Diamond Baratta Interiors

I think one of the reasons I'm so into this blog is because I get to share some of my favorite things, including designers, with the rest of you who are interested in the design world. There are so many amazing designers out there that I thought I would concentrate one post a month on a specific designer (or design team). The problem is, there are so many to choose from that I wasn't even sure where to begin. I thought I would pull names out of a hat (figuratively speaking) and see what happened...Here is my first "choice":

Let me introduce you to, or reacquaint you with, the incredible duo of William Diamond and Anthony Baratta, better known to the design community as Diamond and Baratta Design. I love this picture of them from their website. I don't think you could ask for a better representation of their design persona, I mean, just look at the fabulous chairs they are sitting in!! This team is known for their use of scale, pattern and ingenious color combinations throughout their designs. They have designed everything from a comfortable and cheeky Beachfront Cottage to a modern Manhattan penthouse to a traditional English estate. Their interiors have a very distinctive look yet they cater to each individual client's needs and tastes. I am constantly in awe at their courageous use of color and pattern and was so excited when they came out with a line of fabrics for Lee Jofa and carpets for Stark (for those of us who sometimes need a little encouragement when it comes to those areas of design). They have been published many, many times over and have written a book on design with the same title as their firm.

I'm excited to share their unique take on design with you, here are just a few of my favorite interiors:

























Some of my most favorite rooms have got to be their kitchens. I love their use of overscale pendant lights over immense islands on top of the fun flooring they incorporate to lighten up the space:













I hope you enjoyed a look at this talented design team and are inspired to think outside the box when it comes to color, pattern and scale. They are truly an inspiration to me!!

Friday Flickr Find

viola for potpourri, originally uploaded by june_c_oka.

River Llugwy, originally uploaded by Stu Worrall.

yellow and purple, originally uploaded by jgrantmac.

WALK WITH ME, originally uploaded by ESOX LUCIUS.

Can you tell I'm wishing for Spring!!??

DIY Contest!

I just saw this DIY Contest on the Design*Sponge blog and I think I might try to enter my kitchen!! That means I have three weeks to get the work done, yikes!!
(Logo by Julia Rothman)

Rock and Roll!

This is the coolest furniture line I've seen in some time...It's a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces designed by the British duo Jimmie Martin. Each piece is custom painted and embellished with grafitti-inspired wording and chic colors. I love how the antique and vintage pieces are totally updated and given a new urban feel with just some paint and a marker. I could totally see these pieces used in a restaurant or boutique store, I just wish our clients were rock and roll enough to handle it!



The Stardust Cabinet is painted gold then written on with with black markers and spraypaint.

The I Used to Be Blue chair has a black leather upholstered seat and a painted canvas back.

The Silver Imperfection console is just too cool! I LOVE the lacquered orange interior...LOVE IT!!

This Cocktail Cabinet features a handpainted cupid image over orange paint and has a black emulsion finished interior...

The collection of Imperfection Chairs feature hand-painted artwork and wording written on fabric and frame alike.

The Imperfection 6 wardrobe is so dynamic with the striking black wording over the crisp white background.

Blogger House Party

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Decor8, the other day and saw that the author, Holly, had started a blog featuring designs for a virtual client's home. I was so inspired by the other rooms created by some really talented bloggers, that I wanted to join the fun! Holly, I hope you don't mind but this was too tempting to resist...

Here is the description of the "client":

Home owner: Young single mother (cookbook author) with a son living in a 18th century Georgian townhouse in Savannah Georgia approx. 2000 sq ft., 2 floors, 3 bedrooms (one is an office), and a large patio off of the kitchen. She loves to entertain, enjoys pastels and Swedish decor, decorating on somewhat of a budget but she can splurge on one expensive item per room. Loves pattern and feminine touches but can't deal with too much clutter.

