20 Place Setting Ideas From Diffa's Dining by Design: Napkin Styling, Flatware Trends, and More

For New York Design Center's table, Coffinier Ku Design folded rose-hued napkins into flowers and topped each one with a flower- and water-filled glass bowl.

At Tessa Morehouse's exotic setting for Velvet Antler, each guest got a small fishbowl that contained a beta fish. Each plate was trimmed with a handful of star anise and topped with a napkin adorned with a peacock feather.

At Eric Warner's golden-hued table for Aesthete Ltd., each plate had the image of a gold ribbon. Small LED votives immersed in gold glitter added to the sparkly effect.

David Beahm added a cheeky touch—dinner plates and boxes of condoms bearing the faces of Prince William and Kate Middleton—to his otherwise lush and formal tented setting.

David Rockwell's rose-covered table had rose-shaped napkins, as well.

2Michaels turned sponsor Flor's floor tiles into place mats. Spools of thread tied in the textile theme and served as napkin rings.

Echodesign used silky patterned napkins tied in knots and matte gold flatware.

Marc Blackwell's brown and white place setting included paint-dipped flatware (a big trend at Diffa), as well as silver-edged glassware.

MMPI's table by D'Apostrophe Design had place settings held in place by long bands of latex.

Scalamandré's table had parasol name tags on each person's plate, as well as preppy patterned napkins.

Fashion Institute of Technology students worked with design mentor Preston Bailey to create a forest setting, complete with wood chargers and terrarium plate toppers. For an extra touch, the flatware and napkins were gathered together with a ribbon.

Mary Davis Interiors had a striking minimalist array of dishware, both round and square, plus mesh napkins.

Diane von Furstenberg's table featured her new line of dishes, which come in an array of patterns and angular shapes. Lucite cutlery and blue glassware added to the modern, colorful look.

Paint-dipped flatware appeared at Caroline McKeough's table, as well as tall, glued-together glassware and black-and-white patterned plates.

Evette Rios's table evoked a rainy dinner on a covered patio. Rain-themed touches included napkins folded around umbrella handles.

Liebherr's picniclike setting by Eric Corey Freed had bamboo plates and utensils and colorful folded napkins.

Jeffrey Brooks Interior Design placed small picture frames under overturned goblets. Napkins embroidered with tiny metallic designs completed the look.

At the New York School of Interior Design's setting, overseen by Philip Gorrivan, Lucite boxes served as place settings. Each one contained a glowing red light and silver chopsticks.

Bobby Berk Home and Marc Wilson Design's playful place settings had plates with maps, gold flatware, and clear tumblers with swirly patterns.

Michael Tavano used several patterned plates and a fabric place mat, and incorporated an offset folded napkin into each place setting.