| EVENT REPORT 11.10.09 5:07 PM |
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Dark and Moody Accents, Animal-Inspired Decor Appear on Tabletops at Diffa's Dining by Design
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 | A table designed by Mario Pinto with Scott Heuvelhorst Interiors
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash |
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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.
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Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design |
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| EVENT REPORT 04.01.09 2:42 PM |
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With Move to Architectural Digest Show, Diffa Raises Awareness and Foot Traffic (and Still Delivers Design Ideas)
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 | Michael Tavano's graffiti-inspired room for the New York Design Center
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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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.
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Diffa Dining by Design, Diffa, Benjamin Moore, Stolichnaya Elit, New York Design Center, Architectural Digest, Rockwell Group, Kravet |
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| TREND SPOTTED 11.26.08 10:00 AM |
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Disco, Rock, and '80s Pop Influence Entertainment, Menus, and Decor
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 | Dancers showed off their moves at a M.A.C. Cosmetics' Gold Fever event in Toronto.
Photo: Andreas & Co. |
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Aussie Hair Cair, Tiffany, Macy's, Cyndi Lauper, MC Hammer, Collaboraction, YouthAIDS, Diffa, Absolut, Diesel |
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| BEST OF 2008 11.24.08 8:00 AM |
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The Rebound
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 | Sarah Schnell
Photo: Lee Hoagland for BizBash |
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Problem: In 2005, the Chicago chapter of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (Diffa) saw some unfortunate on-site logistical challenges mar its annual gala, typically one of the year’s most anticipated events. Although the event was successful in terms of sponsorship and auction revenue, problems with the caterer, valet, and venue resulted in some unfavorable guest experiences and, ultimately, a drop in sponsorship commitments in 2006. “In the years leading up to the 2006 event, although increasingly financially successful, we had endured a number of production challenges that many of our sponsors felt were falling short of their expectations,” says Diffa/Chicago gala co-chair Erik Parks. In late 2005, Diffa/Chicago approached Total Event Resources and senior program manager Sarah Schnell to partner with them to produce the gala. “The Diffa committee sources event sponsors, but because of the challenges faced with the 2005 gala, they were having a tough time securing sponsorships. And without sponsors, there is no event and less money to go toward the donor recipients,” says Schnell.
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Diffa |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.17.08 7:39 PM |
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Designers Look to L.A. for Inspiration at Diffa's Dining by Design Benefit
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 | Haptor and Barrett's cinema-centric table
Photo: Alen Lin for BizBash |
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FROM LOS ANGELES
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.”
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Diffa Dining by Design, Diffa, Barclay Butera Home, Haptor and Barrett, Paul Bott, Bliss Design, Janus et Cie |
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| FROM THE EDITORS 04.07.08 5:31 PM |
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Looking at Diffa's Trove of Tabletop Design Ideas
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 | A cardboard and plywood dining room designed by Pratt students
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash |
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FROM NEW YORK
Each year when the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS Dining by Design benefit hits New York—recruiting designers to dream up elaborate tabletop looks—we record the myriad inspirational ideas the event offers. This year was no exception, and our style editors were on the prowl last week, spotting new place setting concepts, identifying color trends, and (lucky you) highlighting the event’s 10 most steal-able ideas. You can find an archive of our coverage of the event here.
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Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design |
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