Here is the beautiful living room/reading nook that Holly created:


The gorgeous dining room by Gracious Inspiration:


The cozy little breakfast nook created by Afrochic (I'm in LOVE with that chandelier!):


And here is the crisp, clean office created by Ez of Creature Comforts:


I want to live in the sunny patio created by Nicole of Making it Lovely:


This is the serene little craft room created by Erin of Design for Mankind (lover her blog by the way, check it out!):


So here's my contribution. The Master Bedroom, complete with sitting area...I had so much fun creating this space, thanks for the inspiration Holly!!:



Yellow Lace Wallpaper: Flavor Paper, Upholstered Headboard: Jonathan Adler, Chandelier: 1st Dibs, Nesting Tables: Councill, Sofa: Pottery Barn, Ottoman: 1st Dibs, Tufted Lounge Chair: Jayson Home and Garden, Nightstand: Z Gallerie, Table Lamp: Williams Sonoma Home, Jars: Williams Sonoma Home, Pillows: Thomas Paul, Bird Artwork: YumiYumi, Armoire: Grange, Area Rug: CB2

Kitchen "Non-Confidential"

Okay, I've really been thinking about doing something to my kitchen to make it a little more interesting and unique, (it's pretty blah right now--okay very blah!). I live in a rental but can paint and do pretty much anything to update short of gutting the place. Here's what it currently looks like...I know it's small, but that doesn't mean it can't look cute, right? I've been inspired lately by other bloggers to do some DIY (if you know me, that's pretty unusual-at least when it comes to being handy around the home). Here are a few ideas I have been playing around with lately...

Of course, my first thought is to paint...my problem is, I'm having a hard time choosing a color. The kitchen is right off my living/dining room which is painted purple. I want to do a color that won't overpower the small space and will coordinate with the rest of my decor: I went to Benjamin Moore's website and found a photo that's similar to my kitchen. I set it up so the walls are the same color as my living room...check out my current favorite combination here and feel free to play around! Let me know your suggestions!!

My cabinets obviously don't match, someone took the time to paint the upper cabinets but decided to skip the base cabinetry (I've given up trying to figure out why...). I'm trying to decide if it's really worth the time and effort to do the base cabinets...stay tuned to see if I get motivated enough to take the plunge! I do want to add some hardware, regardless, and have been looking at various knob choices. I haven't decided if I want to go with a more classic look like these: (bin pull on the left from Van Dykes Restorers, knob on the right from Restoration Hardware)

or something more vingate "inspired" like one of these cute choices from Anthropologie:

Ummm, I feel the need to confess a slight addiction to the Container Store...I dragged my parents there when I moved in because I wanted to put up shelving above my stove. The person that lived here before me "stole" the shelf she had there and I was left with nothing (hello!! serious waste of space, people!). I ended up getting some Elfa shelving which worked out great! It's extremely sturdy (my dad needed some convincing) and adjustable so it fit my needs perfectly, and I can take it or leave it when I move out! I really wish I had the space to do a set-up like the one they show in their catalog. I also really wish I had that range...:
I've been using these awesome French Hermetic Jars to store dry goods such as flour and sugar. They're air-tight so your food stays fresh (and they're cheap to boot!):The only problem is, they're not labeled so sometimes I have to figure out which is the sugar and which is the salt! I think I might solve that problem with these cute hang tags fromSarah Kate's Kreations.

One of the ideas I've been contemplating for quite some time now is how to display these fun plates I found at the Crate and Barrel Outlet store (they were $1.00 each--bargain!):I would love to show them off in this plate rack fromWisteria but I don't really have anywhere to put it. I'll have to put it on my wish list for when I get a bigger kitchen:Instead, I think I'm going to try to hang them on the soffit above the upper cabinets a-la the photos I posted earlier this week from designer Kelly Wearstler. I found another fun layout at Ehow.com and, thankfully, Martha Stewart has an easy way to set up a layout without punching twenty holes in your wall. I think I need to find a few more patterns to mix in to make it a little more interesting (antiquing anyone??).

My final idea (at least for this post) comes from Nicole Bach over at Making it Lovely. She posted her remodeled kitchen in the fall of last year and I really love what she and her husband did (mostly DIY I might add). The crisp white subway tiles and white cabinets really update the look of the place and I'm in love with the cute roman shade she made for her window. I'm thinking of making something similar for my little window...I must learn to sew!! Here is a closeup of her charming creation:and here is a picture of some beautiful Merimekko fabric that I found today:I haven't decided if the scale of the pattern is too big for this little window but I'm thinking that adding some turquoise grosgrain ribbon around all the edges as well as the ties may help give it the presence it seems to be lacking. Any thoughts??

Whew! I have some work to do...anyone want to help??!! I'll supply the pizza and beer!

Flickr Find

Spooky, originally uploaded by coba.

I actually have this photo framed in my bedroom...