Designer Dining

(NEW YORK) On Tuesday night, a slew of design luminaries had the opportunity to show off their creativity and whimsy at the DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS Dining by Design gala dinner. Skylight Studios was filled with 40 tables, each uniquely created by a specific artist, architect, interior decorator, designer, or brand with the sole table requirement being the ability to accommodate 10 guests. Nautica's resembled a luxe sailboat, Ralph Lauren Home's table with a massive urn of pink hydrangeas could have been transported straight from the brand's 40th anniversary celebration at the Central Park Conservancy, and David Stark's design for Benjamin Moore was a colorful funhouse made from paint samples. 

This year, a coterie of media heavies including Gourmet, Domino, Architectural Digest, and The New York Times sponsored the gala. National sponsors are HP, Beringer, Stoli, and Benjamin Moore (also the sponsor for this year's the student design initiative for Pratt, F.I.T., School of Visual Arts, NYU and Parsons.)

Domino's setup served as the focal point of the evening. Designed by Alison Sarofim and Stuart Parr, the table definitely impressed guests like Zac Posen and Cynthia Rowley. "It's an ode to Versailles and Kara Walker," said Sarofim, who recently returned from a jaunt in Paris. With paper chandeliers hanging over a lush green diorama, it was a model of perfection. "I think it's quite genius," said Domino editor-in-chief Deborah Needleman. Posen agreed. "We have fish, lions, topiaries, moss and succulence," the designer noted.

David Rockwell's table was a knitted masterpiece. "It took 15 people one month to knit this by hand. It's performance art," he said. "It's about craftsmanship, technology and celebration." The glasses were knitted with gloved finger spaces that lit up when lifted and 24 compact fluorescent bulbs were suspended in socks for chic illumination. A bag of coordinating slippers sat next to the table for guests to wear in place of shoes. "You have to put them on and pretend you're going on an airplane," Richard Maier advised fellow diners.

Zen prevailed in Vivienne Tam's orb-like structure. "This is a symbol of peace and enlightenment," said Tam, who is also eager to design her own furniture line. Jerry Sibal of Design Fusion created a spectacular black and white scene overflowing with white orchids. Guests at his table were gifted a hand-blown glass bowl complete with a fragrant floating gardenia inside. While The Real Housewives of New York City's Jill Zarin and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps tried to get a picture taken for the New York Post, Maggie Rizer, who was seated at the Stoli table, explored the room snapping photos of her favorite creations. "These pictures don't even do it justice but I'm trying," she said, as she scrolled through her iPhone.
NOLA WEINSTEIN