NEW YORK—This year marked the in-person return of DIFFA's major annual fund-raising event. Formerly known as Dining by Design, DIFFA BY DESIGN raises funds for the organization's mission to help combat AIDS, homelessness, food scarcity and mental health issues, and is Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS’ biggest fundraising event of the year.
The three-day event, which was held March 24-26 at Center415 in New York, featured dozens of vignettes from top design-industry names including Rockwell Group, Lauren Rottet, Maya Romanoff and more. In addition to the designer showcase, the experience included a gala and tasting, a silent auction, panel discussions and a curated pop-up shop by lifestyle expert Robert Verdi.
Traditionally held at Pier 92 in conjunction with the Architectural Digest Design Show, the annual event was slated to move to its new venue in 2020, but was postponed and then canceled due to the pandemic. Along with its new home, this latest iteration allows designers to expand beyond dining vignettes and create a range of communal spaces, from a whimsical park setting to a futuristic bar.
Here's a look at some of the highlights.
In celebration of Benjamin Moore's Color Trends 2022, the brand joined forces with designer Corey Damen Jenkins to create a fashionable conservatory for its installation. Antique and modern furnishings were juxtaposed against a painted floor motif, while lush trees and plants provided a fresh layer.
Photo: Alan Barry
Inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this immersive swing installation, by Carl Hansen & Søn with design by Rockwell Group, provided guests with a relaxing space that was outfitted with green mirrors, reflective surfaces and lighting that cast shadows and bounced light. Suspended green plexiglass pieces fluttered overhead, creating a twinkling disco ball effect.
Photo: Alan Barry
This futuristic bar setup from Jeffrey Beers International and Maya Romanoff played into the current space tourism trend. Inspired by films such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, the “Astral Bar” paired sharp geometric patterns with metallic tones to create the illusion of celestial surroundings. The Ajiro Burst of Happiness wall covering was designed by Jeffrey Beers International for Maya Romanoff to evoke the sensation of floating in a starry sky.
Photo: Alan Barry
Gensler New York partnered with EvensonBest, MillerKnoll, MillerBlaker and Applied Image to create “A Moment to Reflect.” The bright, lively installation aimed to encourage engagement among colleagues, friends and family.
Photo: Alan Barry
In collaboration with HDR, Giles Miller Studio presented a sculpture entitled “What Is Hope?” The spherical matrix was made up of hundreds of cylindrical modules connected by raw aluminum rods.
Photo: Alan Barry
Lauren Rottet for Rottet Studio partnered with Phillip Jeffries to manufacture a colorful, patterned custom wall covering for her space. Conceptually, the booth was an inverted present, completely wrapped in the wallpaper from floor to ceiling, so attendees physically stepped inside to unwrap it. A video showed the Rottet Collection’s Wood Float Chair and Dichroic Table in Central Park and captured the reactions of those who encountered the products during their stroll.
Photo: Alan Barry
Designers from HOK and Shaw Contract reinterpreted classic landscape elements into this whimsical environment that was crafted from Shaw Contract carpet tile and natural plywood. A path punctuated by an arched wooden trellis drew visitors into the vignette entitled “Dream.” Multilevel, carpet-clad, curvilinear forms were dotted with topiary trees.
Photo: Alan Barry
The installation from Florim and Perkins Eastman featured hand-painted fabric lining a spiraling steel frame, while Florim’s porcelain walls created a sense of movement and fluidity.
Photo: Alan Barry
The installation by Parsons’ The New School, titled “Blossom,” contained a stark field of paper flowers in red and white.
Photo: Alan Barry
Interior Design magazine presented “Unite With Love,” in collaboration with Reis Contracting and Formica. This year’s installation featured bold graphics and a clear message.
Photo: Alan Barry
“Looking Up,” a celestial lounge installation created by the LAB at Rockwell Group, offered a moment of zen, inviting guests to gather, sit and reflect within a shifting, interactive skyscape. Furnishings were provided by The Rug Company, Wallpaper Projects, Shaw and Timbur.
Photo: Alan Barry
This year, Steelcase sought to celebrate the concept of reunion by constructing a colorful tent that was reminiscent of summer nights and fireflies.
Photo: Alan Barry
Fogarty Finger partnered with Menu, Bower Studios, Maharam, Fox Fodder Farm and Unity Construction Group to create an interactive installation titled “Invitation to Reflect.” The arrangement of mirrors aimed to prompt visitors to ponder the challenges tied to living with HIV/AIDS. Cards imprinted with backwards writing that became legible when reflected in the mirror helped encourage conversation. A canopy of greenery from floral design studio Fox Fodder Farm hung overhead.
Photo: Alan Barry
With a patchwork of quilts, Dan Mazzarini of BHDM Design created a vignette featuring an abundance of rich red draping to recall the gathering at the National Mall in 1987, which recognized those that lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.
Photo: Alan Barry
New York School of Interior Design’s concept, called “unserved,” aimed to call attention to food inequality throughout three tiers of different food stabilities—from the untouchable trace of food on the bottom tier to the expensive products on the top tier.
Photo: Alan Barry
DIFFA By Design 2022 sponsors Slade Architecture and Material Bank created a room made entirely with Material Bank shipping boxes.
Photo: Alan Barry
TPG Architecture and WB Wood’s space was created in partnership with Haworth, Eventscape, Lutron and JRM. It was filled with cylindrical objects and featured dynamic lighting and reflective surfaces.
Photo: Alan Barry
Attendees were able to participate in an interactive loom demonstration from textile designer Suzanne Tick. The weaving was made of recycled materials and was auctioned off to benefit DIFFA. Attendees and fellow exhibitioners were encouraged to bring discarded and recycled materials including items of clothing, plastic packing material, mylar balloons, plastic bags, ribbons, yarns, textiles, samples and more.
Photo: Alan Barry
