Innovative New 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."

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.

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.

A dancer appeared to be attached to butterfly wings that moved on the screen behind her. Corporate Magic's Stephen Dahlem said they created the effect by first recording a dancer in front of a green screen in order to determine placement of the wings.

Trio Zazi welcomed guests at the entrance, giving a performance from floating platforms.

TED Session 2, "The Parlor," opened with a performance by dance company Quixotic Fusion that was a combination of movement and technology. The performers interacted with each other and with objects projected around them.