A zebra can change its stripes, as demonstrated by “Dot,” the spotted zebra that stood guard over a wood farm table set against a safari-evoking backdrop. Meanwhile, a sea of faces doodled onto whiteboard gazed upon a stark white table and complementing crisp-white stools. These constitute just a smidgeon of the 33 vignettes created by celebrated architects, interior designers and brands for the 19th annual Dining by Design.
From left: New York School of Interior Design; Sasha Bikoff for Luxe Interiors + Design and Liaigre. All photography by Erik Bardin.
Benefiting DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), the five-day event took over New York City’s Pier 92, giving attendees of the concurrent AD Home Show a feast for the eyes, and culminated in a gala this week that presented a literal feast at the 33 tabletop displays for A&D industry leaders, event sponsors and guests. Dining by Design — which raises approximately $800,000 each year for HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care — invites businesses to sponsor and transform a raw space into a dining display in collaboration with local design talent, schools or in-house teams.
Rockwell Group and Knoll
The super-team of Rockwell Group and Knoll devised the “ultimate whiteboard” installation, for instance, using dry-erase product IdeaPaint to transform every surface into a canvas. New York-based artist Jon Burgerman then emblazoned the walls, floor portions, the ceiling and soffit with doodle-style faces inspired by the work of Rockwell, Knoll and DIFFA, New York City itself and the spirit of collaboration. Knoll’s 18-foot-long Reff Profiles table and Piton stools completed the composition, while a roll of white drawing paper became a table runner for visitors to add their own creative stamps and brainstorming notes.
From left: Mary Douglas Drysdale for New Growth Designs; Gensler, 3form and Herman Miller.
Another powerhouse team comprised of Gensler, 3form and Herman Miller, who fashioned pairs of the iconic, red AIDS awareness ribbons into hearts that became the table’s centerpiece. Bookending the table in reflective planes multiplied the hearts to form an infinite visual that honors the selflessness and generosity of those who support DIFFA and the larger fight against HIV/AIDS.
Julia Buckingham for Benjamin Moore and Cosentino
Textile manufacturer Sunbrella collaborated with interior designer Ghislaine Viñas for its striking space titled “Out of the Blue.” Using only Sunbrella fabrics and threads in a predominantly blue palette, Viñas recreated tropical foliage hanging from a canopy and paired it with appliqué designs meant to symbolize lives that have been saved due to growing HIV/AIDS awareness, the 37 million people living with the disease globally, the four decades of the AIDS epidemic in America and the 16 million people worldwide who are currently receiving treatment.
Architectural Digest
Dot the zebra was a nod to that table’s sponsor, home accessories company Echo, who rebranded itself with this spotted zebra as well as a return to its original 1920s cursive-letter logo. (Essentially, Echo changed its stripes. Get it?) Meanwhile, the tent-like booth utilized Echo’s Grass Cloth wallpaper finished with animal stripe and spot graphics and solid wool wrap on the backs of director-style chairs.
Echo
One of the boldest and perhaps most powerful of installations, Interior Design’s booth was conceived by Ali Tayar, the late founder of A&D firm Parallel Design and good friend of the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Cindy Allen, prior to his passing last month. His design sported walls covered in a forced-perspective striped pattern containing the word “hope” in red and white alternating stripes. Following the success of this year’s Dining by Design gala, hope flies high.
Ali Tayar and SilverLining Interiors for Interior Design
From left: Studio O+A and Teknion; Arteriors.
M Moser Associates
Lladró and Darrin Varden Design for The New York Times