Diffa's four-day event ran alongside the Architectural Digest Home Show. Attendees entered the Diffa section of the trade show floor by walking through a tunnel of exposed lightbulbs that hung overhead.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At Gensler and Herman Miller's vignette, the dining table was surrounded by walls covered in thousands of Hershey's Kisses wrapped in purple foil. Attendees were invited to take one as a symbol of the "many hands it takes to spark positive change."
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
As part of Diffa's Student Design Initiative, five of New York's top design schools created installations for the showcase, under the direction of industry mentors and within a strict budget. Students from the Pratt Institute, working with mentor Arpad Baksa, used Pegboard, twinkle lights, and individually placed test tubes to create a sparkling rendering of a world map.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Maya Romanoff and the Rockwell Group collaborated with the producers of Kinky Boots to create a dining environment that would celebrate the April 4 opening of the Broadway show. A chandelier of patent leather boots interspersed with red lightbulbs floated above the red tabletop, and the wall panels were designed to resemble laced-up corsets.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
As a nod to the walls at the Kinky Boots table, Romanoff stitched corset-like napkin holders.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Many designers had spring on the mind, with several environments dedicated to garden motifs. Rachel Laxer Interiors with Robert Kuo designed an ode to Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard with a mural of an 18th-century woman falling from a swing and a centerpiece of moody floral arrangements and fresh fruit.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Rachel Laxer Interiors' table settings included moss-covered chargers and—similar to the Kinky Boots table—corseted napkin holders.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The Eric Warner for Aesthete table, hosted by Tracy Reese, also jumped on the spring bandwagon, featuring faux butterflies and lightbulbs hanging from an overhead trellis, as well as a wall displaying patterned fabric panels and a silhouette made entirely out of moss.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Beacon Hill conceived a Midnight Garden vignette, which was hidden behind walls of boxwood shrubs draped in patterned fabric. The moody setting included an arrangement of twinkle lights, moss, orchids, and silk butterflies.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Aerin Lauder designed a table for Kravet that showcased her yet-to-be-released fabric collection for Lee Jofa, covering the table and surrounding walls in a purple damask-patterned linen. The table settings included rattan chargers and bamboo flatware.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Kenneth Cobonpue's table was enclosed inside a sort of wicker birdcage. At the center of the organic wooden table was a mound of moss topped with bowls that held live Betta fish; directly above was a chandelier composed of glass jars holding faux fireflies.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Echo Design’s table celebrated nature by encasing artfully arranged insects, butterflies, and shells inside a clear tabletop. Several of the company’s patterned scarves were backlit on the surrounding walls.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Another trend spotted on the Diffa floor: black-and-white stripes. The Architectural Digest table featured the striking pattern on the china, the surrounding columns, a giant paper lantern, and the table itself. A centerpiece of brightly hued anemones and poppies popped against the stark palette.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The New York School of Interior Design led by Marc Blackwell set up a table that paid tribute to the fight against AIDS with a table runner composed of hundreds of red ribbons.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A cute touch at Michael Amini's Old Hollywood-themed table: film canisters serving as chargers.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Titled "Dinner in the Boudoir de Madame," the installation created by Charlene Bank Keogh, Adeline Olmer, and Blane Charles was designed to look like the apartment of an eccentric socialite. Housed inside the base of one of the Lucite coffee tables were several pairs of red high heels.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Federico Delrosso for Corinthian Capital Group built a dining room inside a fabricated rooftop-style water tower. New York City rooftop views were projected onto the walls inside.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Resembling a canopy bed, Croscill's table was covered in a bright pink quilted tablecloth and surrounded by clear Chiavari chairs.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
David Stark returned to create an installation for paint company Benjamin Moore. The entire room—from the floor to the chandeliers—was painted in a kaleidoscope of colors, and on the back wall, an LED screen looped a video montage of Stark's team designing the space from start to finish.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Orange was popular color choice this year. Marc Blackwell painted an entire wall in the hue, covering it with an eclectic collection of china. Nearby, a giant tree-stump table displayed a oversize drum shade lamp as a centerpiece, surrounded by orange and white tulips. A charming touch: porcelain birds at each place setting made chirping noises.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Vern Yip also went for orange with his design for Fabricut, which included an oversize, damask-patterned drum shade chandelier and a centerpiece composed of fabric flowers.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The table Frette designed for The New York Times was housed inside a black-and-white striped cabana. With rustic wood accents, fresh oranges, and arrangements of olive tree branches, the tabletop had a Tuscan countryside vibe.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The design from New York University students mentored by David Rockwell and Barry Richards was dubbed "Desconstructed Closet"; the table, chairs, and backdrop were all made using wire hangers.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Interior design firm EDG's offering was a collapsible, portable dining unit, designed to be used as a pop-up restaurant or alongside food trucks. The chandeliers were made from plastic straws, and the table centerpieces included frosted Mason jars holding votive candles.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At the Ralph Lauren Home table, vases filled with fluffy white ranunculuses echoed the oversize white paper lanterns glowing overhead. A slate waterfall backdrop flanked by palm tree trunks completed the tranquil scene.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Flexform & Dror's tribute to water conservation included chalkboard walls that had water factoids scrawled across them; at the center was a moving projection of a waterfall.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The table by Rottet Studio and Morgans Hotel Group displayed leather walls, exposed lightbulbs, and dishware that resembled curled-up book pages.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Working with Jes Gordon, students from the Fashion Institute of Technology composed a black, white, and gold look. Overhead, black-and-white portraits hung from a circular, glowing chandelier.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At Patrón's area, the walls were draped in sheer chiffon, and hanging tequila bottles held flickering votives.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Stefan Steilish composed an installation of individual tables separated by Lucite dividers. The idea behind the design was that people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS can feel isolated, but once that person looks beyond, he or she realizes that others are facing the same fears, and connection is possible.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The J. Paul Getty Trust's J. Paul Getty Medal Presentation
Held at the Getty Center in Los Angeles on November 9, the award dinner featured glowing tables decked with butterflies.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
For the New York Public Library's Library Lions event in 2008, guests passed through archways of autumn leaves en route to the benefit's cocktail space.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash
At the Elle Women in Hollywood awards this month at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, long-time producer Caravents worked with Elle event director Katie Crown on the overall vision and event design. Blush tones in details from the linens to the roses created a feminime feel along with graphite mirror runners with clear cylinder vases.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
Nordstrom's Shoes of Prey Launch Party
Costume designer Janie Bryant hosted a launch party for Shoes of Prey, a company that lets consumers design their own shoes, at Nordstrom in Bellvue, Washington, on November 20. The event featured flowerlike sculptures made out of carefully arranged shoes, and guests could test out the service on digital tablets.
