party/mixer ideas

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.

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."

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.

As a nod to the walls at the Kinky Boots table, Romanoff stitched corset-like napkin holders.

Rachel Laxer Interiors' table settings included moss-covered chargers and—similar to the Kinky Boots table—corseted napkin holders.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A cute touch at Michael Amini's Old Hollywood-themed table: film canisters serving as chargers.

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.

Resembling a canopy bed, Croscill's table was covered in a bright pink quilted tablecloth and surrounded by clear Chiavari chairs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The table by Rottet Studio and Morgans Hotel Group displayed leather walls, exposed lightbulbs, and dishware that resembled curled-up book pages.

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.

At Patrón's area, the walls were draped in sheer chiffon, and hanging tequila bottles held flickering votives.

Surrounded by camellia trees, the promenade area was redone as a garden space, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau's classic La Belle et la Bête. The room highlighted Chanel's fine jewelry collection alongside flowers that shone with diamonds.

The design concept touched all areas of Skylight SoHo's 15,000-square-foot interior, including the hallway, which Target remodeled into a Parisian-style boulevard with lampposts, painted illustrations of buildings, and trees surrounded by benches.

Held on March 9, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science’s annual Galaxy Gala had an aquatic theme inspired by the museum’s new facility now under construction, which includes a 500,000-gallon aquarium. Produced by Jose Dans and held at the JW Marriott Marquis, the various centerpiece designs by Wow Factor included stacked fishbowls filled with sand, lichen, pincushion proteas, and red branches.