Designers at Diffa's Dining by Design showcase always offers a multitude of concepts to adapt to other events. This year's most-likely-to-reappear concepts included patterned seat cushions, veggies as centerpiece fodder, and napkin rings made from colored paper swatches. Here's a list of ideas that made an impression.
Note: You can find all of our coverage of Diffa's Dining by Design event here.
Students from Parsons the New School of Design used measuring tapes and wax pencils as napkin rings to tie into their design-driven, blueprint-laden table. (They also partially dipped stemware into paint.)
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Chandeliers fabricated from cut paper mimicked the fancy crystal kind and added a twist to the French look at Domino magazine's table.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Stalks of broccoli in miniature glasses added a playful touch of greenery at William Stubbs's table for Architectural Digest.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
A clever way of repurposing old reading materials, Faune Yerby fashioned an accordion-like table runner out of book covers bound together with ribbon. The designer also used open books to create collaged place settings.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Fashion designer James Coviello's folksy-patterned tweed seat cushions gave chairs a new look, breaking the solid-color habit.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Students from the Fashion Institute of Technology repackaged place settings as picnic baskets—and included a potted pansy for each guest, which acted as a personal centerpiece as well as a gift.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Instead of committing to one theme, Michael Tavano combined three styles in one table for the New York Design Center. The traditional, modern, and contemporary furnishings and accessories were intended to showcase the design center's wide range of offerings and audiences.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Playing off Assouline's book Inspired Styles, Kravet Inc.'s design filled heavy glass jars with a collection of inspirational items ranging from foil-covered chocolates to crayons.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Paint swatches turned up in many designs, and Vicente Wolf's hand-cut napkin rings—on his table for The New York Times—showed a simple, smart application.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
Students from Pratt Institute created their own containers by transforming humble sheets of cardboard into spiral-shaped vases. As another way of reusing materials in a new way, the designers covered the table with plywood squares, making a unique multilevel surface.
Photo: Francine Daveta for BizBash