Photo: Team Photogenic
"By far one of the coolest catering concepts I've experienced was for TEDMed's 2013 conference dinner at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. United Kingdom company Gastrophonic worked with Occasions Caterers to design multiple flights of food and drink that combined the taste and smell of the small plates with your senses of sight and sound through lighting and music. As the music got bolder, the combinations of flavors in the food and drinks did too. With the food all placed on shelves at illuminated stations, it was an amazing, full-sensory experience." —D. Channing Muller, contributing editor
Photo: Pepe Gomez/Pixelme Photogaphy
Sutra International Design used leafy branches to make centerpieces that resembled miniature trees for the Palm Beach Heart Ball in February.
Photo: Lucian Capehart
The nonprofit Imagine1Day—which supports education in Ethiopia—hosted its first gala, honoring Tracy Anderson, at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on November 19. To label each seat, organizers placed stones emblazoned with individual guest names on tabletops.
Photo: Jessica Castro Photography
Emmy Governors Ball
The 2011 Emmy Governors Ball had the theme of "mod illusions" with a 1960s-style black-and-white decor scheme that hearkened back to the era of Truman Capote's famous bash.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
'People' and Entertainment Industry Foundation SAG Awards After-Party
Working with Time Inc.'s Cyd Wilson, Tony Schubert of Event Eleven designed and produced the Los Angeles affair for the fifth consecutive year in 2013. The event had an overall look and feel Schubert described as "romantic" and "rich," evocative of the Art Deco era. The color scheme incorporated plenty of wine-red hues.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Servers greeted guests at the entrance with mistletoe shots, made with peppermint schnapps and pomegranate juice.
Photo: Emma McIntyre for BizBash
TEDxSomerville
Guests reclined on large pillow chairs from Yogibo at TEDxSomerville, held at the Brooklyn Boulders indoor rock climbing facility in the Boston suburb in March 2014.
Photo: Patrick Rogers
"H&M Live From Central Park" Fashion Show
For the 2005 event in New York, Guests passed through Raul Avila's 16- by 12-foot curtain of hand-strung orchids before entering the cocktail reception area.
Photo: Jeff Thomas/ImageCapture
Photo: Matthew Bologna/BizBash
Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli New York
Champagne-colored linens will top tables for the 1,300 guests at the ceremony dinner.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Samsung made a splash with a booth that gizmodo.com called the best of C.E.S. It felt "like you were in a Disney Tomorrowland funhouse stuffed with the toys of the future that you can play with today," wrote editor Roberto Baldwin.
Photo: Jacob Kepler for BizBash
“Glassware can be mixed and matched to complement any color palette." —Jaime Geffen of YourBash in Santa Monica, California Colored glassware, prices upon request, available nationwide from Casa de Perrin
Photo: Courtesy of Casa de Perrin
At the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS' Dining by Design benefit in New York in 2012, David Stark's installation for Benjamin Moore used real books and hand-made pop-up books to highlight the concept behind the brand's slogan: “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.”
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Centerpieces at the Chef's Table were a woodsy display with birch branches, moss, ferns, succulents, and orchids.
Photo: World Red Eye
Deutsch LA Holiday Party
The company hired performers to dress in disco-appropriate garb, hit the dance floor, and mingle with guests.
Photo: Sherri J. Photography
A discreet entrance to the official SAG awards after-party hosted by People magazine was designed to recall the days of private speakeasies (although no password was required for party access).
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
National College Football Championship Game Party
To celebrate this year's National College Football Championship game in Dallas, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Joule Dallas owner Tim Headington, and advertising executive Ray Clark hosted a bash dubbed “the Night Before." Held at the Joule's new lounge Midnight Rambler on January 11, the evening offered trays filled with treats including lollipops with the logos of the game's two competing teams: Ohio State University and the University of Oregon. Lara Beth Seager, vice president of global hospitality for the Marketing Arm, planned the event.
Photo: Mei-Chun Jau
Taylor Creative's Hudson collection comes in a soft gray ultra-suede and features a chair ($225) and sofa ($425) that are available to rent throughout the mid-Atlantic region, as well as from the company's Las Vegas location.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Creative Inc.
