Out & About

By Stefi Zak
DIFFA Grants Reception

DIFFA Grants Reception
-Photos By Randy korwin
DIFFA/Chicago (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS/Chicago) proudly awarded 27 local organizations $200,000 in unrestricted Grants. All demonstrated extraordinary effectiveness in their chosen missions in the HIV/AIDS arena. Inscape hosted the ceremony in their showroom at the Merchandise Mart. They along with corporate sponsors: Herman Miller, Knoll, Desks Inc. ,Corporate Concepts, Henrickson, and Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. were invited to participate in distributing the unrestricted funds to the community based organizations. These Grant recipients serve men, women, and children affected by AIDS and HIV related illnesses.

Out and About, Awards Issue 2007 thumbnails

Diffa Chicago's Dining By Design
-Photos By Whatory Studios
Celebrating its ten year anniversary, the Dining By Design event held on Saturday, November 10th drew more than 350 guests who had the privilege of sitting at the tables of some of Chicago’s most notable designers and architects. This ten year anniversary tour was presented by Elle Décor and GE Monogram in addition to sponsors, Benjamin Moore, Inscape, Merchandise Mart Properties Rosemount Estate and Corzo tequila.

i4design Summer Release Party Orange Skin NeoCon 2007
i4design celebrated the summer release of their new issue in conjunction with Orange Skin to kick off the NeoCon World’s trade fair where 50,000 design professionals converged to attend one of the single most important industry events of the year. Guests who arrived were welcomed with freshly made Mojito’s provided by Ten Cane Rum and samplings of Nuevo Latino appetizers from Mas restaurant. Orange Skin introduced their new line of outdoor furniture by Gandia Blasco and gave away five Chair One’s by Konstantin Grcic, winners of the chairs were, Dave Gonzales, Kit Mueller, Jennie Bishop, Tasha Ransom and Yann Woolley. Everyone walked away with with a gift bag full of goodies including custom designed t-shirts and special CD mixed for the occasion before dashing off to beat the line that was quickly forming at the after party at Krem.

NeoCon NOT Guerilla Furniture & Art Truck Show
The third annual furniture and art show was held during NeoCon 2007 where trucks were backed up along the loading docks of Fulton Market for furniture designers and artists to show their designs.

VIP After Hours Party NeoCon 2007
After celebrating the release of i4design magazine’s summer release at Orange Skin, it was on to Krem where partygoers came out in droves to see guest, DJ Kreemy, a.k.a., Karim Rashid and Derrick Carter rock the house. Designed by Obi and Graunk of Orange Skin Design, the new club located in Lincoln Park lives up to it’s reputation where it takes it’s name from the phrase; creme de la creme. Draped in white linens, and mod furniture thru out including a thirty three foot bed along the back wall of the club, guests partied until the wee hours of the morning before reluctantly heading out to get some rest before the second day of NeoCon arrived.

Zhou Brothers 30 Year Retrospective August 30th, National Art Museum of China
The largest and most comprehensive presentation of the Zhou Brothers’ oeuvre to date was exhibited at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing on August 30th. The entire collection consists of more than 300 paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures. While much of the Zhou Brothers’ work has been shown by various institutions throughout the world, in this exhibition, the early impressionist and realist paintings from China played a major part of the exhibition.

i4design Suite Sixteen Magazine Release Party February 16th 2007
The hip and sheik design crowd showed up at Del La Costa on February 16th to share in the celebration of i4design magazine’s first anniversary. In honor of this event i4design magazine unveiled their annual Wall of Fame showcasing the portraits of some of the most interesting and accomplished ground breakers they came across in their first year. On it were, Judi Niedermaier, Anil Ahuja, Doug Farr, Suhail, Natalie Banaszak, Keitha Brathwaite, Christy Webber, Sarah Dunn and Martin Felsen, Hughes N’Cho-Allepot, Morlen Sinoway, Jeremy Shamrowicz and Jesse Meyer, Elva Rubio, Spiro Tsirandis, Kathleen Brandenburg and Dan Kraemer, Elizabeth Smith and Martial. Moet Hennessey’s 10 Cane Rum was the featured drink with fresh Mojito’s hand muddled at the table side bars at each of the cabanas throughout the room. As guests were leaving, models provided by Ford Management handed out individual cupcakes in carry out cartons complete with a birthday candle.

The Art of Art, Fashion and Design
A to the Power of Three was the theme of this soirée as designers, artists and fashionistas gathered at the Kasia Kay Art Project, a gallery in Fulton market to celebrate the art of fun. Hosted by four of Chicago’s Design Diva’s in their own right, were Kasia Kay, Basia Froussard, Jordana Joseph and Teri Tito. In an intimate back room of the gallery, guests swirled and sipped their way through bottles of Ruinite Champagne provided by Moet Hennessey and snacked on risotto Fritters made by the hands of Bruno Abate, owner and chef of Follia. Those with a sweet tooth didn’t leave unsatisfied either as they left with ‘syringes’ of liquid cotton candy designed by the fusion artist/chef Homaro Cantu of Motto.

An Evening At The Pier CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION
The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) attracted 800 people and raised more than $589,00 to benefit CAF programs at the Auxiliary Board of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s An Evening at the Pier Gala in Chicago’s magnificent historic gem- the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier. Co-chairs of the event were Rika Semba Dike, Davis Ross Dike and Nancy and Raj Gupta. Guest were welcomed by John Syversten, CAF Chair, Board of trustees and Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Foundation as well as Ray and Judy McCaskey of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

IIDC & ASID Holiday Party December 11th 2006
IIDC & ASID Illinois Chapters hosted their 4th Annual Holiday Rendezvous. The Latin themed event was held at Carnivale Restaurant in Chicago. Proceeds from the event were donated to IIDC (the Illinois Interior Design Coalition). Coverings was the premier sponsor this year.

Robert Allen Gala, New York City January 4th 2007
Acclaimed designer Larry Laslo, introduced his new exclusive fabric collection for The Robert Allen Group who then hosted a gala at the New York Public Library followed by a tour of the company’s headquarters on West 42nd street in Manhattan. Local interior design showroom Chicago Design Team (CDT) was named Agent Showroom of the Year at the Robert Allen Group national sales meeting. This is the second consecutive time that Robert Allen has bestowed this honor on the Arlington Heights-based company.

Colori Me Red American Heart Association Soiree February 1ST 2007
Guests were dripping in red- from red Converse sneakers to sexy dresses to scarves and red-striped socks as they celebrated at Michelle Herzog’s Colori paint and design boutique benefiting the American Heart Association’s, Go Red for Women fundraiser. The atmosphere was enhanced by red lighting, art installations with light boxes and red paint and included bouquets of exotic deep red flowers by Jayson Home & Garden, FLOR’s deep red carpet tiles embraced the red theme from the ground up and a Red beta fish named Fez, after a C2 paint color, brought the color red to life.

DIFFA/Chicago Excellence in Care Awards February 14th 2007
DIFFA/Chicago (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS/Chicago) proudly awarded 23 local organizations $200,000 in unrestricted Grants for demonstrating extraordinary effectiveness in their chosen missions in the HIV/AIDS arena. This ceremony took place on Tuesday, February 13, 2007, with more than 90 people in attendance on the night of Chicago’s first significant snowfall. Herman Miller hosted the event in their showroom located 321 Merchandise Mart. In recognition of the continued fundraising partnerships with our sponsors, industry leaders were invited to present the awards along with DIFFA’s Executive Committee.