Dining by Design 2013 - Tabletop Design

(Design by Marc Blackwell)Need decorating inspiration for your next holiday dinner party? Take a look at the following exciting tabletop design set in wild, fantasy backdrops and you won’t be able to wait to host your next party!  DIFFA, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, hosted their annual fundraising Dining by Design event showing off creations by top designers and event planners. 

The lingering cold weather outside may protest, but springtime flourished through the tabletop décor at the show. Designer Marc Blackwell, known for his tabletop and home accessories, showed off his sparkling china collection – with designs so beautiful, they deserved to be displayed both on the table and on the wall! The orange tulip centerpiece picked up the sunny color scheme from the china.

(Design by Echo)Echo Design also ushered in spring with their butterfly and seashell tabletop décor. Echo Design started their company with a collection of scarves; since then they have expanded to creating bedding and bath accessories. For their display, they enclosed a seashell and butterfly collection under a glass tabletop and painted a mural of butterflies fluttering by.  

Kenneth Cobonpue, a Filipino designer, set his outdoor party in a green, eco-friendly and very romantic gazebo. Who said green design can't be beautiful? Cobonpue added dishes of bamboo and touches of green with leafy napkin rings and a moss centerpiece. The airy gazebo and furniture is made of easily renewable rattan. 

(Design by Kenneth Cobonpue)(Design by Kenneth Cobonpue)Interior designer, Rachel Laxer, imagined an 18^th-century French garden fete for a very theatrical party design. Corsets lace in the napkins amidst an abundant bouquet of roses and ranunculi. The gold stools and table is designed by Robert Kuo. A cheeky mural - a la Fragonard - of a ballgowned-lady brings fun and frivolity to the setting.

(Design by Rachel Laxer with Robert Kuo)Designer Ali Tayar collaborated with Alejandro Cabrera to create a modernist approach to the Last Supper.  By using checkerboard graphics, a skewed perspective and striking red chairs, the result is a dizzying feast for the eyes.

(Design by Ali Tayar and Alejandro Cabrera)

Interested in learning more about decor? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

Preview: Architectural Digest Home Design Show

Spring is definitely here when you see signs for the annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show.  Always held in March, the AD show heralds the latest trends in interior décor and home furnishings. 

New Yorkers fling off their winter blues and make the trek to the piers for the largest venue of furniture, lighting, and accessories. Besides home furnishings, Pier 94 will also exhibit DIFFA's Dining by Design event.  DIFFA or Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids shows off tabletop design & accessories and other display creativity from top event planners and interior designers.

If you're going to be in town from March 22nd to 24th, come drop by at the show. For ticket and venue information, go to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show site.