The photo on the home page of their Web site helps tell the story. It shows the irrepressible team of Anthony Baratta and William Diamond sitting side by side. The chairs they occupy, covered in a bold giraffe print, are so high and skinny that they call to mind a giraffe's neck. Baratta, duded up in a Dillinger-esqe suit with wide pinstripes, is gleefully sockless.
Diamond and Baratta go together like Superman and Lois Lane, like Lewis & Clark, like Siegfried and Roy. The dynamic duo of design is known for knock-your-socks-off color, oversized patterns (ginormous houndstooth checks), bold motifs (Greek keys), and overscaled elements (pendant lights). It's not for everybody, nor is it intended to be.
Baratta studied art history, and Diamond studied painting; the two still look to paintings and sculpture for inspiration. Since launching Diamond Baratta Design more than a quarter of a century ago, they have written the book Diamond Baratta Design, designed products, and brought their inimitable style to a wide range of projects around the globe, from playful beach houses to (relatively) restrained modern apartments. We've learned to our delight that featuring a house by Diamond and Baratta in Traditional Home guarantees mail from bowled-over readers.-Rebecca Christian
Diamond and Baratta's website:
www.diamondbarattadesign.com
