Fine Dining According to Five Architects

Good design has been known to have healing properties—in some ways more directly than others. Each year, the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) enlists top professionals to create elaborate tablescapes for a fundraising gala dinner, the proceeds of which support HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and education.… While the name SOM brings to mind monolithic structures of glass and steel, the firm went a far more opulent route for its dining room. The space offers a striking contrast of texture and color: the brilliant orange sheen of copper walls, floor, and furniture against the elegant flourishes of matte black table settings.