole Sassaman, West Elm, Fine Faucets, Toto

EVENT REPORT 09.17.08 7:39 PM

Designers Look to L.A. for Inspiration at Diffa's Dining by Design Benefit

Haptor and Barrett's cinema-centric table
Photo: Alen Lin for BizBash

Although the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS’s annual Dining by Design fund-raiser tour has come to Los Angeles twice before—once in 2002 and again in 2004—the organization’s special events manager, Steven Williams, felt as if he was bringing this year’s event here for the first time. “We didn’t look at it as coming back, but as a new event altogether—it’s been so long since we’ve been here, it’s like starting over,” Williams said. “So really the challenge this year was just starting the event here.”

Part of that challenge entailed finding a venue that would accommodate 27 table designs. Dining by Design invites a group of designers and sponsors to create inventive dining environments within an 11- by 11-foot space, and typically results in an elaborate showcase of event ideas and design trends. “It was difficult finding a venue out here that was large enough, wasn’t undergoing renovation, and was available,” Williams said. He settled on the L.A. Mart, in part because Diffa has a longstanding relationship with the Merchandising Mart properties—Chicago’s Dining for Design event has taken place in the Chicago Merchandising Mart for years—but also because the venue’s second floor and lobby underwent a recent renovation.

The Los Angeles event, which began on Saturday with a cocktail reception and wrapped up Monday night with a gala dinner, marked the third stop in an eight-city tour. “L.A. is a very important market to our sponsors,” Williams said. “It’s also a market where Diffa does not have a lot of presence, so we hoped to get our hands around L.A. a little bit, which can be difficult.” MORE >>

Diffa Dining by Design, Diffa, Barclay Butera Home, Haptor and Barrett, Paul Bott, Bliss Design, Janus et Cie

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