With dining-room vignettes from nearly 30 artists, architects, and interior designers, Diffa Chicago's "Dining by Design" was a font of design inspiration.
This year, the use of flowers was noticeably restrained. While tables did contain floral arrangements in spots—one held lush bunches of pink roses, for example—other decor pieces incorporated more avant-garde materials. In one vignette, a tangle of wishbones covered a row of candles; another table was dotted with oversize eggs; and still another used foil-wrapped condoms as ornamentation. Here's a look at the most inspiring ideas from Diffa's Dining by Design, which took place at the Merchandise Mart from November 7 to 9.