Diffa Showcases New Ideas (Part Three)

The white walls around the Lexus table, designed by Toyota Motor Corporation's Jota Kusakari and Keiko Shishido, curved in to create a sleek surface for projections that added a feeling of movement—an appropriate look for a luxury car brand.

Marco Pasanella, an interior designer and architect (as well as owner of the new South Street Seaport wine store Pasanella and Son Vintners), gave his table a simple look with playful touches inspired by Sicilian farmhouses. Bunches of purple grapes, fresh fettuccini, and rolled up pages of the pink Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport hung around the table, which was covered in brown paper painted with an Italian drinking game called “spin the salami.”

The lavish royal pavilion at Brighton, England, served as inspiration to the partners at Philip Gorrivan Design. Various black, white, and silver elements were used, including a 1970's chandelier that echoed the 18th-century Moorish fretwork pattern in the fabric that draped the entry to the dining space. The fabric covered the table and chairs, and a whimsical touch was the inclusion of ostrich trim on chair cushions and an infusion of colorful flowers on the tabletop.

Bold colors and Thai statues were prominent at the table from Barclay Butera and Two's Company/Tozai Home. For a setting that combined Asian influences with a 1960's vibe, Butera played with a yellow, gold, and orange color palette, floral patterns, bright flowers, and Thai statues. The center of attention was a large, seated Thai statue in a bed of mango-colored orchids.